Leading Real Estate Companies of the World Announces New Hire


Liv Baggen named LeadingRE Director, Global Luxury Market Expansion

 

CHICAGO – (October 21, 2020) – Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) has expanded its staff with the addition of Liv Baggen as Director, Global Luxury Market Expansion. Ms. Baggen, who is based in Frankfurt, Germany, will be responsible for growing the global network’s membership in high-end markets outside of the US and increasing global participation in LeadingRE’s luxury marketing program, Luxury Portfolio International®.

Ms. Baggen is an experienced international business development manager with a history of success in the luxury real estate business. She also has expertise working in fine art, hospitality, and luxury goods. Her former companies include Palazzo Versace in Dubai, JLL in Berlin and Frankfurt, and a prestigious art collector in Beirut.

“We are thrilled to welcome Liv to our team. A long-time friend of our network, she brings a specialized background in the affluent market and a strong professional network in numerous sectors across Europe and the Middle East,” Chris Dietz, Executive Vice President of Global Operations at LeadingRE, said. “Her unique perspective will be valuable as we continue to strengthen our global value proposition and create program offerings that support our members worldwide.”

Ms. Baggen will work closely with the team of Luxury Portfolio International®, which recently appointed a new President, Mickey Alam Khan.

A Dutch citizen, Ms. Baggen speaks Dutch, English, German and Italian. Her educational background includes earning a double degree from the University of Amsterdam: Master of Laws (LL.M.) and a Master of Arts (MA.). She can be reached at lbaggen@LeadingRE.com.

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Luxury Portfolio International Names Mickey Alam Khan President

Globally-acclaimed luxury brand expert will remain based in New York City, where he will establish a Luxury Portfolio International office

CHICAGO – (October 7, 2020) – Luxury Portfolio International® (LPI), the luxury marketing division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, the largest global network of premier locally branded residential real estate brokerage firms, today named Mickey Alam Khan President.

Alam Khan, one of the world’s top experts in the luxury arena, will be engaged with Luxury Portfolio International’s Member companies, furthering the organization’s global growth by expanding an already robust suite of offerings. Additionally, LPI will complement its expanded global strategy with additional staffing and resources.

He will also leverage his role as a luxury thought leader, authoring position papers and opinions as to how the world of global luxury real estate and luxury brands intersect.

Currently based in New York City, Alam Khan will establish a presence there for Luxury Portfolio International.

He was most recently founder and editor-in-chief of Luxury Daily, the world’s leading luxury business publication. As part of Alam Khan’s agreement with LPI, the organization has purchased Luxury Daily, where he will remain editor-in-chief, as well as assuming the title of Publisher for other LPI print and digital publications, including the highly acclaimed Luxury Portfolio Magazine.

“Few people understand the mindset of the global luxury consumer the way Mickey does,” said Paul Boomsma, President & CEO, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®.  “We are very excited about connecting luxury residential real estate with a broad range of high-end brands, including cars, travel, experiential opportunities and more.”

Alam Khan has a long-standing reputation for pioneering digital initiatives. He founded and edited Mobile Marketer as well as Mobile Commerce Daily, turning both outlets into leading publications in their space before he sold them in 2017.  Prior to that, he was editor of eMarketer and DM News.

“This is an absolute dream opportunity for me,” added Alam Khan. “I grew up in a real estate family, so I have a deep-rooted passion for the industry. I’m very much looking forward to supporting LPI’s growth, while furthering connections between luxury residential real estate and luxury brands as a whole.”

“Having Mickey as President of LPI creates tremendous value for LPI members,” notes Diane M. Ramirez, Executive Chairman and Senior Advisor of Brown Harris Stevens Residential Sales, LLC, one of the northeast’s most respected residential real estate firms, and Chairman of the Board of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®. “Our value proposition to members has just been expanded through Mickey’s expertise.”

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ABOUT LUXURY PORTFOLIO INTERNATIONAL® (LPI)
LPI (luxuryportfolio.com) is the luxury marketing division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World®, the largest global network of premier locally branded firms dominated by many of the world’s most powerful, independent luxury brands. LPI attracts a global audience of visitors from over 200 countries/territories every month and markets more than 50,000 luxury homes annually. Well Connected.™

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Sustainable Gains: On the future of green buildings

Originally published on PrimeResi (subscription required).

 

Developers, policymakers and investors are coming round to the idea that green development makes economic sense, says LeadingRE’s Jojo Romarx Salas.

“The floor area of the global buildings sector is expected to double by 2060,” according to the report “Green Buildings: A Finance and Policy Blueprint” by the International Finance Corporation, a sister organization of the World Bank and the largest global development institution focused on the private sector.

The projected growth may be a boon for the real estate and construction industry in general, but it could mean huge environmental costs. The IFC estimates that the buildings sector presently consumes more than half of all electricity, for heating, cooling and lighting and accounts for 28% of energy-related greenhouse-gas emissions. It will require an estimated 50% more energy by 2050 than today.

Climate change has prompted environmental considerations’ rise to the heart of all real estate decision-making, however, going green is also more profitable in the long run.

The IFC report states “resource-inefficient buildings run the risk of losing economic value or becoming stranded assets due to increasingly stringent regulations, pressure from financial regulators to manage and disclose climate risks, changing consumer preferences, and shareholder demands. Non-compliant buildings could become subject to legal action and fines, making them more expensive to operate and insure, and harder to lease or sell.”

There is a common notion that incorporating “green” or sustainable features in a development would mean additional costs, restricting profitability. This is not necessarily true, and there is a growing consensus that green development is not only more sustainable but more profitable as well. The IFC report presents that building green may result to savings of between 0.5% to 12% in construction costs. More importantly, green buildings can reduce up to 37% of recurring operational costs. Green buildings may achieve higher sale premiums of up to 31% with faster sale times. They can also have up to 23% percent greater occupancy rates, and higher rental income of up to 8%.

The initial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has veered consumer demand towards health and wellness as well. With lockdown and quarantine all over the world, we reached out to our members, who reported a shift in tastes and preferences. Peter Thompson of Barfoot and Thompson, the LeadingRE member in Auckland, New Zealand said there is a growing concern for health and safety, especially when they transact real estate deals. Erik Noordam of VOC International in the Netherlands highlighted that there is an increased interest in wellness within buildings.

A LeadingRE member in California, Michael Hickman of Seven Gables Real Estate, said that due to the pandemic, more people are asking about recreational rooms, weight rooms, and larger spaces. LeadingRE noted a 500% increase in enquiries for tennis courts in Westchester County, New York. In Georgia, MaryJo Prater of Signature Properties Group noted that “lots of people are looking for waterfront homes.”

There is a consensus that “green and wellness” will be the trend in the coming years in developed markets. However, the IFC paper highlights the need for more “green” development in emerging markets and declares that “the green buildings sector represents a US $24.7 trillion investment opportunity by 2030 across all emerging market cities with a population of more than half a million people.”

Real estate investors and financiers can accelerate the market for green buildings. Typically, commercial banks are a key source of financing and fill the space on construction finance, mortgages, home improvement loans, and green financial products for resource-efficient buildings. Banks can expand their client base and product offerings, build higher-value and lower-risk portfolios, and access new sources of finance through green bonds, green securitizations, and green credit facilities, potentially reducing their cost of capital.

Governments, in turn, should create enabling environments to galvanize market growth by incentivizing financiers to channel capital to the sector, creating a pipeline of green building assets. Governments can also contribute to investor appetite by requiring all public buildings to be green. This will generate technical capacity and skills among designers, engineers, and workers, who then can build privately financed green buildings. Governments may also use fiscal incentives in the form of tax breaks, grants, subsidies, loans, and rebates.

The private sector’s voluntary commitment to build green is even more crucial. Due to the growing evidence of cost savings, as well as tax incentives, private real estate developers and owners have created the momentum to build green. Increased public awareness and collaboration with local and international rating systems can further fuel the growth of green building portfolio. With the stamp of verification from the likes of BREEAM, DNGB, EDGE, Green Star, and LEED, green developments will be supported with public acceptance as well as the financial benefits from savings and incentives.

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Global Real Estate Leaders Recognized by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World

Watch the video to hear from our winners.

 

– Prestigious awards presented at network’s virtual Global Symposium. –

CHICAGO – October 1, 2020 – Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® presented awards of excellence at its Global Symposium September 30.

The two-day event, originally scheduled to take place in Dubai, was held virtually. It offered top real estate professionals affiliated with Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® (LeadingRE) the opportunity to discuss trends in the international real estate market. Topics included technological innovation in real estate, new development marketing, branding and public relations strategies, insights on the luxury segment, and more. Participants also had the opportunity to network with one another virtually in small groups, a key component of LeadingRE events adapted to fit today’s environment.

This year marks the fourth time formal awards were presented in the event’s 13-year history.

“While we could not be together in person to celebrate our winners, the significance of these awards is as impressive as ever. It is an honor for us to recognize these companies and individuals who are leaders not only in their local markets, but also within our global real estate community,” said LeadingRE President/CEO Paul Boomsma, who presented the awards along with LeadingRE Chairman of the Board Diane M. Ramirez, Brown Harris Stevens (New York, N.Y., U.S.).

The prestigious Global Leadership Award was presented to Jeremy Hurst, IRG International Realty Group (George Town, Cayman Islands) and Peter Thompson, Barfoot & Thompson (Auckland, New Zealand), in recognition of generosity of time and commitment in supporting LeadingRE’s global growth.

Winning the Global Ambassador Award were Olivier De Chabot, Groupe Immobilier Mercure France (Toulouse, France); Dima Lorenz, Ark Properties Shanghai (Shanghai, China); and Denise Talboy, The Keyes Company (Plantation, Fla., U.S.). These individuals were selected based on their active participation in LeadingRE on many levels, their promotion of the network worldwide and their service as role models for other members.

For the fourth year in a row, Ginesta Immobilien (Zurich, Switzerland) was presented the Global Referral Production Award in recognition of sending the most outgoing referrals this year among companies outside of North America.

The Rising Star Award was presented to One Global Property Services Singapore & Hong Kong in recognition of its enthusiastic adoption of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® from the first day of membership.

REMEXICO Real Estate (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico) was recognized with the Luxury Trendsetter Award for leadership in the affluent real estate space and exemplary engagement with Luxury Portfolio International®, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World’s luxury marketing division.

Reality Realty (San Juan, Puerto Rico) was presented the Referral Service Excellence Award for above-and-beyond service and professionalism in handling a challenging cross-border referral.

CIR REALTY (Calgary, AB Canada) received the Referral Accelerator Award for its commitment to increasing referral awareness and assisting clients outside their local market by making introductions to fellow members.

Deasy Penner Podley (Pasadena, Calif., U.S.) and Pinnacle Real Estate Consulting Services, Inc. (Manila, Philippines) earned the Long Distance Referral Award for collaborating on the referral that traveled the greatest distance to be transacted – 7,294 miles.

The 2021 Global Symposium is scheduled for October 3-5, 2021 in Dubai.

To learn more about LeadingRE, visit LeadingRE.com.

 

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