Luxury Clues

UniqueGlobalEstates.com Launches New Luxury Magazine

Our good friend Donna Lee Laue, CEO and founder of UniqueGlobalEstates.com, has just launched a new on-line luxury magazine. There is a wealth of good information if you work the luxury market. Be sure to read Malcolm Kaufman's columns on the Pulse of the San Francisco Market as well as the updates about their luxury ambassadors. Malcolm's Pulse is an outstanding example of what CEOs expect when they have a conversation with an agent about market conditions. For those of you who work downtown condo projects anywhere in the country, use the Pulse as a model for what you can create to serve clients in your area.

If you're not familiar with Donna's site, you can list any of your current listings on the site that are priced at $1 million or more. There is no charge and there is no fee attached to the leads that you receive. This is a must-have for every luxury listing.

If you are one of the top 5-10 ten luxury agents in your area, Donna still has positions open for the UGE Luxury Ambassadors. There are special criteria you must to join this elite group. If you meet them, you will be eligible to receive referrals for the "discreetly" marketed properties. These are the ultra high end listings that never are placed on the Multiple Listing Service. If you're interested, contact Donna through the information provided on the site.

Thanks Donna for giving us another great luxury agent resource!

Posted by Bernice Ross, www.ListenandLearnRealEstate.com, your #1 source for the best real estate sales training on audio CD training available 24-7. If you're ready to make more money in your real estate sales business, visit www.RealEstateCoach.com to learn how.

What to Look for in Chianti Wines

Chianti is the region in Tuscany known world-wide for the wonderful wines. Having lived in California most of my life, I'm partial to California Reds. Nevertheless, there are some wonderful Italian alternatives that of course, blend well with an Italian meal.

We had a tour of one of the local wineries where they served us a five course meal paired with three whites and an additional tasting of three reds. A great place to start is with Chianti Classico--this is one of the best wines of the region. Don't settle for just a plain Chianti. Look for the pink/magenta top on the bottle that identifies the wine as meeting the local standards for the best quality Chiantis. Avoid the 2002 vintage. Paul Wagner, an international wine judge, recommends Castello d'Albola, Ruffino, and Banfi.

Sangiovese is the grape that gives Chiantis their distinctive flavor. Of the tastings that we did, I didn't like the "Reservas" as well as the Classico. A number of years ago, these wines had to be made almost exclusively with the Sangiovese grapes. Today they blend them with Cabernet and Merlots for a richer, more full bodied taste. My favorite was the blend they served with Sangiovese and Merlot.   Loren Sonkin, who recommends another wonderful Tuscan wine known as Barolo, explains that Barolo includes 11 different communes where the grapes our grown. She Barolos that she recommends are from Monforte d’Alba, La Mora, Castiglione Faletto, Serralunga d’Alba, and Barolo (the commune that gives its name to the wine and the DOCG).      For desert, there are two options--grappa, the eqivalent of American moonshine, and Limoncello. We tasted one limoncello on the trip and it was almost as strong as the grappa. One of our friends in Austin has family in Italy and brings back the best limoncello. It tastes like liquid lemon jello, except it's made with 100+ proof alcohol. One recipe I found called for everclear, another term for white lightening. Limoncello, if made properly, is a delight with dessert and something that should be consumed in moderation. For me, I'm sticking to the capuccino, especially after a wonderful glass or two of wine with dinner. Posted by Bernice Ross, www.RealEstateCoach.com and www.RealEstateDough.com, the place you go to make more real estate dough in your real estate business!

 

Forty Tips to Have a Happier Life (Part 1 of 2)

For those of you who aren't familiar with Philip Humbert's fabulous weekly "Tips" newsletter, his is the one business coaching newsletter that I read every week. He is the founder of Teleclass4U.com which we purchased from him back in 1999. Philip is a psychologist, a coach, and an outstanding mentor of business people from all walks of life. With over 50,000 readers, he definitely understands how to help others create success.

This week one of his readers, Paul Vogel, shared a list of 40 tips to have a happier life. Philip graciously gave his consent for us to reprint this. If you would like to subscribe to "Tips," visit http://www.philiphumbert.com

Here are the first 20 Tips. Look for the next 20 one week from today.

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

3. Go to bed earlier and get more sleep.

4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following: 'Today, my primary purpose is to __________.'

5. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6. Play more games and read more books than you did last year.

7. Make time to practice meditation, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured or packaged in factories.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new energy flow into your life.

14. Don't waste your energy on gossip, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the NEGATIVE BLUES away.

18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

See the final 20 tips on Monday August 10, 2008.

Posted by Bernice Ross, CEO www.RealEstateCoach.com, the home of the most comprehensive and innovative real estate training and real estate coaching in the world.

Photo by DigitalArt2

What's Your Walkscore? Cool New Way to Market on Your Real Estate Website

Someone who owns a luxury estate on plenty of acreage may crave privacy more than walkability. With gas hovering around $4.00 per gallon, however, many people are ditching their cars and moving back to the heart of the city.

A new tool from WalkScore, allows your web visitors to determine the "walkability" of various neighborhoods. This is a great feature to add to your website, since it motivates your web visitors to stay on the site and to use it repeatedly.

Why is walkability important? You support your local economy, you substantially reduce fuel costs, and you get to know your neighbors.

You can plug in your address (or the address of any of your listings) to determine how walkable they are. The site grades walkability based upon the convenience of various businesses to the residents, income mix, parks and public space, nearby schools, bike paths, and a "pedestrian-centric" design.

They also consider how accessible the area is to those who may be disabled, the flow of the traffic, and how comfortable and/or convenient it is to use mass transit if available.

If you are selling luxury high rise condominiums, this is an important feature to add to your real estate website. Not only will your web visitors end up using it to find out about the walkability of where they live, there's a good chance they will tell others about it as well as using it when they travel.

What they don't tell you is the quality of the neighborhood. I checked one neighborhood that I know well and it had a very high walk score. Nevertheless, the area is relatively run down. Just because there are facilities nearby doesn't mean that they are places that you want to visit. Ultimately, it still comes down to knowing your neighborhoods. That's where you, as their trusted real estate sales professional, get to shine.

Posted by Bernice Ross, www.ListenandLearnRealEstate.com, your #1 source for the best real estate sales training on audio CD training available 24-7. If you're ready to make more money in your real estate sales business, visit www.RealEstateCoach.com to learn how.