Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

Luxury Marketing Council: Jim Walberg On The Panel For “Alpha Agent’s” Event

Who Said You Can’t Sell Luxury Real Estate Online?   Success Stories and Strategies from Those Who Can AND Do!

SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – (April 22, 2010) Jim Walberg, a business owner in the San Francisco Bay Area, and REALTOR®, who is well-known for his results in the world of internet marketing as it relates to the sale of luxury real estate globally, shares his effective strategies with the San Francisco chapter of The Luxury Marketing Council’s Annual “Alpha Agent” Event April 22, 2010 at One Hawthorne Luxury Condominiums – 645 Howard Street.  This is the annual event attended by the top 150 Realtors representing luxury estates and residences, and equestrian properties in all of Northern California.

Each year the San Francisco chapter of The Luxury Marketing Council conducts over member educational and networking meetings and events.  The Annual “Alpha Agent” Event is their most popular.   The April 22^nd event will focus on the use of on-line marketing strategies for the sale of luxury real estate with emphasis on Blogging, profitable use of Social Media and the structure of the Virtual Office.  LMC participates in the intelligent exploration of the best marketing practices and trends in all the luxury marketplaces. Read more

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

FIABCI-USA: Jim Walberg Presents At The 2010 Spring Conference

Expert Internet Marketing Professional, Jim Walberg, Shares Lead-Generation Tips at FIABIC-USA Conference

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINA – (March 27, 2010) – Jim Walberg, owner of The Bay Area Team, and a 40-year business owner and REALTOR®, who is well-known for his very successful real estate companies in the Caribbean and San Francisco real estate markets, openly shared his global marketing strategies at the FIABIC-USA 2010 Spring Conference in Alexandria, Virginia.

Five years ago, Walberg said he had a vision of expanding his real estate practice from San Francisco to include the Caribbean Islands. At that time he launched the websites Bay Area and Caribbean websites that allows Buyers from all over the world to purchase real estate in two of the most desirable locations in the world. Read more

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

BuyWell Coffee: Is The Coffee You Are Buying Changing The World?

So, we were in Colorado last week  attending several real estate conferences.   The last one was the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference  in Vail as one of their conference presenters regarding our internet marketing strategies for our customers.  After the conferences we visited our friends who provided us a little R&R at their home for two days.  During our visit we learned that Jay and Carol helped start the only premier coffee roasting company committed to roasting 100% Fair Trade, 100% organic coffees that are naturally rich in antioxidants, handcrafted to perfection using 100% certified renewable energy.   BuyWell Coffee was founded with a BIG dream – combating poverty and protecting the environment through coffee purchases.  Did you know that the second highest volume commodity traded in the world, after oil,  is coffee?  Well, believe it!  And, the vast majority of coffee growing families are living on less than $2.00 per day! Read more

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

Ilya Moshensky – THE Photographer For The World’s Luxury Properties!

Ilya’s Photography sets the highest standards for quality in the industry with over 30 years of experience. He has enjoyed a lifelong passion for his work, and it is instantly evident with the results he delivers.

I first met Ilya at the Luxury Real Estate conference in Del Mar, California several months ago. I asked someone at the conference after I met him, “Who is that guy?”  I was told he is the finest photographer in the world who captures the true essence of luxury real estate properties in the world!  Over the past two years I have personally discovered that to be TRUE!!!  We have become GREAT friends since our first meeting.  He and his wife have become a gift to my wife and me. Read more

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

2009 Realtor MasterMind & Cultural Summit – Austin, Texas!

Keller Williams Realty just finished gathering together their top Realtors in Austin, Texas to share their best ideas.  And, once a year their honor 60 Realtors for Service Above Self to their community.  Jim Walberg  was at both of these remarkable events.

Each quarter Keller Williams Realty  invites the top Realtors from their North American offices to Austin, Texas for serveral days of sharing their best ideas for growing a real estate practice – MasterMind.  And, once a year they have their Cultural Summit, which is a celebration of honoring two Realtors from each of their 30 North American regions for their extraordinary contribution to community service. Read more

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

2009 Luxury Real Estate Spring Conference – Las Vegas

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

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate’s 7th Annual Spring Conference – The Power Of Social Networking!

Jim Walberg will be joining Michael Marquette of Marquette Turner in Australia, Jon Larrance, from Denver, Colorado, and Bruce Hiatt from Las Vegas, on a panel moderated by Victor Lund of the WAV Group to discuss “The Power of Social Networking”.

Luxury Real Estate’s 7^th Annual Spring Conference  is in Las Vegas this month.  Every year the Luxury Real Estate group meets to discuss the latest trends in their niche market, and brainstorm cutting-edge marketing techniques. There will be approximately 200 of the top real estate professionals from around the world gathering to learn and share their latest successful tools.  Given that the world of communicating is now at galactic speed with the use of FaceBook, Twitter, Blogging, and LinkedIn, it is critical for professionals to either master these tools are be left in the dust.

Myself, Michael Marquette from Sydney, Australia, Jon Larrance from Denver, and Bruce Hiatt from Las Vegas are panelists for the topic of “The Power Of Social Networking”!  I am honored to be a part of this powerhouse group of professionals who are using the social networking tools in many different ways with similar extraordinary results.

Michael Marquette is recognized the world over due to his firm’s laser focused usage  of social networking platforms.  With its innovative news and information sourcing, the Marquette Turner internet presence has become “The number one visited luxury real estate website in Australia”. 

Jon Larrance’s special interest lies in exploiting the practical business applications inherent in everyday internet functions.  Jon is an active blogger, fan of Web 2.0, and has made it his personal mission to get all Perry & Co. Agents adept in at least one social networking platform.  Although Jon is a licensed Realtor, he often gets more pleasure from teaching than from selling.  Bruce Hiatt is an expert at using all the tools that the internet has to offer a real estate company and agent.  In fact, Bruce directly attributes over 30% of Luxury Realty Group’s total sales to their blogsite alone. 

Victor Lund  from the WAV Group will be the moderator of this featured conference panel.  He is known for his in-depth analyses  of what technology it takes to succeed in luxury real estate.  Victor’s articles on the topic are often featured in the much revered Inman News.  Victor has agreed to the challenge of keeping the discussion with the panelists and audience to within the hour allotted on Tuesday, April 29, 2009, 10:30am, at the Four Seasons Hotel, Las Vegas.

The panel invites you to follow the discussion through Twitter.
Luxury Real Estate – luxurylounge
Victor Lund – victorlund
Jon Larrance – perryandco
Jim Walberg – jimwalbeg
Bruce Hiatt – luxuryrealtygrp
Michael Marquette – mmarquette

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate  seeks out firms and individuals who have a reputation for exceptional knowledge and expertise in the marketing of luxury properties throughout the world. There are currently nearly 1,900 firms worldwide in this exclusive organization with more than 5,000 offices and 120,000 agents.  This assembly of brokerage firms and individuals collectively sells over $100 billion in real estate every year, with an average sale price of $2,200,000. We are very fortunate to have been invited to be a part of this amazing worldwide group of professionals.  Check on Twitter  during The Power Of Social Networking panel discussion to keep updated on the event.  Until next time…

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

East Bay Real Estate – Global Internet Marketing Works!

Because of Jim Walberg’s focus on a global internet marketing strategy, we are serving Buyers from all over the world.  The latest Buyer called from Greece last month.

We have a very focused internet marketing strategy for our San Francisco Bay Area and Caribbean real estate services.  In addition, our participation as members of the exclusive Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate  allows us to have all of the properties we represent on LuxuryRealEstate.com  - the worlds most viewed website for luxury real estate throughout the world.  That one website receives between three to four million hits a month!

So, here is the rest of the story regarding the latest home that we sold in Blackhawk Country Club.  You may recall I was in Paris  last January speaking at the Luxury Real Estate’s international conference.  Just before we left for Europe we received a phone call and immediately picked it up.  It was from a man calling from Greece who had found us on the internet and he was looking for a single story home.  We happened to have a single story listing in Blackhawk Country Club.  ( The key to any of the inquiries from our internet listings is an immediate response.  Most of the time we answer the call immediately when it comes in. ) 

Our new client calling from Greece let us know he wanted to purchase a home for his parents who lived in the East Bay, because he wanted them closer to his younger brother’s family who lived in San Ramon.  At first we thought it was some type of a joke.  But, as the subsequent conversations continued, he told us he was flying out on a Friday and wanted to complete the purchase by Sunday night.  He did exactly as he said.  We met him at the home,  he previewed it, and he asked us to write up a purchase contract for it.  Within just a few hours the transaction had been accepted by our Seller.  It just closed escrow several weeks ago.

The added fun to this story is our Buyer was making this purchase without his parents knowing about it.  Since it closed escrow, we arranged for new hardwood floors; travertine; bathrooms; window coverings, and interior painting.  The Buyer even had ordered very item a home would need and had it shipped to the home; silverware, appliances, linens, towel, outdoor furniture, light fixtures, etc.  Everything was prepared for a turn key move in by his parents.

He just flew in from Greece a few days ago in order to prepare the home for a “Welcome Home” party for his parents.  He told his parents that he wanted them to join him at a friend’s home in Blackhawk to celebrate the birthday of their grandson.  They still didn’t know the home was for them. They arrived, thinking that it was the home of their son’s friend and they brought presents for their grandson.  After taking them on a tour of the spectacular home, and having some appetizers and wine, the son broke the news to them that the home was actually a gift to them.  They were speechless, and there were lots of tears, and non-stop comments such as, “You should not have ever done such a thing for us.” 

This was one of those magical moments that happen from time to time while we are serving the needs of our customers.  And, it would have never happened if we didn’t have a laser focused global internet marketing program.  Plus, always getting back to the people who contact as fast as possible.  Contact me  if you ever have questions or need assistance.  Until next time…more good news to follow regarding how we are coming out of these challenging economic times…

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

Sully Sullenberger – The World Is Embracing Him As Their Hero!

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

We just returned from a trip to Europe attending the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate International Conference in Paris.  Sully Sullenberger was the talk of the town wherever we went.

Many of you know that Sully is a dear friend and a neighbor of ours in 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.

And, Sully is a very reluctant hero. While we were at the Paris Conference the town of Danville had a welcome home parade  for Sully and his family. Thousands of people were there to thank him. His entire speech was two sentences long thanking his community members for the honor they were giving him. So, this Sunday you will see him on 60 Minutes.  On Monday, he will be receiving the key to New York City from Mayor Bloomberg.  And he will be on the David Lettermen Show in the next few days. He is so humble and understated that the hero mantle does not fit well with his style. However, we need a hero today, given all of the bad stuff that is going on in our world.

Sully is carefully allowing the hero title to be added to his name. He and the US Air crew were honored at the start of the Super Bowl. In speaking with Sully and his family, the book and movie deals presented to them are overwhelming. His job opportunities with international news corporations, and the interest in his corporate safety company are beyond overwhelming.

The day we were leaving for London was the day after the crash.  I had been at the Sullenberger’s home the night of the crash and eventually spoke with the world news organizations waiting outside their home.  Because of that moment I was called the next day by Fox News  for three different interviews that day, with my last interview  being just an hour before we left for the airport to London. 

During our two+ weeks in Europe, everyone wanted to know about Sully. They were so excited about the opportunity to have a world hero, not just for the USA. We gathered newspapers and magazines from five European countries to add to their scrapbook that is already gigantic. We are so glad that Sully’s wonderful story continues to have the attention of the nation so we can honor a reluctant hero who was just doing his job. What an inspiration for all of us emulate.  Thank you, Sully, from Jim Walberg  and your East Bay fan club!

Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate

Jim Walberg – East Bay Realtor In Europe – 5th & Final Installment!

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

Some of you know that my wife and business partner, Ann Marie Nugent, lived in Geneva, Switzerland for 12 years. All three of our kids were born there. After the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate Paris Conference  we took the TGV – the bullet train, to Geneva in order to spend time with our “Geneva Family”.  The reason why Geneva = International to us is because of the ten families waiting for us at the train station most of them are naturalized Swiss who were born in various 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, and Denmark.  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:  Spain, France, England, Thailand, Singapore, the Alps, USA, Chile, and more.  So, even though we think of the San Francisco Bay Area 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 car pooled to Champery, Switzerland  to our friends’ Swiss Alps chalet.  This was our headquarters for a three day ski trip.  This is one of our 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 adventure of skiing on fresh powder all the way down the mountain to this quaint village for 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.  Boy, was I wrong.  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 shared a typical Swiss meal of Raclette cheese, potatoes and pickles – plus, more great Swiss wine.  What a day of exploring new regions of the world and lots of new experiences – and some great wines!

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 even visited the yacht club that holds the Americas Cup – Societe Nautique Geneva.  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 gave him the shirt off my back.  Another magical moment. 

We are blessed beyond measure to have such dear friends as part of our world’s extended family.  And, I am sick of being so cold!  The San Francisco Bay Area is 73F degrees today.  Varen, Switzerland is 28F degrees.  We are back in the East Bay serving the real estate needs of our wonderful clients.  Contact me today  for any of your real estate needs.

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