WAV Group
2009 Luxury Real Estate Spring Conference – Las Vegas
May 1, 2009 by Jim Walberg · 4 Comments
The Four Seasons was the venue where Jim Walberg participated in the 7th Annual Luxury Real Estate Spring Conference as a panel member of Effective Social Networking & Blogging Tools For Realtors.
Imagine being with some of the brightest and best minds in real estate for three days! Well, that is what the Luxury Real Estate’s Spring conference was like this past week. The sharing of best practices with such a high caliber of professionals and business owners is an enviable experience for any Realtor. I was not only privileged to be a delegate at this conference, I also gathered some incredible business ideas that will continue to improve the customer experience for our clients, and grow our business in this shifting markets.
The featured presentation was the panel on how to 
use internet tools to dramatically expand your real estate business by increasing your lead generation results – the Strategies & Tactics of Top Real Estate Professionals regarding social networking, blogging, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Victor Lund from the WAV Group was the moderator. Jon Larrance from Perry & Company, Bruce Hiatt from Luxury Realty Group and me from The Bay Area Team, were the panelist. The interaction with the audience demonstrated that it was THE topic that they wanted to explore most in the 2009 world of social networking. Read more
WAV Group
Jim Walberg – East Bay Realtor In Europe – Part 4
February 2, 2009 by Jim Walberg · 3 Comments
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 The Bay Area Team 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. After Paris, my next adventure was to Geneva. Stay tuned…you will enjoy the skiing and winter winery photos.
WAV Group
Jim Walberg – East Bay Realtor In Paris – Part 3
February 1, 2009 by Jim Walberg · 6 Comments
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 The Bay Area Team, 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. Stay tuned for the next report! The next one will be about our adventure in Switzerland.
