Notre Dame Cathedral

Jim Walberg – East Bay Realtor In Europe – Part 2

London to Paris for the start of the Luxury Real Estate International Paris Conference at the Hotel du Louvre.

We took the EuroStar  train from London directly to Paris and a taxi to the conference hotel – Hotel du Louvre.  What a civilized and efficient transportation system Europe has.  We arrived a day early in Paris so we could do more walking in this city that we love so much.  It was hovering around 32F degrees the entire three days we were in Paris!  We are so glad we live in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Our first destination was the Notre Dame.  It is a place we visit each time we are in Paris, not only for the overwhelming beauty, but to light candles for both of our fathers and Ann Marie’s sister who have died.  It was so inspiring to walk in and have this monumental place uplift our spirits.

On Wednesday the 21st, the excitement began with cocktails and the formal welcome dinner for the 60 luxury real estate delegates from 14 different countries.  The Bay Area Team  is a member of “Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate”,  and the president of LRE invited me to be on two of three conference panels during the event.  The panel topics were creating a global brand for your real estate company, and what are the most effective methods of successfully marketing luxury properties internationally.  I was honored to be a delegate and to again be a contributor as I was last November in Philadelphia.

During the cocktail party each of the world markets represented had unique perspectives as to how the world’s economic meltdown is effecting their bottom line profits,  remembering that all real estate is local.  And, there are markets that are still thriving and markets that are in dire straights.

It was refreshing to bring the news of what is happening with the East Bay real estate market to the group.  We are actually holding our own in the midst of the world chaos.  There are pockets of healthy activity and there are some regions that are a mess in the East Bay.  However, after listening to other company’s real estate updates, the East Bay is very fortunate to still be in such a desirable location. 

As of the first of the year, the East Bay markets have become very active in the 680 corridor.  We have assisted with four purchases already this year totalling $5.2 million in sales.  We will see if the Buyers continue to finally take action throughout the first quarter.  Until next time… your East Bay Realtor in Europe is on duty, and he is very cold.  Contact me  anytime for more information today!