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Case Properties is a privately held firm which
was established over a decade ago by Attorney and Real Estate
Broker Patricia Case
and International Specialist Grace
Moon specifically to serve Hawaii's upscale market.
Founded upon a tradition of integrity, excellence
and exceptional service, Case Properties quickly emerged as
a proven, dynamic and undisputed industry leader. Recognized
as such by the Pacific Business News, Case Properties remains
the brokerage of choice for Honolulu's professional community.
With roots deep in Hawaii, and contacts throughout
the Continental U.S., Asia and the World, Case Properties
consistently outperforms the vast majority of other franchise
companies with hundreds of agents combined!
Year after year, Case Properties
consistently ranks within the top 2 to 3%
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of all Oahu firms for sales production,
setting record-breaking sales in all of Oahu's exclusive neighborhoods!
Our unrivaled track record of success
comes from an unbeatable combination of legal expertise, multi-cultural
and language abilities, superior market knowledge, aggressive whole-media
and internet advertising, international client contacts, and above
all, satisfied clients!
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An invitation-only organization of the top 500 international
brokerages in the world. Its web site, LuxuryRealEstate.com is
the world's only all-inclusive database of global luxury properties.
It has been rated the "Best of the Best" by Forbes,
"Really Terrific" by the Wall Street Journal, "a
trove of high-end properties" by the New York Times, and
has emerged as the number one portal for luxury property on the
web.
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MEMBERS ONLY
Who’s Who in Luxury Real
Estate connects upscale buyers
to like-minded
brokers all over the world.
By Stacy H. Small
As the saying goes, you are often judged by the company you
keep. That in mind is reason enough for the upper echelon
luxury real estate brokers to desire membership in "Who's
Who in Luxury Real Estate,” an international network informing
potential clients about like-minded brokers and their listings
worldwide.
Started about 15 years
ago by Seattle-based broker John Brian Losh, “Who's Who” has
grown from a modest company of 150 select brokers interested
in networking and sharing potential leads into one that today
includes 400 members in 25 countries. The only way to become
a member is at the personal invitation of Losh, who travels
the world to meet with and select brokers based on referrals,
listings and testimony from clients.
Typically, members are
boutique firms specializing in luxury real estate, not franchises,
says Losh. "We look for the best brokerage house in
the region,” he says. “We don't put a dollar value on the
listing requirements, but we do work with the upper 10 percent
of the real estate market in each particular community.”
While Losh does try to
limit the number of top brokers per area, there is no cap
and it varies by the region, as does the listing price (which
ranges from $500,000 to $45 million). “The price tags
of the listings are defined by the community,” says Losh.
The number of brokers
by region varies from one or two in smaller destinations to
10 in larger areas, like Manhattan. Who's Who membership
has doubled in size since 1988, and according to Losh, will
continue to grow. While independent firms may not be
so prevalent today, says Losh, due to consolidation and mergers,
there is a growing number of individuals who are limiting
their practice to luxury real estate.
Once chosen, each member
receives a full page in a hardbound book (including typical
listings, plus contact information) published annually by
Losh, as well as a spot on the Who's Who Web site (www.luxuryrealestate.com)
-- called  "one
of the best” real estate sites by The Wall Street Journal.
The Web site displays
thousands of listings currently available from its members
(updated on a daily basis) and links to each broker's individual
site. "By collectively displaying our members’ top listings,
we can demonstrate to consumers the type of properties we
handle worldwide,” says Losh. All listings include color
photos, property specifications, descriptions and contact
information. Potential buyers can search for a broker
by region and also by affiliation (such as Christie's or Leading
Estates of the World). Users can also search for a property
by price range and property type, such as “waterfront” or
“mountain view.” There is more than $3 billion worth of listings
on the site.
There are several obvious
benefits for being listed in both the book and on the Web
site. "This program tells the world who the players
in luxury real estate are," says Losh. "It is an extremely
useful tool for luxury brokers who want to refer their upscale
clients to other like-minded brokers in other areas of the
world. It shows that you not only have contacts and
listing information for your area but that you can assist
them in purchasing a luxury home anywhere in the world."
Members of Who's Who
can also benefit from being part of the network by taking
advantage of collective advertising opportunities. Says
Losh: "We offer group programs, which makes it more
affordable for our members to gain exposure through national
advertising."
Additionally, all members
are invited to attend two annual networking conferences.
One takes place in Europe each winter; the other takes place
in the United States in September. Highlights of each
conference include focus groups, educational seminars and
social events.
According to Losh, there
is no other organization that really compares to Who's Who.
Given it is a not-for-profit organization (there is a modest
fee to belong to cover the company's costs), "it is not something
anyone else has looked to jump into," he says. "There
are other programs that offer exclusive listings, like Sotheby's
and Christie's, but we are all-inclusive of the top brokers.
We simply want to let the world know who the luxury brokers
are and what kind of listings they have."
Looking ahead, Losh plans
to expand his idea beyond residential real estate. Not
bad for a successful broker who says, "This whole thing started
as a hobby." But Losh now realizes that it's grown into
much more than that. Future plans include linking buyers
and sellers involved in luxury developments of hotels and
golf resorts, as well as brokers specializing in leasing luxury
vacation properties. International expansion is on the
front burner, with Europe, Asia and Australia topping the
target list. "We are definitely looking to broaden our
international network and work with more offshore brokerage
firms,” says Losh, who clearly has no plans of slowing down
on what he calls a "quest for the best."
Stacy H. Small is a writer
and editor based in Los Angeles.
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