Jim Walberg  met two high school students who are making a difference in the world – $1 at a time.  This story will inspire all of us.

I met Garrett and Kyle Weiss last week at my Rotary Club.  These are two high school young men who were inspired to make a difference in this world because of attending the World Cup  games several years ago.  The most impressive soccer game they watched at the World Cup include an African team with almost no support and from a war torn country.  They sat next to the small enthusiastic group of cheering fans and had the chance to speak with them about their country.  They were shocked at the conditions in the country and how difficult it was to participate in the game of soccer that Garrett and Kyle love so much, because of having almost NO soccer fields. Read the rest of this entry »

Buying your second or third homes are not just happening in the Caribbean.  We have now discovered that many of our clients are buying in Italy, too.

Timbers Resorts, a leader in the emerging category of luxury, boutique resorts are completing the final work on beautifully restored and reconstructed farmhouse villas on 4,200 acres in the Tuscan region of Italy near Siena.  For those who are wanting to enjoy the Tuscan lifestyle, Castello di Casole  is a five-star luxury resort and Read the rest of this entry »

It has been amazing the past month to see how the Caribbean wants a hero, too.  Sully Sullenberger has been adopted as the one they need right now.

I just returned from a trip to Europe  attending the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate International Conference in Paris.  Sully Sullenberger has been the topic of conversation everywhere I go, lately.

Many of you know that Sully and his family are dear friends of mine from the San Francisco Bay Area – Danville. You also have been following the whirlwind attention that has come to him because of the “Miracle On The Hudson”.  Sully was the right person, at the right time in history, with the right skills. His 35+ years as a jet pilot and as a glider training pilot was the perfect stuff for the first forced landing in water that had NO fatalities. Read the rest of this entry »

Geneva = International.  Of the ten families that make up my “Geneva Family”, twelve of them were born in some other country besides Switzerland.

After the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate Paris Conference  I took the TGV – the bullet train, to Geneva in order to spend time with my “Geneva Famiies”.  The reason why Geneva = International to me is because of the ten families waiting for me at the train station with most of them being naturalized Swiss who were born in other parts of the world.  Out of 20 people waiting at the train station, here are their countries of origin… Canada, USA, Scotland, England, Sweden, South Africa, Holland, France, Chile, Spain, Russia, Denmark, and Switzerland.  In addition, they all have second, third, and/or fourth homes outside of Geneva.  Here are some of the locations of their homes outside of Geneva:  Caribbean, Spain, France, England, Thailand, Singapore, the Alps, USA, Chile, and more.  So, even though we think of the Caribbean as a melting pot of the world,  this special group of friends is the definition of international in living breathing form.

From the Geneva train station we all car pooled to Champery, Switzerland  to my friends’ Swiss Alps chalet.  This was my headquarters for a three day ski trip.  This is one of my favorite European destinations for skiing.  The Champery ski resort allows you to ski from Switzerland to France any time you want – which we did.  Our lunch destination on one of the days was a goat village at the base of the French side of the slopes.  What an adventure of skiing on fresh powder all the way down the mountain to this quaint village for more food and wine.

The men took a side trip one day to the Chevalier de Bayard Winery  in Varen, Switzerland.  My past views of Swiss wines are typically sweet white wines such as the Alsace region of France.  What I didn’t know is that the Swiss do not export their wines so the world generally does not have the chance to enjoy the many varietals that they produce.  The other surprise for me was visiting a wine region that was covered in snow!  I have never seen snow covered vineyards.  We shared a wonderful day with one of the owners, René Bayard.  (The Knights Of Bayard have been in existence since the 15^th century!  Even the knight’s armor is at the winery.)  After wine tasting, we eat a typical Swiss meal of Raclette cheese, fingerling potatoes and baby pickles – plus, more great Swiss wine.  What a day of exploring new regions of the world and lots of new experiences – and some more great wines that I will never taste in the islands!

My last few days in Europe were spent exploring Geneva – the Old Town, the yacht clubs along Lake Geneva, and the many Swiss watch shops.  I wanted to make sure I stopped by the yacht club that holds the Americas Cup – Societe Nautique Geneva.  I still have a problem understanding how a country with no ocean is the holder of the cup.  Another cold moment was showing off my Obama t-shirt in Old Geneva.  A man from England asked where I purchased it.  I told him San Francisco.  He wanted a copy of it, so I decided to gave him the shirt off my back.  Another magical moment. 

I am blessed beyond measure to have such dear friends as part of my world’s extended family.  And, I am sick of being so cold!  The Caribbean is 85F degrees today.  Varen, Switzerland is 28F degrees.  I love Europe, but my next visit will be in the Spring or Summer.  Now, back to sunshine, warm turquoise waters, and the warm trade winds.  Contact me  if I can be of any assistance with your Caribbean real estate needs.  Until next time…fair winds.

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate International Conference – Paris, France.  Day-3 – final two sessions.

The last day of the Luxury Real Estate International – Paris Conference  was focused on current and future technology critical to the international real estate community, and what are some concepts for exit strategies for selling a real estate company.

Victor Lund, one of the partners of the WAV Group, was the presenter on technology tools and trends. The research he did for this presentation was impressive.  I would recommend you visit their website  and learn more about the services they provide real estate companies around the world.  I had several discussions with Victor and his fellow partners about how the success of Caribbean Islands Realty  can even be expanded.

John Brian Losh  was the facilitator for the last two sessions of the conference. The first session was about how one valuates a Brokerage, and if one is ready to retire or move on to a new adventure how can it be sold. There was a very lively discussion on this topic. Several of the comments from the participants were focused on they could not imagine retiring. There is something unique about owning a real estate company that allows one to serve clients as long as one is able and is still finding it a satisfying and profitable experience.

Mr. Losh wrapped up the conference with a time of reflecting on the profitable ideas that we will be taking back to our real estate businesses. There was a LONG list of ideas and tools that will be serving all of us in 2009.  Some of my final thoughts from the Paris conference were:

• Some of my personal take aways from the Paris conference are focused on the extraordinary quality of the LRE members. Meeting new LRE friends and expanding friendships with those I already new was worth the price of admission.
• Each of us have unique businesses, and very specific local real estate markets in the as part of the Luxury Real Estate international membership. One can gather all the latest greatest “stuff” for our businesses, however the bottom line is it still is all about personal relationships. People do business with people they trust and actually enjoy working with.
• The ultimate power of the Luxury Real Estate network is still generally untapped. The more relationships we have within Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate the more we are able to leverage our global real estate services and sell more properties.

From Australia to Poland, my real estate businesses have been expanded because of my participation in this important international conference in Paris.  AND…did we have some amazing fun in Paris exploring restaurants, and even some fun cave vin bars.  Actually, the fellowship time was where the long lasting effects of the Paris conference will benefit all of the delegates.  My next adventure was to Geneva after Paris.  Stay tuned…more to come.

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate International Conference – Paris, France.  Day-2 – all day seminars and networking opportunities.

After Wednesday night’s cocktail reception and formal dinner, the real work of the Luxury Real Estate  Paris Conference began.  With delegates from 14 countries in attendance – from Australia to Poland, Day-2 of the conference focused on how we can expand our real estate company networks in order to create a more global presence in each of our local markets.  The Hotel du Louvre  was the perfect venue for the work of the conference.  It was agreed by the delegates that the international members have barely scratched the surface of what is possible when all of us expand our sharing of information, experiences, and our luxury listings.

Day 2 of the Paris conference opened with John Brian Losh  welcoming the delegates from 14 countries. What an impressive group of professionals who have come together to share their best ideas.  The 60 delegates had the opportunity to introduce themselves and give a brief assessment as to the condition of their real estate markets given the world economic crisis. It was again a reminder that ALL real estate is local. We also had the chance to highlight one or two of our top listings that may be of interest to a room of Realtors from around the world.

Day 2:  The first conference session was titled Your International Marketing Plan – Marketing Your Listings Abroard.  Michael Audet  from the WAV Group was the moderator, with myself – owner of Caribbean Islands Realty , Olivia Hsu Decker – owner of Decker Bullock Sotheby’s International Realty – California, USA, and John Brian Losh  - founder and president of Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate, Seattle, Washington, as the panel members.  The second session of the conference was titled Developing Your Global Brand – Perspectives From International Companies.  Marilyn Wilson  from the WAV Group was the moderator, with myself,  Ann Chiasson  – owner of Sea to Sky Premier Properties – Whistler, Canada,  and Ole Jespersen  - owner of IRG International Realty Group, Portugal.  Some of the highlights that were a part of the open discussion were;

• In the midst of the global economic crisis we need to change/adapt or die.
• Personal relationships are still the key to serving our customers at the highest levels.
• The Internet is merely the beginning of connecting to people – but it is THE critical tool to master given how people want to start a relationship with a Realtor.
• Make sure your business is leading with revenue regarding any financial decisions. Running out of money is why good businesses close their doors. Cash is KING.
• The business and marketing tools provided to the Luxury Real Estate membership are vast in order to assist all of us in the expansion of our businesses. The key is for each of us to understand what they are and then implement them.

The day ended with me having pages of notes, and a significant expansion of my professional and personal global network.  It has already opened many new doors for the marketing of our Caribbean real estate projects.  We then enthusiastically moved on to the nightlife of Paris.  Until my next report…fair winds!