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The Newsletter of The Luxury Marketing Council of San Francisco
 
February, 2016
 
 

MIND CANDY

To lighten the mood, a collection of the crazy and zany

 
 
Photo courtesy of georgecarlin.com
 
 
George Carlin on LIFE
 
The most unfair thing about life is the way it ends. I mean, life is tough. It takes up a lot of your time. What do you get in the end of it? A death. What's that, a bonus? I think the life cycle is all backwards.
You should die first, you know, start out dead, get it out of the way. You wake up in an old age home, feeling better every day. You get kicked out for being too healthy, go collect your pension, then, when you start work, you get a gold watch on your first day. You work 30 years until you're young enough to enjoy your retirement. You drink alcohol, you party, you're generally promiscuous (hey, you've only got a few years left, what's the big deal?!?) and you get ready for High School. You go to primary school, you become a kid, you play, you have no responsibilities, you become a baby, then, you spend your last 9 months floating peacefully with luxuries like central heating, spa, room service on tap, and then you finish off as an orgasm.

 
 
 
Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
 
 
Another Attorney Joke
 
A very successful lawyer parked his brand new Lexus in front of the office, ready to show it off to his colleagues. As he got out, a truck came along too close to the curb and completely tore off the driver's door. Fortunately, a cop in a police car was close enough to see the accident and pulled up behind the Lexus, his lights flashing. But, before the cop had a chance to ask any questions, the lawyer started screaming hysterically about how his Lexus, which he had just picked up the day before, was now completely ruined and would never be the same, no matter how the body shop tried to make it new again.

After the lawyer finally wound down from his rant, the cop shook his head in disgust and disbelief. "I can't believe how materialistic you lawyers are," he said. "You are so focused on your possessions that you neglect the most important things in life."

"How can you say such a thing?" asked the lawyer.

The cop replied, "Don't you even realize that your left arm is missing? It got ripped off when the truck hit you!!!"

"OH, MY GOD!" screamed the lawyer.
 
"MY ROLEX!".

 
 
 
 
Two Chimps In a Bar...
 

The penguin monkey joke.
https://youtu.be/PVZieID1pwk

 

 

 
 
 

Image courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net

 
A Corny Vet Joke
 

A woman brought a very limp duck into a veterinary surgeon. As she laid her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your Duck Cuddles has passed away."
 
The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure? "Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," he replied. "How can you be so sure," she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room, and returned a few moments later with a black Labrador retriever.

 

As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
 
The vet patted the dog and took it out, and returned a few moments later with a cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed delicately at the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on its haunches, shook its head, meowed softly and strolled out of the room.
 
The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100% certifiably, a dead duck."
 
Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman.
 
The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill.
"$150!", she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!!

The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the Lab Report and the Cat Scan, it's now $150!

 

 
 
 
 

DEALS

Special offers exclusively for members

 
 
 
Fly to Asia for Chinese New Year and Get a Limited Edition Collectible Plush
 
Book a flight to Asia before 2/18 and receive a Limited Edition Year of the Monkey plush toy. Experience Chinese New Year in Asia this year with Premium Economy fares starting from $1913!. Book here
 
 
 
 

EVENTS

Upcoming meetings & events to mark on your calendar

 

 
A Taste of HALL Returns in 2016
 

Monthly Food and Wine Workshop Aims at Inspiring and Educating    

HALL, one of the leading Cabernet producers in the world, has announced plans to renew its premiere culinary offering, A Taste of HALL, for 2016. The wildly popular food and wine pairing workshop is designed to engage, inspire and educate guests about seasonal food and wine pairings while channeling one's inner chef.  
 
A Taste of HALL takes place one Sunday per month during the lunch hour and will include a three course meal paired with a combination of HALL and WALT wines.  
 
2016 A Taste of HALL Schedule includes:

  • February 13: LOVE IS IN THE AIR
  • March 13: LUCK OF THE IRISH  
  • April 10: SPRING FLING  
  • May 8: COOKING FOR MOM  
  • June 12: CHILLIN & GRILLIN  
  • July 17: RED, WHITE & BLUE
  • August 7: A FOODIE'S VACATION
  • September 18: KATHRYN HALL Y'ALL    
  • October 9: HAPPY HALL'OWINE  
  • November 13: THANKSGIVING DAY FEAST
  • December 11: PERFECT HOLIDAY PAIRINGS  

Tickets are $125pp. Additional details and reservations are here

 
 
 
 
SFMOMA Chief Curator of Architecture and Design in conversation with Alisa Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of SFC&G magazine
 

Wednesday, February 24
10:00 AM -11:00 AM

After a two-year expansion, SFMOMA steps back onto the world stage this May as the largest contemporary art museum in the country. As Chief Curator of Architecture and Design, Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher helps drive the global design conversation and heads a collection of pivotal works that influence contemporary culture.

 

Join Alisa Carroll, editor-in-chief of SFC&G (San Francisco Cottages & Gardens) for an intimate conversation with this visionary thinker and a preview of what SFMOMA's new design galleries have in store. Renowned Dutch textile artist Claudy Jongstra will also discuss her new site- specific work for the museum.

 

Details and registration information can be found here

 
 
Beringer Announces Culinary Event Line Up at Fabled Rhine House
 

Valentine Day's Dinner Event
Saturday, February 13, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Enjoy a bountiful array of Napa Valley Cuisine with special selected Beringer wines including the latest Nightingale release. This event is one of the major highlights of the year! $195 (plus tax) per person. $165 (plus tax) per Wine Club member. RSVP required. Please contact Carlos Valdivia at CValdivia@beringer.com or (707) 302-7770.

Presidents Weekend - Presidential Pairings Passport Event
Saturday, February 13-15, 11:00 am - 4:00pm
"Celebrate Washington's birthday with a tour of four food and wine tasting stations around the property"
$50 per person ($40 for Wine Club members - use promo code: CLUB) - book via beringer.com/visit

Cheese & Wine Pairing Seminar and Tasting with best-selling author, Janet Fletcher
Sunday February 13, 11:00 - 12:30
Janet will guide guests through an informative and interactive session in the art of perfectly pairing cheese with wine. Guests will enjoy a flight of five Beringer Reserve wines together with a selection of locally sourced artisan cheese specially selected by Janet and will receive a copy of her book, Cheese & Wine: A Guide to Selecting, Pairing, and Enjoying. $70 per person ($60 for Wine Club members - use promo code: CLUB) - book via beringer.com/visit

February Wine Club Will Call Reception
Saturday, February 20, 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Reserve and Taste of Beringer Club Members are invited to enjoy wine paired with tasty food in the Founders Room. RSVP required. Please contact Carlos Valdivia at CValdivia@beringer.com or
(707) 302-7770.

Beringer Culinary Series: The Art of Pasta Making & Pairing - Ravioli
Sunday, February 21, 1:00 pm
Beringer Executive Chef, Daryl Muromoto, will guide guests through the process of crafting delicious ravioli and other stufffed pasta dishes from scratch and expertly pairing them with Beringer Winery Exclusive wines. Each seminar will conclude with a Reserve Tasting in the private Founders' room upstairs in the Rhine House. $50 per person ($40 for Wine Club members--use promo code: CLUB)--book via beringer.com/visit

Beringer Culinary Series: The Art of Pasta Making & Pairing - Gnochi
Saturday, March 26, 2016 1:00 pm.
Beringer Executive Chef, Daryl Muromoto, will guide guests through the process of crafting and technique required to produce these fluffy pillows paired with seasonal sauces, and expertly pairing them with Beringer Winery Exclusive wines. Each seminar will conclude with a Reserve Tasting in the private Founders' room upstairs in the Rhine House. $50 per person ($40 for Wine Club members - use promo code: CLUB) - book via beringer.com/visit

 
 
 
 
 

NEWS

The inside scoop from members

 
 
 
We Welcome Two New Members
 
Sonoma magazine explores the food and wine culture that drives the region, its homes, outdoors, cuisine, personalities, cultural attractions, and style with a fresh, informed voice, a curatorial point of view, and gorgeous visuals.
sonomamag.com

State Farm - Agent Kajal Pashmi
As the nation's number one insurer, State Farm promises to be there for you with the service and value you expect from a leader. Their mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life, recover from the unexpected and realize their dreams. kajalpinsurance.com
 
 
 
 
Napa Valley's Newest Luxury Winery, Sinegal Estate Is Now Open
 
Sinegal Estate is a quintessential wine country destination that celebrates the area's original spirit of adventure and exploration. Experience the journey from vine to glass; exploring the remarkable lands, the beautifully-restored stone winery, 6,500 square feet of underground caves, and a modern tastingroom. By appointment only.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
News from Zephyr
 
Nathalie Kemp Joins Marin Office
Born and raised in Belgium, Natalie Kemp has called Marin County her home for nearly 30 years and began her real estate career more than 15 years ago. She enjoys time with her family, yoga, the great outdoors, learning new skills, traveling and do-it-yourself projects at home. She also holds a private pilot's license.

Nooshi Naderi Is Latest Addition to the Zephyr Team
Nooshi Naderi has a Master's Degree in International Banking and Finance. She draws on her background in mortgage lending, an expansive network and experience in one of the nation's most challenging markets to craft clean, creative financing and offer documents that maximize acceptance. In her spare time, she enjoys entertaining family, friends and clients, downhill skiing, swimming, performing arts and the Warriors! She is a supporter of the Symphony, De Young Museum, SF Museum of Modern Art, and the Arthritis Foundation.

Scott Gregory Welcomed to the Marin Office
In his tenure at Apple Inc. in the sales division, Gregory refined his technique of asking the right questions to help people find the best device solutions. This led to his becoming one of the highest- rated sales people in the company both in customer satisfaction and in closed sales, an essential skill set for every real estate transaction. In his spare time, when he isn't working with clients, Scott coaches water polo for Redwood High School and the SOMA Aquatics club. He is also a former downhill and cross country ski racer and instructor expectantly awaiting fresh powder.  He spent much of his vacation time as a youth traveling and stays in touch with close friends scattered across Europe and Australia.

Myriam McCarthy, Newest Agent at Marin Office
Myriam McCarthy, an award-winning agent, was born in Montreal and lived in New York City before relocating to the Bay Area 20 years ago. Her background includes strong skills in architecture and design as well as home renovations in the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe. McCarthy found her niche in real state when she and her family settled in Southern Marin. She nurtured her affinity and passion for the business and quickly rose to prominence in the community. Her success continues to widen, and she has been named #1 Agent and Top Producer for several years in a row. McCarthy loves living in Southern Marin with her two school-aged children and is very active in chairing school fundraisers and athletic programs. She has also completed nine marathons and multiple half-ironman races, as she says, "to satisfy my competitive side."
 
 
 
 
Bay Watch: Luxurious Living in San Francisco
 

It may be the epicenter of the US tech industry, but there's more to the "Paris of the West" than Silicon Valley. A report from Christie's International Real Estate. Read more

 
 
 
 
News from Intero
 

Intero Rolls Out New Website to Highlight Luxury Program

Intero Real Estate Services, Inc. is launching a new website, www.InteroPrestigio.com, to uniquely highlight their luxury properties that comprise their exclusive Prestigio International program. The Prestigio program focuses on some of California's most remarkable homes, which require a sophisticated level of expertise, local knowledge, and global cognizance to sell.

 
 
 
 
 
News from Hill & Co.
 

Four Hill & Co. Real Estate Agents Receive Five Star Professional Recognition
Hill & Co. Real Estate reports that four of its agents have received Five Star Professional recognition.

 

The organization's Award of Excellence is given to select agents in markets across the country. The award goes only to agents who provide exceptional service, based on research with peers, firms, consumers, and regulatory sources. The Hill & Co. agents receiving this recognition are, in alphabetical order, Stephanie Ahlberg, Donna Cooper, Joan Gordon and Brooke Krohn Dougherty. To learn more about Five Star Professional awards, please visit here

 

Richard Welch Joins the Firm

Prior to becoming a real estate professional, Richard spent twelve years in the securities business as an Institutional Equity salesman. Real estate, however, always remained a core passion. Richard is very active in the community, and is close to his large, local, and extended family. He currently lives in the Marina district with his wife Alyson and two children, Lucy and Richard.

 
 
 
 
 
News from Terra Firma
 

Chris Wunderlich Named 2015 REALTOR of the Year
Chris Wunderlich has been chosen as the 2015 REALTOR® of the year for the Napa Valley Chapter of the North Bay Association of REALTORS®.

 

Chris was recognized for his contributions to the real estate industry, commitment to the Realtor® organization and involvement in the Napa Valley community. As an active member in (NorBAR), Chris has served as Past President and on the Governmental Relations Committee. He currently serves on the Board of Directors of NorBAR (2016 will be his third year. In six of the last seven years Chris has served as Co-Chair of NorBAR's sponsored Chili Cook Off, which has raised thousands of dollars for the Napa Valley Food Bank. Christopher and his partner, Terry Wunderlich, joined Terra Firma Global Partners when the company launched in October of 2010.

Terra Firma Global Partners Announces Innovative Sponsorship of Sonoma County's Prestwood Elementary School
Terra Firma Global Partners has entered into a three-year, highly innovative agreement of financial support with Prestwood Elementary School in the City of Sonoma. Terra Firma is sponsoring "Prestwood Direct", which is the funding mechanism that generates funds to enable a host of school programs that Prestwood Elementary would otherwise be unable to afford. Since the fall school year began, Terra Firma Global Partners has already donated $10,000, and has pledged to contribute/donate 10% of every commission earned from a sale/closing in The Prestwood School "Sphere of Influence," comprised of the Eastside, Carneros and Four Corners neighborhoods in Sonoma. 

 
 
 
 
 
News from Sotheby's
 

Apple Partners with Sotheby's International Realty
Apple News is a brand new application baked into every Apple device running iOS 9 or newer, allowing uses to potentially reach over 800 million iPhones and iPads. Sotheby's International Realty is the only real estate company that has been selected, with a 5% Share-of-Voice on the "For You" section of the app + a 25% SOV in the app's Business Channel. The Sotheby's International Realty channel can also be added within Apple News, which has content automatically fed via the company's Extraordinary Living blog.

Sotheby's International Realty Property Video Promotion

The Sotheby's International Realty brand continues to create new exposure opportunities for property videos. In addition to sothebysrealty.com, approved property videos are now being syndicated to the property details pages on The New York Times real estate section as well as to Luxuryestate.com and soon will be shown on Mansionglobal.com and The Wall Street Journal real estate section. This is in addition to the exposure property videos may receive through

listing.exposure@sothebysrealty.com featured placement opportunities on:

  • Sothebysrealty.com Home Page Featured Video
  • Youtube.com/sothebysrealty Brand Channel
  • Architectural Digest - Sitewide Video Interstitial
  • Bloomberg - Video Pre Roll
  • Dwell - Video Pre Roll
  • NY Times - Great Homes Slideshow
  • WSJ - Video Pre Roll
  • Mansion Global - Video Pre Roll
  • Portrait Unit Ad Campaign - Reaching over 1.7 million impressions across multiple media partner sites
 
 
 
 
The Tahoe Report
 

From Correspondent Twinkie Watson
Lake Tahoe resorts had a bountiful holiday season with new snow and good weather for travel. Truckee statistics indicated about 120,000 in residence. Normal residency is about 17,000. The weekends following the holiday continue to be jammed, with Sugar Bowl having its biggest day ever on January 9. Since then, we've had a mix of snow and rain - all good for the watershed. With skimpy snow in the last few years, we're grateful to see the enthusiastic crowds return. Should be good fuel for real estate sales in 2016.

 

The attached report covers the Tahoe Region, comparing residential sales in 2015 vs. 2014. View the report here
 

 
 
 
 

INTELLIGENCE

A collection of research, data and trend reports

 
 
 
The New Davids
 

Since the great recession, the influx of new e-commerce driven businesses, competing across fashion, beauty, accessories and home goods is more impactful than many realize. We call these brands the "New Davids."

 

The common thread the "New Davids" share is that they deliver exceptional service, quality and value to consumers through direct channels. There are also a new group of celebrity driven companies that are building substantial businesses through a combination of great product and the power of social media.

Read more

 
 
 
 
Luxury Goods Worldwide Market Study
 

A time to act: How luxury brands can rebuild to win, From Bain and Company.

Read more

 
 
 
 
Paragon Real Estate
 
  • 2015 San Francisco Real Estate Market Survey. Read here
  • San Francisco Multi-Unit Residential Building Market. Read here
 
 
 
 
The Mark Company Trend Sheet: San Francisco
 
The Mark Company is the authority on urban residential marketing and sales. Their method aligns buyer insights with developer goals to deliver unbeatable results. Read their 2015 Trend Sheet here
 
 
 
 
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