We have some exciting news to announce.  The Society is now a member of the LuxuryRealEstate.com family.  It’s great news for travelers, luxury home owners and property managers alike.  The official announcement was made this afternoon (press release below).

SEATTLE, June 3, 2010 - LuxuryRealEstate.com, the most viewed luxury real estate website in the world announced today it has acquired The Society of Leisure Enthusiasts (”The Society”), an online marketing solutions company focused in the luxury vacation rental industry… READ FULL PRESS RELEASE.

When a reporter asked Jesse James “Why do you rob banks?” his answer in all its simplistic elegance was “Because that is where the money is.” When we at The Society have been asked “Why did The Society create The Global Bundle?”…

Our answer is more complex based on years of demographic research, statistical analysis, data mining, unique visitor data, response rates and cost-effectiveness for our clients participating in The Global Bundle. OK, the simplistic:

“Because this is where the pre-qualified eyeballs are looking and booking.”

We know our vacation home owners and property/estate managers are successful entrepreneurs and marketers in search of cost-effective marketing opportunities to promote their vacation rentals to a pre-qualified and pre-screened clientele.

While The Global Bundle may seem intimidating at first; we have heard the comments i.e.

• So many portals, is it truly effective?
• Do I have to load data to each portal?
• How can I keep track?

The reality is, we at The Society have made the process as simple as possible allowing our clients to 1) attract qualified eyeballs to their inventory 2) track inquiries and portals used and 3) load data once and let our IT technicians handle the rest.

While The Global Bundle has been designed and facilitated for marketing to an highly educated and affluent clientele including storied names such as The Robb Report, WSJ Online, The DuPont Registry, Luxury Real Estate and others, we have designed the Bundle to cross-market to multiple demographic groups thus enhancing booking opportunities.

One client in particular had an interesting situation. He owns a vacation rental in a community where seasonal rentals are the norm i.e. summer. For a seasonal rental, this owner received multiple inquiries from The DuPont Registry, known for its affluent readership coupled with a younger demographic i.e. average age of 37.

Yet, in the off-season the home generated minimal interest. We suggested pitching the home on the weekly rental market i.e. Sat. to Sat. via Craigslist markets within a 3-hour drive distance. Our hunch was correct as “aspirationals” who may not have the disposable income for a seasonal rental could afford an “off-season” week and live the lifestyle once only envied. In addition, one “weekly” rental client is considering a “seasonal rental” as relayed by the client “I was able to try the house for a week; I enjoyed the home, the location and the on-site amenities. I plan to book the home for the 2010 summer”.

October 20th, 2009 (Seattle, WA) – LuxuryRealEstate.com today announced plans to launch a new portal for developers of the most sought-after communities in the world. Building on the success of the award-winning LuxuryRealEstate.com, the company plans to unveil the new section of the website in January 2010. Offering the most comprehensive collection of world-class developments using state-of-the-art search functions, the new portal will help developers drive traffic to their websites and inquiries to their sales teams.

“The new Luxury Communities Portal is poised to be the single most comprehensive source for consumers using the web seeking detailed, customized searches of the top new developments in the most desirable locations around the globe”, states CEO/Publish John Brian Losh.

The latest offering from LuxuryRealEstate.com was designed specifically with buyers in mind. You can now go to a single location to research every aspect of a community and initiate direct contact with the development team. Customizable searches with criteria the buyer sets forth are immediately populated and will provide buyers with a wide range of details about each community. Developers will have the ability to showcase each aspect of their project with video, mapping, blogs, an image gallery, inventory of all current listings complete with photos and direct links to representatives from each property.

LuxuryRealEstate.com, a 2009 Webby Award Honoree, has been voted ‘Best of the Web’ by Forbes magazine multiple times, praised by the International Herald Tribune, Town & Country, the Wall Street Journal and has been ranked ‘Best Website’ by consumers according to a survey by the Luxury Institute LLC. Since its debut in 1995, LuxuryRealEstate.com has remained the #1 portal for luxury properties on the internet, consistently driving more traffic to member websites and generating more qualified inquiries than any other website.

LuxuryRealEstate.com (also known in the industry as the Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate network) is a global collection of the finest luxury real estate brokers in the world. This group of more than 1500 brokerage firms and 100,000 professionals in more than 65 countries collectively sells in excess of $180 billion of real estate annually, with an average sale price of $2,650,000. Members sell homes for record prices and handle transactions of incredible complexity and magnitude with complete discretion. Every member is carefully selected by CEO/Publisher John Brian Losh, an entrepreneur and broker of fine properties and estates through his Seattle-based brokerage firm, Ewing & Clark, Inc. and one of REALTOR Magazine’s 25 Most Influential People in Real Estate.

Last week, The Society Co-Founder Michael McFadden and Account Executive Therese Lewis attended the 14^th Annual Luxury Real Estate Fall Conference held at the exclusive Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch in the Vail Valley of Colorado.

Attendees of the conference, while concerned about the present challenges of the luxury real estate market, continued to express enthusiasm as luxury real estate is always in demand no matter the market conditions. For many, luxury is an aspiration, for those who have become accustomed to the deluxe lifestyle, downgrading is not an option.

While recent media reports may suggest the luxury market has “fallen off a cliff”, attendees suggested the media hype may be due to select high-profile properties not selling due to their inflated price based on conditions of the bull-market circa 2007. Properties from primary residences to vacation homes are selling when priced correctly for today’s market conditions.

Rental of luxury homes and estates continues to increase. For prospective buyers, the opportunity to “try before you buy” as become an attractive alternative to the hyper-inflated market of multiple contracts above asking price just a few years back. Buyers are able to take their time to assess their purchases in a pressure-free environment and in many instances, usually with a vacation home, to “rent before they purchase”.

For sellers, while the market has become more challenging, the luxury buyers are out there and are ready, willing and able. Many prospective buyers are sitting on the sidelines or using the present economic conditions to pick and choose the most appropriate luxury property for their needs and desires, both immediate and for the future. Sellers in the luxury arena while concerned about news reports also are aware the luxury buyer can be a “cash-buyer” and not beholden to the whims of mortgage brokers, suppliers and appraisers.

From the prospective of The Society, we see the overall luxury marketplace moving towards equilibrium. Markets which gain 20% on annum over 5 years is not a sustainable market. Corrections happen and lead to new opportunities for capital investment and appreciation. Many luxury homeowners are considering “vacation rental” as an option to provide cash-flow for their under-utilized vacation residences. Many of our newest Global Bundle affiliates are such owners. As one broker attendee mentioned in passing “Even Sir Richard Branson makes his Necker Island property available for vacation rental”. 

Did you know the spend for the cruise industry was the same as the spend on vacation home rentals. By 2010, the spend on vacation home rentals will exceed the cruise ship industry on an annual basis.

In one of the respected hospitality journals I almost skipped an obscure article mentioning hoteliers and resorts in beach destinations are actually reaching full occupancy and many are either sold-out for August to Labor Day or have raised rates based on demand. A couple of ideas from The Society:

1) Availability: Contrary to the above there is still availability if you are willing to be flexible. Of course beach properties within close proximity of major metropolitan areas have witnessed increased demand from their “drive-time” markets. Thus, consider beach destinations beyond the 2-4 hours of a major city or even better, consider a destination beach. The beaches of The Rivera Maya (check out options from Akumal-Villas, please mention The Society) are glorious during the summer as are many options in the Caribbean with rates in-line with their mainland counterparts.

2) Location: While beachfront and within walking distance of the beach is always in demand, consider “biking distance” from the beach. For example, in East Hampton, NY, by crossing Main Street, rates drop, yet you are still within biking distance of the beach. If driving distance, even with attractive pricing, be sure to ask if a) parking is available and b) if a permit or related is needed and provided by the homeowner or management.

3) Post Labor Day: Granted, not a true summer vacation, post Labor Day can be most attractive. For beaches along the Atlantic Seaboard, the water temperatures are actually highest in September and October. Bermuda is glorious during September and October as the crowds depart and the beaches become a private sanctuary.

4) Last-Minute: When searching TheSociety.com, be sure to call the management companies. While the house you desire may be booked, be sure to ask if an alternative may be available. Be flexible, while the 3-bedroom may be booked, consider a 2 or 4 bedroom, you never know the deals which may be available.

As we at The Society continue to provide our partners with the most attractive opportunities to target market to the affluent consumer, we would like to introduce you to The duPont Registry, one of the select vendors affiliated with our Global Bundle.

The duPont Registry is unique in its targeted demographics which we suggest is the next generation of wealth. The average age of the reader/viewer of The DuPont Registry is 36 with an annual household income of $345,000 and average household net-worth exceeding $2,000,000 USD.  Unlike other publications concentrating on real-estate as a niche, the duPont Registry is considered a “lifestyle publication” with a wide-range of editorial features and opportunities embracing the many facets of the affluent lifestyle.

As with many storied print publications, The duPont Registry has embraced the web and has exceeded their conservative projections concerning viewers due to the younger demographic associated with their publication. The following statistics should impress:

• Average 350,000 unique monthly visitors
• Average 6,000,000 page views monthly
• 151 countries visit the site monthly

We are very proud to be working with The duPont Registry, one of the truly storied entities in the luxury real estate and lifestyle industry and poised to be dominant with the next generation of wealth within the United States and worldwide. By affiliating with The Society’s Global Bundle, you the homeowner, property/estate manager will have immediate access to this most in-demand demographic of younger wealth and be able to present and influence their future vacation and purchasing decisions.

For additional demographic and editorial information concerning the duPont Registry,  please click here: media kit.