One of the subjects that comes up often as we advise our clients in marketing luxury real estate is the fine line between specializing in the top tier of the marketplace and not wanting to alienate previous clients whose home sold in the mid price range, our clients are concerned that they may come accross as too pretentions or aloof.  Inherent in that concern is a misconception of the meaning of luxury, because it is often associated with elitism and conspicuous consumption, whereas we firmly believe that this is a limited perspective because there is luxury in simple pleasures, for example, the luxury of tasting the first crop of sweet corn.

Corn on the cob is a quintessential American food of summer.  The first crop is here at our Farmers' Market in Santa Barbara, It reminds us of Richard Rodgers' song, Oh, What A Beautiful Morning, from the quintessential American musical Oklahoma, written in 1943.  Here is our favorite excerpt about corn.

There's a bright golden haze on the meadow,
There's a bright golden haze on the meadow,
The corn is as high as an elephant's eye,
An' it looks like its climbin' clear up to the sky.

Chorus:
Oh what a beautiful morning,
Oh what a beautiful day,
I've got a wonderful feeling,
Everything's going my way.

HAPPY WEDNESDAY, WE WISH THAT EVERYTHING IS GOING YOUR WAY 

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

As luxury real estate marketing professional, it is a great idea to keep a list for closing and housewarming gifts. Our criteria for gifts of this nature are gifts that create a buzz and get people talking about you in a positive light.  We spotted these pineapple plants at our local Trader Joe’s.  

 This beautiful plant has throughout the history of the American continents symbolized a warm welcome and   hospitality.   In his writings Christopher Columbus described landing on the Caribbean island of Guadalupe where he and his sailors were served pineapple. 

In Colonial America, the pineapple expressed the warmest welcome a family could extend guests in their homes.   A pineapple was used as the center piece of the dining table and would be served as the dessert.   The pineapple symbol of friendship and hospitality was adopted by architects, artisans and craftsman of this era.  Mansions and homes adorned with carved wood or sculpted stone pineapples on its gates or doors announce the hospitality of the owners.

Although this plant will not ripen as a fruit indoors, (they may outdoors in a warm climate) its beauty and symbol will be appreciated, and you will be remembered.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

Dennis Hanlon, Park City Utah

Professional networking on Facebook and other social media platforms can contribute to your success as a luxury real estate marking professional.  But, participation in these venues simply does not replace in-person face time and consistently staying in touch with your colleagues in meaningful ways.  We think it’s time to spend more time in the real world. 

One of the best examples of professional networking in luxury real estate is the Western Mountain Resort Alliance (WMRA) that was spearheaded by Dennis Hanlon,  a visionary broker in Park City Deer Valley, Utah, in 1996.  Dennis, who was the president of his local board, suggested a meeting of six ski resort board presidents to explore ways that they could benefit from an alliance.  

According to Dennis, who also served as president of the WMRA through 2010, “ We all discovered that we had so much in common and that we faced the same kinds of issues.  We realized that marketing and selling resort real estate requires specialized knowledge and our clients demand a high level of expertise”. 

It became apparent that sharing sales information from the various resorts would benefit all members. Another benefit is sharing best practices for resolving common problems.  

Hanlon said, “An example of a common issues in mountain resort areas is finding suitable employment housing. We typically have limited space for development. Some other important challenges include how to address minimum revenue guarantees imposed by the airlines and how to obtain financing for condominiums”. 

One of the great outcomes of WMRA was bringing their network model to the attention of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) who started their own resort committee in order to help resort REALTORS® gain resort specific education. 

Professional networking can help you solve problems that are also faced by your peers in their luxury real estate markets.  It can also exponentially expand your referral base.   Facebook may be a good way to facilitate professional networking. But, there is nothing better than in-person, face time and staying in touch in meaningful ways. It's time to spend more time in the real world!

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

The great outdoor lifestyle, with its myriad of recreational activities, is highly revered among those who live and play in Big Sky and the nearby, upscale enclaves of Bozeman, Montana.  The spirit of this area was captured in the film, A River Runs Through It.  Shot on location in Montana, it starred Brad Pitt and was directed by Robert Redford. You get the sense that nature actually takes on the leading role in the story and fly fishing, becomes a path to zen-like meditation.

According to Martha Johnson, “Fly fishing in the Big Sky area is centered around the Gallatin River. You have a choice of five blue-ribbon trout streams. Because we are located close to the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park, it is not uncommon to observe a herd of elk walk by or a moose because we are in the migration corridor of Yellowstone.  In the winter, the snow is like down feathers. You use a broom instead of shovel to clear it from your porch”

“Everyone in the Bozeman- Big Sky area is here by choice, says. Robyn Erlenbush. “There are experiences to be had here like nowhere else in the USA.  For example, if exclusivity is what you seek, Yellow Stone Club, a private residential community,  may be perfect for you. Where else can you find ‘’Private Powder’ skiing?”

Denise Andres says, “Bozeman is a university town (MSU) teaming with intellectual vibrancy and vitality. Retirees love university towns like ours. There is so much to do here. For example, we have regularly scheduled art walks and music on Main Street.The Bridger Bowl ski area is only 20 minutes from downtown. People here smile a lot because they generally are not stressed”.

“The Big Sky Ski and Summer Resort offers best of class skiing that spans across three interconnected mountains with over 5,000 acres, 4000 vertical feet and  220 trails.  We get over 400 inches of snow annually.” Karen add,  “ Big Sky is known for having ‘the Biggest Skiing in America”, says Karen Davids.

According to Ernie Hall,”The average number of skiers on a busy day in Big Sky is about 5000 which  means one skier per acre. With high speed quad lifts there literally are no lift lines!  That means you can get more skiing packed into a single day”. 

“There are no ‘big box’ retailers in Big Sky. Main street in Bozeman still has the western Montana charm and it is thriving! , says Ania Bulis. “As a ski resort area, we do not have a big city draw like Denver, for example. Bozeman only has about 60,000 people. However,, according to Don Pilotte, “ We do have the most skiable terrain in the USA; it is very much like the Alps in Europe in that regard.And, it is built on private land”. 

“Locals treasure the simplicity of life in Big Sky”, says Eric Ossorio. “For that reason it is self-selective in terms of who is attracted to the area. We have a saying here:   ‘If we don't have it we don't need it‘.

According to Jerry Pape, “There still are cowboys in Montana who ride horses, wear cowboy hats and participate in rodeos.  It occurred to me early on that we do not sell real estate here in Big Sky.   We sell big dreams! “ 

“One of our greatest assets in Big Sky is wide open space”, says Shawna Winter . “The views  are simply majestic; I just want to be outdoors”.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

Luxury real estate marketing is a people to people business at its core.  Most of the top luxury real estate marketing professionals have succeeded because they understand the importance of maintaining in-person face time in the read world and consistently staying in touch in meaningful ways.  Many of the market leaders that we have consulted or interviewed for our article series, 50 Top Luxury Real Estate Markets in the USA, spend a minimum amount of time in the virtual arenas of Facebook, Linked-In, Twitter, etc.  

The Facebook IPO is debuting tomorrow.  Among all the excitement and predictions of astronomical valuations and financial gains for its investors, some interesting data has emerged about the actual effectiveness of using Facebook for attracting a loyal audience of raving fans.  Our research has revealed that the global marketing community is questioning the validity of  social media’s promise of value for business: “word of mouth on steroids”.  

For example, Dr. Karen Nelson-Field from the University of South Australia’s Ehrenberg-Bass Institute for Marketing Science, says, 

“Many brands moved quickly onto Facebook when it emerged as the new frontier for reaching an audience but it has since proved a challenge to engage with those who claim to ‘like’ them.”  

In her 6 week study of the top 200 brands, she found, that the reality of spreading news “like wild fire” is theoretically possible. However the reality shows that most links are shared with not more than 5-10 people. Furthermore she adds, 

“The huge legions of Facebook fans, it turns out, are not so actively engaged with the brands they once “liked. Less than 1% of brand fans on Facebook have any type of active involvement, bringing those huge numbers down to earth”. 

Dr Field concludes that, “Facebook is an important part of the marketing mix , we simply encourage marketers not to spend a disproportionate amount of time and money trying to facilitate engagement or drive loyalty when we know that’s not going to happen with the push of the ‘like’ button.”

 It’s time to spend more time in the real world and get back to basics. There is no getting around the fact that in -person face time and keeping in touch in meaningful ways works!  In Part 2 of this series we will discuss why real face time out-markets Facebook for business, according to our research.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

For those interested in South Maui's luxury sector of Wailea and Makena, it is critical to be cognizant of current market conditions, trends, and news, particularly broken down to a micro-market level. Our last Maui real estate update detailed decreasing inventories, which is resulting (anecdotally) in buyers across virtually every price point facing more competition for available properties, particularly for those that are priced well within their fair market value. So with that, let's dwell deeper into some factors that will provide better perspective of the general state of the market, with specific examples to demonstrate how different micro-markets are experiencing varying trends.

Inventory Available

A key metric is analyzing how much of all inventory is available for sale at a given time. With 1,830 condos in Wailea (plus an additional 145 in Makena), this South Maui luxury district certainly has a wide range of properties to satisfy from entry-level buyers ($400K's) to the uber affluent buyer ($10M+). At the time of this writing, there are 121 units available for sale, representing 6.12% of all Wailea/Makena condos. Please see the chart above to see inventory levels for the Wailea condo market (6.12%) and for examples of individual complexes, including Wailea Beach Villas (7.07%), Wailea Ekahi (4.39%) and Hoolei (10.83%). One could reasonably make the assumption that a higher percentage of units for sale would equate into higher supply for the same amount of demand, thereby possibly driving sales prices down and putting potential buyers in a position of advantage.

Absorption rates, which in essence is a metric of how much time it would take for available inventory to be depleted based on the current sales pace, has long been held to be a key signal of whether the market is moving from a buyer's market, to a balanced market, to a seller's market. Based on the previous 12 months, on average 8.16 Wailea condos are sold per month, as such it would take 14.8 months to exhaust the current supply of Wailea/Makena units for sale. One could make the assumption that a longer rate of absorption would make sellers more anxious to negotiate any reasonable offer presented as it could take a significant amount of time to receive another offer. Will it prove to true? Read on.

List to Sales Ratio

Based on the information above, it could be argued that properties with high percentage of units available for sale and a low absorption rate (thereby creating a micro buyer's market) will have a low list price to sales price ratio. Furthermore, Wailea Ekahi, which has a low percentage of its units currently for sale (4.39%) would presumably have the highest list-to-sale ratio. Take a look at the chart below:

Although Wailea Ekahi has a high-to-sales percentage at 93.72% (above the Wailea condo average of 91.93%), to some it may be surprising that Hoolei, which has the highest percentage of units actively for sale (10.83%) and one of the lowest absorption rates (19.5 months of inventory), also has the highest list-to-sales percentage at whooping 95.79%.

The point of this article is simple: Maui real estate is much more complex than a single metric could ever demonstrate. A deep understanding of the local real estate market goes well beyond looking at statistics and requires a thorough analysis at the micro-market level and representation by a knowledgeable Realtor can prove to be the difference between a smooth transaction at a good value and one muddled with issues. Aloha.

This guest post was contributed by Alex Cortez of Island Sotheby's International Realty on Maui, specializing in Wailea Homes on Maui's sunny South Coast.

Recently we were reading some of our clients’ testimonials, and one of them inspired this post.  Here is a direct quote, “This individual (agent) is truly a professional who can manage all the details involved in selling my home, and does it so effortlessly that I never had to worry about a thing.”

Given the rapid rate of our lives, we all want someone who gives us service at the level where we do not spend time worrying.  Worry is defined as: “ thoughts, images and negative emotions in which mental attempts are  imagined and discussed to avoid anticipated potential threats.”

What is peace of mind? The dictionary defines it as: “The absence of mental stress or anxiety, and the presence of serenity, calm, quiet, comfort of mind." That is exactly what a buyer/seller wants when working with you.”  Ultimately, they are signing with you because they feel that you will provide them with a seamless flow in reaching the grand finale of selling or buying a house.

How valuable is peace of mind?  It is so valuable that many agents who give this type of service are given a constant stream of referrals.  And, in many cases their clients are also giving them a closing gift.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

Remarkable service with a twist that distinguishes you from your competition can create an indelible impression and enchant your clients.. Look for evidence of enchantment, times when you have enjoyed exemplary service in your daily life, and reach for ways that you can incorporate enchantment into your own luxury real estate marketing practice.

Saint Alexandra’s Day (Alexandra’s Name Day) provided the perfect opportunity to seek out evidence of enchantment marketing. We googled “the best steak house in Thousand Oaks” (nearby Santa Barbara and close to Malibu) and found an entire page dominated by great reviews of Mastro’s.  Since we very rarely order beef we wanted to find the best place.But we were seeking an restaurant just outside of town so we could turn it into a new adventure. 

Mastro’s, we discovered, has multiple locations in Arizona, Nevada, California and Illinois.  It definitely lived up to its reviews.   Here are some of the quality cues that lead us to a very favorable opinion of this fine establishment:

We were served an assortment of scrumptious artisan breads that were fresh out of the oven.  That could have been a meal unto itself. Our favorite was the pretzel bread. 

Our server reminded us of a European professional waiter who really knew his wines. We were allowed to taste a couple of them prior to ordering and the dialogue was educational. 

 He was equally knowledgable about the extensive menu. He had definite personal opinions about it when asked. 

We ordered creamed spinach and the crunchiest snap peas as our vegetables.  We asked if the creamed spinach was made with bacon.  Our server said, “No.  But, everything tastes better with bacon”, and he disappeared only to return with some of the  best bacon we had ever tasted.

We did not order dessert. But, we were presented with an enormous slice of St. Alexandra’s Names Day cake and a side of whipped cream that must have been more than a pint.  With only room for a couple of nibbles, we were more than delighted.

When we left the restaurant, the valet brought our car and handed us some bottled water for the road with the Mastro’s logo on the bottle.  We had previously been given a shopping bag with handles to cary three box full of food items that we could not finish.

Seek out quality cues, evidence of enchantment marketing in peripheral aspects of your life, not just in  your field.  Get a sense of how it feels when you are treated exceptionally well.  Then incorporate as many ways as possible to enchant your clients. It will put a twist in your marketing approach that will help you to standout from your competition.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

Fear of change is another of the top vulnerabilities of market leaders.  For luxury real estate marketing professionals who are bent on gaining or sustaining market leadership you need to keep evolving as an individual, a team or as a company.  The common adage of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”, or “I am doing well, why rock the boat” does not apply if you intend on maintaining your position.

 We are experiencing a tidal wave of change on a daily basis in every aspect of life.  If you want to successfully keep moving forward, you have to keep reinventing yourself.  One of the most important elements in this process is to be willing to break down your business model on a regular basis and reexamine every aspect through a magnifying lens. You may have to throw out what “ain’t’broke” altogether and adopt and adapt consistently.  You have to stay nimble and be able to turn on a dime.   If you don’t do it, your competition will rapidly surpass you without any hesitation, or find a way to profit from your passivity. 

Some companies capitalize on the “fear of change” and develop business models which take advantage of this mentality.  An example of this is “show rooming”.  Many consumers visit showrooms note model numbers, and then find the identical item on line using their Smartphone’s and purchase them for a lot less.  What caused this?  Fear of change and the unwillingness to adapt.  Companies such as Best Buy are now looking for ways to prevent the show rooming epidemic. In real estate lending, companies such as the Lending Tree captured consumer leads for loans, routed them to the banks and received a commission.  They understood that banks are not quick to respond to change, and they could step in and profit.

What must not change are your core values, your integrity and your commitment to superb service for your clients.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

Photo by Chris Dorney

Complacency is one of the top vulnerabilities of market leaders.  For Luxury real estate marketing professionals who are bent on gaining or sustaining market leadership staying on the leading edge is not an option, it is an imperative.  Harrods’s department store in London exemplifies this principle.

Harrods is already known for its outstanding service private client service and was recently given an award at the Luxury Briefing awards for its customer service.  According to Luxury Briefing, “Beyond is an extension of Harrods’ service available to private clients and goes above the realms of what consumers expect from a department store.”  So why would they send their employees to study with Minding Manners (etiquette and protocol consultants) to learn about etiquette? The employees enrolled in a two full-day sessions that emphasized etiquette aspects of multi-cultural awareness.

Global capital cities as well as globally known luxury resort destinations are regularly visited by buyers of goods and real estate from all parts of the word.  What is considered to be great manners in the European or American cities can be interpreted as an insult in other parts of the world.  Since Harrods has an extensive VIP clientele from the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas, the training by Minding Manners covered all aspects of meeting, greeting and interacting with cross-cultural respect.

At one time, every shopper entering the store was greeted with a handshake and a glass of champagne.  Now this tradition has been revisited as many cultures and religious sects practice alcohol abstinence, and do not shake hands with women.  Also the friendly Western physical touches are not necessarily welcome, particularly when it comes to opposite genders.  How to dress is also important when meeting customers from other countries if not in a standard store uniform.

Whether or not you are dealing with an elite global clientele or culturally integrated Americans, it is important to avail yourself of the knowledge of every community’s cultural and religious preferences.  In order to stay on the leading edge and successfully earn the trust of global communities, take the cue from Harrods.  Impeccable cultural etiquette is one way to differentiate you as a luxury real estate marketing professional.  To stay on the leading edge avoid complacency at all costs.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra.

On the eve of Cinco de Mayo we thought it would be appropriate to discuss the iconic brand of tequila which is associated with Mexico.  Mexico has the international rights to the word “tequila”, and they have made it clear that they will take legal action against anyone or any country that uses the word to describe blue agave spirits.  Mexico law also states that tequila can be produced in the state of Jalisco (Tequila is a city in Jalisco), and specific regions in the states of Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Tamaulipas.

Furthermore, the Tequila regulatory Council has stated that authentic tequila must be made from 100% agave. Only then can it be designated as “100%” agave.  Everything else is“mixto” tequila.

Artisanal tequila is a thriving industry.  Recently we dined at the bar of Cielito, a wonderful restaurant in Santa Barbara, and learned that they carry over 70 brands of artisanal tequila.  Like wine, the producers of tequila create variations in taste based on the extent of aging and also on the type of wood used in the barrels where the tequila is aged. Other varietals can be created using agave that is grown at high altitudes giving it a sweeter taste, as opposed to lower altitudes which can give tequila an herbaceous taste.

While we were dining, we noticed that there were three bottles of tequila on the shelf shaped like human skulls.  Our friendly bartender told us that these bottles of tequila were made of hand-blown glass. The black skull bottle with hand glued rhinestones is the most expensive ($70 a shot) because it had been aged the longest.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra via the agents/brokers interviewed.

In a time-pressed world, time becomes the ultimate luxury. Affluent consumers will pay a premium if you can save them time and the aggravation of wasted time.  As a luxury real estate marketing professional, think about how you can save your clients time and aggravation every step of the way. Perform a Time-saving audit on all aspects of the service you provide.

Saving time applies to the user experience on your website from their first encounter with you. And, it applies to every other encounter they have with you or your team. Here are few items to consider when you perform your Time-saving Audit:  

1. Does your website navigation save the user time in finding exactly what they came for? 
2. The simple act of listening to your client’s specific needs and only showing them the properties that match those needs saves them time.  Do you preview the homes you show your clients.?
3. If you are the listing broker, do you prepare detailed home-showing instructions for cooperating brokers so that they do not waste their clients’ time?  Their clients may be the perfect buyer for your listings. 

This will get you started with your Time-saving Audit. Your high net worth clients will certainly appreciate you for doing these things because time is the ultimate luxury.  But, just as important as it is to save your client’s time, you should also be including, in your audit, all of the ways you can save yourself time.  Value their time and value yours as well.  Only then will you see that the time your save can turn into money.  Does that make "cents"?

Let us know some of YOUR questions that you think should be included in the Time-saving Audit!

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra via the agents/brokers interviewed.

When marketing luxury real estate, understanding the priority values of your high net worth clients is one of the keys to your success. Fine craftsmanship, innovation, elegance of design, uncompromising quality of materials, and superlative customer service are standards of excellence that must be understood by purveyors of luxury goods and service professionals who cater to this demographic.  

o one understood these benchmarks of luxury better than Steve Jobs, who infused these values into every aspect of Apple, the organization and its products. But, the one luxury priority value that Jobs knew that still baffles Apple’s competitors is the luxury of time saved. He understood that tech support and the learning curve are the two biggest thieves of time in the digital age and he set out to counter this by saving customers time. 

How does Apple save you time and aggravation?  Apple controls the customer experience of using computers and digital devices from end to end. Moreover, every product they produce is fully integrated with the others. An integrated product line saves you time in tech support because there is only one tech support number to call. It also saves your time on the learning curve because the various devices become more intuitive to learn having already understood the basics.  According to Jobs, 

 “People pay us to integrate things for them, because they don’t have time to think about this stuff 24/7.  If you have an extreme passion for producing great products, it pushes you to be integrated, to connect your hardware and your software and content management.  You want to break new ground, so you have to do it yourself.” 

Think about what your time is worth in dollars.Then, the value of saving time  and aggravation will become crystal clear.  Here are some questions to ponder:

1. How much time did you spend in tech support last year? How much did that cost you in time if one of your hours is worth $100-500.
2. How many different tech support providers did you need to go to for help because your computers and devices use separate operating systems or were manufactured by separate companies?
3. How much time did you spend on the learning curve to use your various computers and digital devises? 

 If you are lucky enough to live near one of Apple’s physical stores you can have unlimited one-on-one sessions with an Apple expert for $100 per year!  If you have a specific project that you are working on and have questions you can also join a group session and get the personal help you need as needed.  

 Tech support via the phone is with support representatives who reside within your country and speak your language the way you do. This costs Apple 50% more than outsourcing tech support. But, the user experience is superlative. 

As a luxury real estate marketing professional, how can you save time for your clients and for your self?  Perform a Time-saving Audit.  See our next post to learn how.

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra via the agents/brokers interviewed.

We had an early morning meeting in Beverly Hills today.  After grabbing a warm just out of the oven bagel from St Urbain, we had a few minutes to meander and look around at the newest retail. Whenever a store is remodeled in Beverly Hills, the business creates a beautiful structure to camouflage the constructing inside.  Here is the Bulgari version on Rodeo Drive which is one of the famous luxury retail streets in the Beverly Hills triangle.

The brilliance of erecting an aethetically pleasing camouflage is that it creates visibility and anticipation for the new store.  At the same time it markets the Bulgari brand in a way that is harmonious to its luxury brand strategy!

This blog posting has been provided by Ron and Alexandra Seigel, the Language of Luxury Community Founders and managing partners of Napa Consultants, International, the leading luxury real estate strategic marketing firm. They specialize in personal and company branding, luxury real estate website design and social media marketing. Photos courtesy of Ron and Alexandra via the agents/brokers interviewed.

The selling process can be long and frustrating. You may get a lot of viewings, but no respondents. You may not get any views at all. Whatever the case is, any homeowner can follow simple tips that will result in a quick house sale. Soon enough, everyone will be dying to get a sneak peek of what seems like the Trump Towers!

De-personalize

Removing personal photos, posters, and ornaments is a good place to start. Viewers want to imagine how life will be like living in their new home, not your old one. Having the hallways cleared out and simple makes it look bigger as well—throw furniture and excess items into the attic.

Make sure you do not completely empty out the house. Potential buyers shouldn’t need to try too hard to imagine living there.

Freshening up

New doors, new paint, and new tiles all make the house feel like it hasn’t been previously owned. Clear up the stains and spills and spray some air freshener in open spaces. Change up the color scheme of the house to something more neutral so it feels natural to potential buyers. If you cannot re-tile, then simply give the house a new look. Replace old and broken light bulbs with subtle lighting, re-paint the doors, iron and wash all the bedroom sheets, and place flowers and furniture to give a homely effect.

De-clutter

No one wants to come into your home and see toys, books, clothes and a bunch of irrelevant items spread around the house. Clear everything up or hire a house clearance service if the job is too big.

Clean

Probably the most important house selling tip—clean up! Seems simple, doesn’t it? A woman makes a house purchase decision 90% of the time—a girlfriend, wife, mother, sister, or whatever. And trust me, women can spot a spec of dirt miles away. The kitchen and bathroom tend to gather a lot of clutter. Organize bathroom items, put away towels, open up a new bar of soap, get rid of dishes, and clean the kitchen counter. De-cluttering and cleaning up can go hand in hand and takes little time. Just throw on some music and get into the zone and you’ll be finished before you know it.

Curb appeal

More than half of your potential buyers will drive by without even viewing the actual inside of your home. If a house looks like a cemetery from the outside, there’s no point seeing the grave. Fix up your entrance—make potential buyers say they “have a good feeling about this” as they walk in. If your garden’s too messy, hire a garden clearance service—pull the weeds out, mow the lawn, rake out leaves, trim tree limbs, clear out gutters and put away access garden tools.

Rooms

Make sure rooms are neutral and show potential size. If you have used a room as storage, well, clear it out! This is most likely more time consuming than everything else. If you have advertised your home as a three bedroom, then potential buyers want to see three bedrooms, not two rooms and another full of junk.

Estate-agents

If time is an issue but you have the money, hire multiple estate agents to sell your house. It will usually be the estate-agents themselves who show viewers around the house, so make sure they know what to do. If you have a specific order you want to show buyers your rooms, let the estate-agents know. Communicate with agents so you know when to get your pets out of the house. Never point out problems in the first visit such as neighbours, noise, boiler trouble, etc. On the other hand, do make sure you mention the good aspects—the view, neighbourhood, etc.

Article courtesy of Sohaib Siddique with AnyJunk, who provide house clearance through fantastic service and responsible disposal. Anyjunk is an easy and eco-friendly alternative to skip hire. Our crews take all types of waste, from furniture and electrical appliances to refurbishment waste and garden refuse.