San Diego luxury homes have the benefit of a world class climate and spectacular beaches–and being only a couple of hours to Palm Springs or local mountains for winter skiing.
by Scott Murphy Many top executives at large investment banking firms will be depositing some jumbo bonuses by the end of this month. Despite an overall bonus decrease of 10% due to months of multibillion-dollar bank write-downs and a spreading credit crisis, many will be pocketing some still-sizeable sums. Depending on which firm they work for and the position held, bonuses can range anywhere from up to $2 million to…
by Roberta Murphy It had to happen sooner or later. With the falling dollar, American real estate has become a screaming bargain to foreign investors around the world. Real estate prices in many prime US locales have already declined, and must be irresistible for those who are purchasing with Euros or Canadian dollars. Now, many Americans who have been living abroad are considering a return home, where the purchasing power…
by Roberta Murphy Sometimes you walk into a home, sense both timeless soul and serenity–and can’t help but smile. We recently listed such an estate in the beautiful hills of Vista, California. Its current and original owners are a spirited and beautiful international opera singer and her dashing husband, a retired professor of art. With loving attention to detail, it seems nothing was missed in the completion of this luxurious…
by Roberta Murphy I awoke at 4:30 a.m. yesterday morning with a sense of dread, quickly remembering that there is a demon called the Witch Creek Fire raging in the communities around our home in La Costa. It is just one of several mega firestorms raging in San Diego County–but is the one we fear(ed) the most. Monday afternoon, our Reverse 911 system called to inform us we are under…
Owners of luxury real estate in San Diego should be celebrating because of the long-awaited arrival of Sotheby’s International Realty. It’s been a long time coming, but luxury listings in San Diego County will now reach the plasma displays at Sotheby’s Auctions throughout the world. Passing by the Sotheby’s real estate desk, an equestrian property in Rancho Santa Fe might tweak the interest of buyers attending a contemporary art sale…
by Roberta Murphy This is Part One of an ongoing series about Luxury Home Buyers, their expectations, origins and trends. This first article in the series will look at these buyers and what they expect from their luxury real estate agents. For some reason, I thought market knowledge and keen negotiating skills would head the list for luxury home buyers, but a recent 2007 membership survey conducted by the Luxury…
by Roberta Murphy It came as a total surprise when I received an email from International Listings that Luxury Home Digest had been tapped as one of the top 8 Home Buying blogs in the country–and one of the top 100 Real Estate Blogs. WOW! I join the other winners in this category in thanking the judges at International Listings for this special real estate honor: Barbara Corcoran Ink: Barbara…
by Roberta Murphy $50 million is the new $30 million, says Glenn Roberts over at the Inman News Blog–especially when it comes to high end luxury homes. Citing a 2007 Mid-Year Luxury Report by Stribling Private Brokerage, Roberts explains how just a few years ago, even a rumor of a $30 million real estate sale in Manhattan would create big buzz. But since the sale of a $53 million property…
by Roberta Murphy Brad Inman this morning wrote an excellent article about the mortgage and real estate crisis that has gripped so many markets in the United States–and elsewhere. In The Housing Market Blame Game, Inman reports that even formerly raging real estate markets that were once seen as unshakable, such as Manhattan, are now beginning to share the pain with regions that had collapsed earlier. Many blame the real…
by Eric Murphy We follow luxury listings throughout the world, and when a home listed above $50 million hits the market, it’s NEWS by any stretch of the imagination. And San Diego is just the latest to break that barrier. Priced at $76 Million, this circa 1937 oceanfront Del Mar trophy estate sits on nearly 5.5 singular acres. The two story home has nine bedrooms and six-and-a-half bathrooms and ocean…
