Luxury Clues

Puerto Vallarta

Ready to winter or holiday in Mexico? Say hasta la vista baby to the cold weather with this gorgeous estate in Puerto Vallarta.

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The Holiday Gift Hunt is ON!

We’re in search of the coolest holiday gifts for the luxury client. There will be two categories: One that an agent would buy to give their best client at closing or at the holidays and one that the ultra rich would buy for themselves. We’ll post the top contenders—come join the fun! BTW, the best gift may be something personal and not necessarily expensive.

Posted by Bernice Ross
RealEstateCoach.com

A New Car for the Holidays? A Different “Continental”

I’ve never been fond of Ferraris. While they are one of the most magnificent looking cars on the road, they are way too uncomfortable for my taste and a pain to climb in and out of if you’re wearing heels or a skirt. I also don’t see a lot of women driving these. Given the traffic in most places as well as the speed limits, you would seldom have the opportunity to really run this fine machine through its paces. On the other hand, I could see myself driving one of these. Better yet, the Bentley Continental Convertible actually comes in about $10,000 less than the SL65 AMG Mercedes Styles.  Which ride would you prefer?

Posted by Bernice Ross
RealEstateCoach.com

LUXE AND DUCKS

A Sustainable Luxury Partnership of Fine Feathered Friends

UNESCO heralds the Vega Archipelago in Norway as a beacon of sustainable living due to a partnership between human being and nature. According to UNESCO’s World Heritage List, these islands are representative of “the way generations of fisherman and farmers have, over the last 1500 years, maintained a sustainable living in an inhospitable seascape near the Arctic Circle, based on the now unique practice of eider down harvesting.”

Each year, during the nesting season, the inhabitants of the main island, Vega, move to the smaller islands to build eider houses for the eider ducks.  They use old boats, driftwood and bricks to build a safe environment for the birds’ nests.  Eiders are the source of eiderdown, feathers that the female plucks from her chest to line the nest and insulate her eggs.  The humans protect the eggs and the hatchlings from their natural predators.  Once the ducklings are hatched and sea worthy, the nest is left to use for eider down duvets.  It takes approximately 70 nests to make one duvet.  These duvets last for over 100 years, and are literally “light as a feather”

Alexandra Seigel
Napa Consultants
Personal Branding & Marketing

FOR YOUR SPECIAL CLIENTS: BEST CHOCOLATE GIFT

In terms of a cool client gift, my vote goes the 96 pieces of Scharffen Berger Chocolate that we received from a fellow coach. This chocolate is akin to tasting the finest of wines and will be a sure hit with chocolate lovers. Also, their hot chocolate is the best I have ever tasted. You can buy the cocoa powder in cans or in bulk. If you want to be really decadent, try making it with half and half.

Byron and I had a chance to tour the Scharffen Berger Chocolate factory last year in Oakland, Ca. They are one of 15 chocolate makers in the United States. Hershey bought them out recently, but they are running the company as a boutique brand under the Hershey umbrella. The factory is about 15 years old, however, they combed all of Europe buying up the old machinery to make chocolate the traditional European way. Each batch is different due to the differences in the cocoas and the blending. There are very distinct flavor variations depending upon the batch you receive. All are amazing. Check it out!   

Posted by Bernice Ross
RealEstateCoach.com

Victoria’s Secret—One bra that is NOT available at your local mall

What does a billionaire buy for the lady in his life? If diamonds are a girl’s best friend, this may be the “friendliest” lingerie on the planet. Better yet, there are two styles to choose from priced at $6.5 million (for the one in the picture) and $12.5 million for this one.

Posted by Bernice Ross
RealEstateCoach.com

For the man (or woman) who has everything...

If you haven’t been to see Casino Royale, it’s a major departure from past 007 movies. There’s no “Q” with his gadgets and only a brief mention of Moneypenny. If you have a diehard 007 fan in your home, you can now suit him or her up with a customized 007 tech package from Sony for $3699. Check out the James Bond Spy Gear Bundle.

Posted by Bernice Ross
RealEstateCoach.com

NARdi Gras: Renewal and Rebirty

During the recent NAR Conference in New Orleans, more than 2,000 attendees put in 8,364 hours of volunteer work. Because of your efforts...

The New Orleans Public Library will open 3 months earlier than expected.

The children at St. Joan of Arc School can learn on the 20 computers you set up, along with the books you secured from other closed schools, and will enjoy a new blacktop play area.

535 Students from De La Salle School have a fresh, newly painted environment in which to learn.

Seven new homes are framed and many more new homes have siding, roofing and porches thanks to your work in the Musicians Village with Habitat for Humanity.

Four homes that were damaged in Katrina are now painted for their elderly owners...and these signs of renewal are encouraging others to return and rebuild in the St. Roch neighborhood.

$100 of nutritious food was provided for every Realtor volunteer hour spend at the Second Harvest Food Bank.

and more residents will be able to enjoy City Park and the Botanical Gardens. Plus, the Park has $15,000 in new equipment they can continue to use.

All attendees helped the rebirth of New Orleans by being there, enjoying the city's many restaurants, stores and cultural sights...helping to rev up the Crescent City's economic engine.

Participation at Saturday night's party on Bourbon Street was incredible! The parade and party were the biggest event in the French Quarter since before Katrina - giving a big boost to local morale.

This year's REALTORS® Expo was the largest ever! Review the list of 650 exhibitors and make plans to follow up for more product information, values, and ideas.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR FOR NEXT YEAR'S CONFERENCE & EXPO, November 13 - 16 in Las Vegas!

Thanks again for YOUR CONTRIBUTION to NARdi Gras and to New Orleans. We look forward to seeing you in Las Vegas next year!

This educational announcement is brought to you by the National Association of REALTORS®.

National Association of REALTORS®
430 N. Michigan Ave.
Chicago, IL 60611

Andover Township

"This ultra unique palacial mansion boasts 11,000 sq.ft. w/impeccable design & appointments. Privacy abounds in this gated 26+ acre estate."

This week's Estate.

Listing Provided by Point2Homes.com

Creating Abundance a la Larry King

Last week, Larry King did a show on attraction featuring a number of well known authors including Jack Canfield, the author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. I’ve been writing about attraction for the last eight years. This approach originated at Coach University and with the late Thomas Leonard. Attraction has changed my life and it can change yours as well. I first wrote the article in the link below back in 2000. It is an appropriate today as it was then. If you want to create more abundance in your life, this simple model will show you how: Creating Abundance.

Posted by Bernice Ross

RealEstateCoach.com