An entertaining article by Ben Casselman and Christina S.N. Lewis in The Wall Street Journal handicaps the race to beat the U.S. residential sales record of $103 million.  The writers give the Aspen home of Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the $135 million Hala Ranch, a 60 percent change of fetching a record-breaking price.  The five existing homes priced at $100 million or more are examined — the writers did not consider The Pinnacle at Yellowstone, a $155 million listing in The Yellowstone Club currently under construction.

http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB118791696265107415.html

ellers Doing Their Own Inspections

Here’s an interesting story from the LA Times about what appears to be a new trend in real estate: sellers are actually commissioning inspections of their own homes.  Armed with their own inspection report, sellers can make repairs before putting a home on the market or adjust the price and be open and honest with prospective buyers about exactly what needs to be done.  Buyers, who are still advised to secure their own inspection, seem appreciative of the up-front information.

http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/la-re-inspect26aug26,0,413106.story?track=rss

Posted by MarkM

With sales slumping, new-home builders are offering incentives the likes of which have never been seen before. Cash discounts of 20 percent?  Fifty percent off upgrades?  The first four months of your mortgage paid?  The Wall Street Journal helps prospective homebuyers find deals with its guide:

http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/tactics/20070810-opdyke.html?refresh=on

After years on the market, one of the most prominent estates in the nation will be auctioned this year.  Bidding will begin on the 112-acre Robert Taylor Ranch at 10 a.m. Nov. 17. At the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains in Brentwood, Calif., the home belonged to screen and TV actor Robert Taylor. Since the first publication of Ultimate Homes in 2005, the ranch consistently has been ranked as one of the most expensive listings in the U.S.  In 2005, it listed for $50 million, making it the eighth most expensive listing in the country. Last year, the price increased to $60 million, making it seventh in the nation. The same price tag was good enough to place the ranch as the 11th priciest listing in this year’s edition of Ultimate Homes.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070820/20070820005290.html?.v=1

Christina Lodar, our international advertising manager, recently attended the Congress for FIABCI, The International Real Estate Federation, in Barcelona.  She met Elizabeth Belenchia, of South Carolina’s Carroll Properties Corporation, who passed along this list of FIABCI’s environmental principles.  Everyone should note the everyday things that can be done to conserve water and energy and prevent the degradation of land.
chart-of-environmental-principles.htm
www.cpcindustrial.com

Sunset Magazine’s Idea House in Lake Tahoe, California, is slated to open this month.  The concept of doing “idea homes” is starting to take off, as developers, magazines, and the companies that make the products going into these homes all benefit from the publicity.  Plus, they usually come up with some clever innovations for the home.  This home opens Aug. 24 at Gray’s Crossing and boasts an expansive hearth, a covered year-round outdoor kitchen and dining area, and an outdoor tub next to a two-sided fireplace.

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/marketplace/article/0,20633,1574087~844996,00.html

http://www.grayscrossing.com/index.cfm?event=realestate.customhome_sunset

An interesting article in the LA Times yesterday reiterated something Unique Homes reported one year ago: women are more important than men when to comes to home-buying.  Not only do single women far outpace single men in home purchases, in couples, the woman is usually the “decider,” with a vision of “home” that is deeper and more complex than that of the typical man.  The article points out why it’s important not to ignore the emotional side of a home purchase…

http://www.latimes.com/classified/realestate/news/la-re-women12aug12,0,5405296.story?coll=la-class-realestate-news

A Florida developer is holding an Internet forum in an ingenious way to develop interest and support for a new project in Panama City, Fla.

As Panama City expands, a new urbanist development called Huckelberry Creek is in the works.  The Epoch Corporation says it wants to develop the site while remaining sensitive to the environment. It is encouraging a global audience to share individual thoughts and perspectives on the creation of the new town. The week-long community and web-based charrette end Tuesday. World-renowned new urbanism design firm Duany Plater-Zyberk (DZP) is facilitating the planning session for citizens, government leaders, designers and others to collaborate on a vision for development.

Huckelberry Creek is a 2,132-acre site located in the woodlands just north of downtown Panama City in Bay County near Highways 231 and 390. The property gets its name from the creek that naturally winds throughout the uninhabited pine forest and the huckleberry bushes that grow in the area.

“We envision an environmentally sensitive new urban community that provides desirable housing for working families, relaxing solitude for retirees, and unique experiences for foreign visitors,” said Antonio J. Cabrera Jr., the Epoch Corporation’s president and CEO . “I believe this charrette will allow every person who participates to be mutual author of the plan and give immediate feedback to the designers.”

Plus, it’s a great marketing scheme.  You can participate here: http://www.wraggcasas.com/Huckelberry

Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC announced a major franchise expansion this week as it reached an agreement that will enable it to establish franchising rights in 23 countries in Central and Eastern Europe, including Russia.  Jim Gillespie, president and chief executive officer of Coldwell Banker Real Estate said that international growth is one of the company’s key initiatives.

http://www.realogy.com/media/pr/show_release.cfm?id=419

Lauren Baier Kim, senior editor at RealEstateJournal.com is authoring a series of articles called The Smart Surfer, featuring reviews of real-estate Web sites and online tools for home buyers, seller and invertors.  The latest piece looks at Terabitz.com and its ability to relay neighborhood statistics.  The site has its shortcomings, as outlined in the article.  Click below to take a look, and to read the other articles in the series:

http://www.realestatejournal.com/buysell/thesmartsurfer/