Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate
Jim Walberg – East Bay Realtor In Europe – 5th & Final Installment!
February 3, 2009 by Jim Walberg · Leave a Comment
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 15th 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.
Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate
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.
Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate
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.
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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.
Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate
Jim Walberg – East Bay Realtor In Europe – Part 2
January 31, 2009 by Jim Walberg · Leave a Comment
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!
Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate
Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate Conference Focused On Global Expansion!
April 20, 2008 by Jim Walberg · 5 Comments
With 1,100+ members from 60 countries, this is the organization to find and market your East Bay luxury properties!
Last week at the Grand Del Mar in San Diego, California, the Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate produced their Spring Conference where they highlighted the latest technology to be used by both the Broker/Realtors and the consumers in luxury real estate markets. Jim Walberg and Ann Marie Nugent were part of this exclusive group of 240 participants from all over the world sharing their best practices in serving the needs of their luxury propety clientele. One of the important breakout sessions I attended was facilitated by Pat Hoferkamp – President of Burgdorff Realtors headquartered in New Jersey. She presented the mission / vision of her company and reviewed the best practices they use in creating a luxury experience for both their Realtors and their customers. It was worth every moment of the session. An added feature of the conference was having Ben Stein as the keynote speaker on Thursday night. ( You know, the world famous writer, director, and actor. His comments about the importance of owning real estate was actually compelling to the point of him getting a standing ovation. In addition, he was darn funny.)
Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate was founded by John Brian Losh almost 20 years ago. He had a vision of gathering the best Broker / Realtors in the world into one organization in order to create a synergy in the luxury real estate markets worldwide. Each selected 
member has been recognized as a leader in the marketing of distinctive and luxury properties, committed to high performance, professionalism and quality service. The members are truly the “Who’s Who In Luxury Real Estate! Not only has Mr. Losh succeeded, but today it is the dominant luxury real estate network in the world!
Mr. Losh commented, “As I interview brokers and work with organizations through my consulting services, I continue to be profoundly impressed by the quality and integrity of the people represented in Luxury Real Estate. I am pleased to see a steady increase in the use of our logo in print advertising, and our 50% growth over the past year. Each year we set high goals and work diligently to improve the network in every way. I am confident that doing business with any one of our Broker/Realtors would be a delightful and rewarding experience.”
He also said, “Each year I travel to all sections of the United States; the villages of New England, the resorts and cities of the East Coast, the great state of Texas and the Gulf, the deserts of the Southwest, the grandeur of the Rockies and America’s heartland, and this year to Europe and Asia. As a result of this effort, we have added many excellent firms from all over the world.”
By the way, the Grand Del Mar has created a breathtaking resort! It is San Diego’s newest 5- star resort destination. From its Tom Fazio-designed golf course and The Villas, to a luxurious spa and award-winning dining, The Grand Del Mar delivers a world-class resort experience. This is a must resort for those seeking the BEST level of service and amenities I have found in California. I promise you will be hearing more about the developments of the Luxury Real Estate’s world wide expansion of members and luxury property opportunities. We were honored to be invited into this exclusive organization last year Until then…
