Sid's Blog

Whistler, BC
Friday March 28, 2008 – 4:15pm

Just finishing a Spring Break ski vacation with my family in Whistler, BC. It’s great to spend time experiencing what our S&P customers experience with their families. So many of our new family traditions are being established in resort and second home locations, and in the winter, there is no better place than a four season mountain resort. What my wife and I value most in our four season mountain real estate is the ease of access to the mountain. Whether it’s ski-in ski-out or direct access real estate, both make your time away that much more enjoyable. Of course our kids loved the pool and hot tub but they also thought skiing right to our condo was pretty cool.

Next year is Steamboat, CO for some of the country's most fabulous skiing and a fun western town. We have two projects in Steamboat worth checking out. The first is Edgemont with its slopeside AAA location and panoramic views (www.edgemontliving.com) and Trailhead Lodge with direct access to the base and a fabulous pool area all set in an intimate village setting (www.wildhorsemeadows.com). Our Design and Offering team lead by Donal O’Callaghan worked very closely with each developer to ensure that these projects matched what our customers are asking for in a mountain resort home.

Sid

Kapalua, Maui
March 16th, 2008 - 8:16am

It's the morning after a phenomenal selection event for the Residential Suites at The Ritz Carlton, Kapalua. Yesterday the S&P team sold 93 units totaling $176M in real estate. In the next few days the reporters and everyone in the industry will be asking how did that happen? With all the gloom and doom in the real estate markets how do you create the largest sales success in the US in the past 18 months? It's never a simple answer but what we know is that well designed and well positioned luxury real estate sells in all market conditions.

Today the real estate market is broken into two major categories. The first is the commoditized, over supplied residential markets which have been garnering all the media headlines and virtually all the foreclosure and price depreciation. The second category is the specialty real estate market. This market is characterized by real estate that is non-commoditized (unique/distinct), resort and/or 2nd home, experiential, and higher end. S&P focuses on the second category of real estate and thankfully we continue to find customers who are keenly interesting in owning this real estate.

This is my first journal/blog entry and I look forward to providing you with insights into the world of S&P. If you are passionate about real estate, this blog will provide you with a glimpse behind the scenes of a company leading the way in the resort and luxury real estate business.

Sid