Luxury Insider: The Year of the Condo

By Alain Pinel, General Manager of Intero Prestigio international, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

In the real estate residential arena, as everybody knows, the dynamic duo is made of Single Family Homes and Condos. In some towns, SFH represent 100% of the housing stock. In some districts of large cities, condos (together with co-ops) represent 100% of the stock. For the most part, they cohabit in harmony, as they serve different needs for different people.

Since towns, at this point and going forward, are far more likely to grow vertically than stretching horizontally due to the lack of buildable space where people want/need to live and work, condos keep on mushrooming very quickly on the land.

A Tale of Two Markets

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Two sets of data about California real estate released this past week reveal a housing market that’s healthy, yet complicated and moving in a few different directions.

What we’re seeing is a market that’s improving overall, but that continues to struggle with supply – especially in certain pockets like the San Francisco Bay Area.

2013 brought about vast improvements in the state’s luxury markets, with sales of homes costing $1 million or more soaring 45% to their highest level in six years, according to La Jolla-based housing data company DataQuick.

Life is like a roll of toilet paper

By Tom Tognoli, COO & Founder, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc

Where does the time go?

This past Friday I turned 50. I feel great and don’t feel 50…however that is supposed to feel, but it is still hard for me to wrap my head around. I feel like I am maybe in my mid 30’s, but 50…no way. Where does the time go? I am sure most of you reading this can relate.

Now…don’t get me wrong…it’s all good and I am good with it. I am blessed with so many amazing things…a great family, I live in the most amazing place in the world, I am healthy, my family is healthy, I am happily married and I have two great kids, I live in a beautiful home, have great friends, and have helped build a great company, but how in the world did this happen? How did I get to be 50? How did it become 32 years since I graduated high school? How have I been married for 22 years? How has it been over 12 years since we started Intero? And how in the world did my boys get to be 16 and 14? All of you with kids totally get this.

Happy Groundhog Day

One Cool Thing

Can you find where you live? Where you want to live?

Intero Insider: Move-up Buyers Hungry for Bigger, More Expensive Homes

By Gino Blefari, President & CEO, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

Here’s a term we haven’t heard much of in the last few years: move-up buyer. But many markets are now seeing many more of these folks. Some are even showing signs of strength in luxury or the high-end of the market thanks to this type of buyer.

After the recession started to take hold in 2008, the market for large and expensive homes fell as more buyers looked for more affordable places to live that weren’t as much of a drain to heat, cool and keep lit up.

Weekend Wellness: Myth vs. Reality

By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition

In my line of work, I hear a lot of terrific tips…as well as a lot of very confusing marketing “ploys”…

Here’s a little test for you to determine what’s a myth and what’s truth in every day grocery life:

Myths:

1. Sugar is fattening
2. A salad is always your best option
3. To remove all the fat from poultry, remove the skin
4. 2% milk is considered low fat
5. No sugar added means there is no sugar in the product
6. Reduced fat is considered the best choice for a low fat meal
7. Always choose peanut butter without cholesterol
8. Chili, green tea and ginger speeds up your metabolism
9. Nuts and cheese are great protein options
10. Cereal is a terrific breakfast choice

Cool Apps: Don’t Lose Your New Year’s Motivation

By John Thompson, Executive Vice President, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc.

We’ve just concluded the first month of the year and I’m sure many of you have lost sight of your New Year’s Resolutions already. Coming into February, people tend to slack off, allowing themselves a little more lenience and by March, they’ve all together given up. Well, today I bring you an app that will, hopefully, keep you motivated through the whole year.

We all know that success in weight loss or a healthy lifestyle is more than just working out 5 days a week. It takes focus and energy to really adjust your whole way of thinking. Today’s app can help with just that. Fitbit will not only track your activity but will help you eat better, sleep better and keep you overall motivated to meet your goals!

Walk the Dog

 By Tom Tognoli, COO & Founder, Intero Real Estate Services, Inc

This year I want to

• walk 500 miles
• exercise 125 hours
• burn 50,000 extra calories
• finish 10 books
• pray regularly and give thanks for the blessings in my life
• spend time every week with my wife just talking about life, our family, our dreams and our goals
• be less stressed
• lower my blood pressure and cholesterol level
• have more energy at work and with my family
• be more patient
• make more money
• be in better shape
• lose 10 to 15 pounds
• live longer
• significantly reduce my chances of getting sick
• see my mom and dad 3 to 4 times a week

…that’s all.

Sounds pretty daunting, doesn’t it? What would you say if I told you that it can all be accomplished by spending 30 minutes 5 times a week. I am sure most of you are skeptical.

One of my commitments for 2014 is walking our dog 5 times a week after dinner. When I decided to start doing it, I did not do it for all of the reasons above…I just knew our dog needed a walk and I knew it was better for me to go for a walk than sitting on the couch watching sitcoms all night.  So far I have been pretty good about doing it. Most of the time Lynn and I walk Ryder together, but sometimes I do it on my own listening to a book on tape, inspiring music, or just thinking. Guess what? If I am just consistent about doing my 30 minute walk 5 times a week, I will accomplish all of this…really! If you don’t believe me, or even if you do, there is a great book I recommend you read or listen too….The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson.  The Slight Edge is all about the monumental impact of doing a little something consistently.

Be Kind To Yourself

By Tammy Parkinson, CPT, ACSM, NASM, Nutritionist, Body Firm Personal Training & Nutrition

I think one of the most valued “acts” is kindness. I know when someone opens a door for me, or smiles, or offers to do something to help, if feels great. I also know when I am kind, it can feel equally as nice, if not better.

How often are we kind to our bodies? We easily can think of ways to be nice to others, however how often do we eat foods which do harm? How often do we consider what we feed ourselves as acts of kindness or acts of destruction? We have foods which can cause problems as simple as weight gain to acid reflux, all the way to diabetes, high blood pressure and even cancer. When we eat, do we want to be kind to our bodies? If not, why? Something to think about.

Then of course, there are the workouts. There are those who will ignore any sort of activity for a variety of reasons for weeks, then go out and destroy their bodies in a long torturous run let say, or a bike ride after weeks on the couch and office chair. They’ll feel sore, hurt and tired, and end up ignoring their bodies for another few weeks. Then there’s the person who lifts weights, sporadically and carelessly only to injure themselves because if improper preparation and mindfulness. Is this kind?