July 2, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

Best Places to Watch Fireworks In Orange County

The 4^th of July is the ‘unofficial start of summer’ – the smell of barbecue, the sounds of waves at the beach and fireworks somehow signal that summer has begun. Orange County has so much to offer on this patriotic holiday – there’s just about something for everyone. It was hard to narrow down, but here are my best picks for watching fireworks in the OC. And if you think I’ve missed a great spot, let me know! I’d love to add to this list for reference in the future! Wherever you enjoy your holiday, remember to be safe, and have fun!

Dana Point Harbor

Watch the skies over Dana Point Harbor for a spectacular show beginning at 9:00 pm. Presented by the City of Dana Point, this is an annual show that draws large crowds – and it’s well worth it! Doheny State Beach is a great vantage point, but you’ll need to make a day of it – forget trying to get a parking spot after 10:00am. Not interested in a full-day affair? You can watch from along the cliffs of Blue Lantern Park or Heritage Park, or even book a dinner at the Laguna Cliffs Marriott for terrific views of the fireworks as they light up the night’s sky. Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, book a dinner cruise and watch from the water. Visit http://bit.ly/DanaPointFireworks for more info.

Ladera Ranch – Founders Park

The Fireworks Spectacular in Ladera Ranch is just that – absolutely spectacular. It has long been a favorite in South Orange County, and this year, the city is hosting a 5k/10k run, with proceeds to benefit Laura’s House & the Ladera Ranch Education Foundation. Registration for the run begins at 6:00am and the 10k race starts at 7:00am. This day is chock-full of activities, ranging from parades, to teen zone entertainment, to live music. Get there early to snag a spot, it will definitely be a full house. Fireworks begin at ‘dark’ – usually 9:15 – at Founders Park. Visit http://bit.ly/LaderaFireworks for more info.

Newport Beach 4^th of July Celebration

Disco AND Fireworks? How can you go wrong??? This year, KC and the Sunshine Band will be headlining the Newport Beach Independence Day on the Back Bay extravaganza. In addition to great music, the event will offer great dining options and lots of great activities for the kids. The event is a bit on the pricey side, so if you’d like to take advantage of the fireworks show without having to open your wallet, just snag a spot in Newport Beach with a great view of Back Bay and you’ll be just fine. Visit http://bit.ly/NewportDunesFireworks for more info.

Lake Mission Viejo

A long-standing tradition in Mission Viejo, the 4^th of July Street Faire and Fireworks Spectacular is a safe, fun-filled, patriotic celebration that includes food, game booths and live music. Festival begins at noon and the fireworks begin at 9:00pm. Admission is free, as well as a free shuttle service operating from 1-8:00 pm surrounding Lake Mission Viejo. Visit http://bit.ly/MVFireworks for more information.

Honorable Mentions: Disneyland and Anaheim Stadium

If you are lucky enough to have tickets to either attraction this Friday, you are in for a special treat. Disneyland puts on a special version of their nightly fireworks display at 9:25pm. Best places to see the fireworks are from main street, right in front of Sleeping Beauty’s Castle. The Angels will be playing against the Houston Astros this Friday night at 5:15pm, with a special fireworks display immediately following the game.

June 27, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

Anne Sternchak | The Boutique Real Estate Group | www.TheBoutiqueRE.com

Connect with Anne today at Anne.Sternchak@TheBoutiqueRE.com or TheBoutiqueRE.com
Anne Sternchak joins The Boutique Real Estate Group with over ten years of diverse marketing and communications experience for large Orange County companies. From professional sports to health care, Anne has excelled in collaborating with multiple departments to strategize and achieve overall brand identities. As a member of the public relations department for the Angels Baseball team, to managing the marketing and communications for MemorialCare Health System, Anne leverages her business experiences in the field of real estate to be an effective communicator, skilled problem solver, marketing strategist and superb negotiator. She has a passion for real estate and thoroughly enjoys helping clients achieve their real estate goals. Anne listens to her clients’ needs and works endlessly to be sure goals are met and expectations are exceeded.

Anne grew up in Yorba Linda. Along with her husband, Greg, they are now raising their twin boys in the Land of Gracious Living. When Anne isn’t selling homes, she enjoys running the bike trails, gardening, cooking and swimming in the pool with her family. She also enjoys giving back to her local communities. Anne has volunteered for Make A Wish Orange County, March of Dimes, Ronald McDonald House and has walked many years in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day, 60 mile walk to find a cure for breast cancer.

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June 25, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

Kelly Enciso | The Boutique Real Estate Group | www.TheBoutiqueRE.com

Introducing Kelly Enciso. Watch her video here: http://bit.ly/1nE1mJu

Connect with Kelly today at http://TheBoutiqueRE.com/Kelly-Enciso

Kelly Enciso believes that home ownership is essential to a thriving, growing community. She understands that purchasing a home is a massive decision, and she is thrilled to be able to step in and help individuals and families find not just a house, but a place they are truly able to call home. Kelly has a background in both architectural and fashion design. She began her career by working on the design team for large multi-family residential luxury homes. With this keen sense of design, she is able to see the potential in any property. Kelly has a strong ethical standard, and has the ability to connect with clients and listen closely to their needs.
Kelly is a native of Orange County, and enjoys the different dynamics of this diverse place we call home. When not working, you can find Kelly enjoying time with her husband and daughter, or diving into a book or magazine at a local coffee shop.

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June 23, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

Introducing: 2014 Inman News Innovator Of The Year Awards Finalists

Inman News is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2014 Innovator Awards in five categories. Winners chosen from the list of finalists below will be announced during the Real Estate Connect conference in San Francisco, which takes place July 16-18 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square.

This year’s award categories are:

Most Innovative Real Estate Agent
Most Innovative Brokerage or Franchise
Most Innovative MLS or Real Estate Trade Association
Most Innovative Real Estate App, Tool or Vendor
Most Innovative Use of a New Technology

An additional annual award, the Innovator of the Year Award, recognizes an individual who embodies the spirit of real estate innovation. This award, which is not open to nominations, will be announced at the Real Estate Connect conference.

Lindsay Bergeron, founder and associate broker, Military Movers Real Estate LLC, @lindseybergeron

Lindsay Bergeron is out to be the go-to broker for military families. She’s planning to turn her Alaska-based brand, Military Movers Real Estate, into a national franchise.

Brandon Doyle, Doyle Real Estate Team, Edina Realty, @DoyleRealtor

Brandon Doyle, who has a degree in real estate degree from St. Cloud State University, says he enjoys helping first-time home buyers, and using the latest technology to market his team’s listings. Lately he’s been using drones to shoot aerial photography that can be incorporated into MLS listing detail pages.

Gary Gold, executive vice president, Hilton & Hyland, @soldbygold

Gary Gold is a marquee name in Beverly Hills real estate and one its most successful technology marketers. He’s an internationally recognized marketing and luxury real estate expert in Beverly Hills real estate, Bel Air real estate and Sunset Strip real estate.

Anthony Lolli, founder and CEO, Rapid Realty, @Anthony_Lolli

A colorful character who casts himself as the embodiment of the American Dream and gives raises to employees who have themselves tattooed with company’s logo, Anthony Lolli launched New York City-based Rapid Realty as a franchisor in 2009, and is now in cities including Boston, Philadelphia, Miami and San Diego.

Brian Murray, agent, Houlihan Lawrence, @BrianSMurray

Brian Murray produces listing videos that transform home tours into short stories. His portfolio includes a spoof on a Nike commercial and a home tour starring golden retrievers.

Mauricio Umansky, CEO, The Agency, @MauricioUmansky

One of California’s leading agents by sales volume, Mauricio Umansky has expanded from his Beverly Hills base, opening offices Shanghai, Cabo San Lucas, Venice, Marina del Rey, Palm Springs and Las Vegas.

Zach Schabot, CEO, Go Realty, @zachschabot

Go Realty is known for its responsive website, blogs, videos, community outreach, and creative use of social media including Pinterest and Vine. Zach Schabot is the author of “My Brand New Home,” an interactive children’s book designed to teach kids about the homebuilding process. He’s also developed a free agent app, “GoConnect,” with comprehensive transaction checklists.

Raj Qsar, founder, The Boutique Real Estate Group, @RajQsar

Raj Qsar employs an in-house production team to create storytelling videos that creates a better experience for buyers and sellers. He has also digitized the entire real estate experience for his agents, in-house staff and also for their clients. The Boutique is recognized as an International Luxury Real Estate Brokerage has has won awards and distinguished accolades year in and year out and they continue to make their mark on the real estate industry.

Nick Segal, founding partner, Partners Trust, @nicksegal

As founding partner and president of Partners Trust, Nick Segal says he’s out to create a company that “strives to raise the bar of professionalism at every touch point of a real estate transaction.”

Hans and Steve Wydler, The Wydler Brothers

The Wydler Brothers team functions as a high-end boutique within Long & Foster Real Estate, allowing the small team to combine hands-on, high quality and professional service with the marketing horsepower and resources of Long & Foster. Their use of branded Starbucks cards, and of drones to produce neighborhood video tours, are examples of their innovative approach.

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June 19, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

Takeaways from AREAA Vancouver 2014 Luxury Real Estate Conference

Written By: Raj Qsar

Leaving the comforts of Orange County have never really been to easy for me. I am a creature of habit. Not sure when that started or why it started but it just did. Personally, I would rather vacation at The Montage in Laguna Beach than fly to some 5 star resort in the Caribbean. But, this trip for me to Vancouver was just full of memories that I will keep with me for a long time.

The Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) is a nonprofit professional trade organization dedicated to promoting sustainable homeownership opportunities in Asian American communities by creating a powerful national voice for housing and real estate professionals that serve this dynamic market.

I had the opportunity to be invited to speak at AREAA Vancouver this past week and this conference had a heavy luxury presence and a heavy international presence. And I had the opportunity to take away a few gems and here they are:

1. “The market goes up & down but SERVICE lives forever.” This quote was by my friend Nobu Hata, Director of Digital Engagement for The National Association of Realtors. And this is so very true! More than ever we are living “in the moment.” We, as Realtors are expected to reply at a moments notice at all times of the day. And we do. Its just in our DNA to provide this level of exceptional care & attention and when it is executed our clients will continue to look to us for support.

2. “Give your clients something they can NOT google.” Once again Nobu is on a roll here. This really resonated with me because saying “just google it” is totally acceptable in our culture now. But if you are able to give your heart & soul to your clients and provide amazing knowledge & service (not found on Google) you will earn the trust of your clients.

3. Think Globally Locally. Love love love this from my friend Teri Conrad! You really need to understand not only worldwide economies but also worldwide customs. For example, the way you accept a card from a potential client, what you do with the card and where you put it after you have read it. This was truly eye opening for me. Having your website in multiple languages, having a country code on your cell number or office number and incorporating this into all the things yo do. This matters!

4. Destination Marketing. As agents we are required to do so much. Know so much. And execute so much. What we as agents have to do is beyond the upper limits of what is possible in this day & age. So…..what if you had a team of creatives that could take care of all the creative work for you on your luxury listing? What if this group of creatives could fly anywhere in the world to do all the super-smart thinking for you and then assist on the digital push out to all channels and add your smiley happy face on the marketing content? I…LOVE…IT! Please check this out —> HaleAlii

5. Competitive Immunity. This little nugget of inspiration hit me while I was on MobileAgentTV with my friends Michael Thorne, Teri Conrad & Tony Joe. By doing the little things each & every day and doing them at a level that exceeds 99.9% of other agents in your Global Hyperlocal Market you will be successful and your clients will love you.

Conference Website

AREAA Agenda

AREAA Speakers

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June 16, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

Live from AREAA Vancouver | Tuesday June 17th at 6pm PST

Tuesday June 17th at 6pm PST catch Raj Qsar, Teri Conrad, Tony Joe & host Michael Thorne for a LIVE episode of Mobile Agent TV right from AREAA Vancouver Luxury Real Estate Conference. This will be EPIC! Watch the show at www.MobileAgentTV.com and follow on Twitter #MATVlive

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June 11, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

The Digital ROI in Real Estate According to Raj Qsar

An Interview with Raj Qsar Posted by Farah Ahmed with Docusign

June 3, 2014

An evangelist for digital and social media, Raj Qsar embodies the future of real estate. After 18 years of successful leadership in the industry, Raj strives to inspire realtors to embrace the digital wave. As owner and broker of The Boutique Real Estate Group, he was recognized as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders for 2013 by Inman News. Beta Brokerage also highlighted The Boutique Real Estate Group among the 2014 Next Generation Real Estate Brokerages.

We recently chatted with Raj to discover how Digital Transaction Management (DTM) and mobile impact ROI and customer experience.

Let’s talk about ROI. How does DTM and subsequent mobile integrations impact your business results?

To start, we extend our tech savvy to both clients and employees. Digital forms are the foundation of everyone’s experience. DTM molds perfectly to our culture!

I do relish the peace-of-mind afforded by DocuSign for Mobile. With the ability to belocation-independent: you carry your business wherever you go. Successful realtors understand that business runs on the fly, 24/7. With DTM and mobile, we can connect and share relevant information through a single streamlined system.

Thankfully, DTM also minimizes loose e-mail threads and phone calls since everyone involved in the transaction is actually involved in the workflow. Now that is peace-of-mind in action!

How are your customers reacting to DTM?

Digital business has been revolutionary for all parties, but particularly for clients. Previously, closing deals forced endless time and travel that infringed upon everyone’s valuable time. Before realtors had to trek 25 miles round-trip just to sign a single document, and then scan and e-mail the same document to other parties involved in the transaction. DTM has since stripped away this insanity.

Furthermore, it’s a purely intuitive function that anyone can use. Here’s a wild story: I had an offer for a property needing signature. I left a phone message with a client and indicated that we’d discuss and DocuSign later. A short while later, I return to find the offer DocuSigned and ready to go. I was utterly baffled; my client was 85 years old. Apparently, she went online and downloaded DocuSign herself to sign the offer letter. It was just that easy!

How do you see DTM influencing real estate professionals?

In order to be a leader in this industry, real estate professionals have to digitize the experience for both their clients and their teams. They will quickly see the value in social media and communicating with their clients on Twitter or Facebook.

Specifically to DocuSign, the Transaction Rooms will soon be a standard for realtors in managing a fast-paced, transparent and results-oriented practice. It’s quick to integrate and train employees, and it’s a natural boon to customers.

DTM reinforces our values. Clients come first and foremost, and with DTM and mobile we respect their time. For those without DTM, ask yourself “why should your clients run around for you?”

The answer is clear: no one should run around, especially clients.

Looking to the near future, what trends do you think realtors and brokers should keep in mind?

I definitely have three in mind:

Location Independence – Regardless of location, both clients and realtors should have the opportunity to square away business with their feet in the sand and a mobile device in their lap. Likewise, clients have busy lives that stress the importance of mobility. Paper should not dictate clients’ schedules.
Transaction Transparency – Everyone involved in the transaction should be involved in the document workflow. It is vital to loop in everyone from lenders, home inspectors all the way to escrow and home insurance. There is no reason to send countless e-mails that are stuffed with PDFs when you can invite everyone to a single transaction.
Increased Compliance – Instant audit trails enable clean compliance, which is truly imperative as regulations become more stringent. For California, it is essential that all transaction documents are transparent and audit-friendly in order to comply with RE540.

Many thanks to Raj for sharing his snapshot of a fully digital Real Estate group! We hope it inspires realtors consider DTM and learn about DocuSign for Mobile.

How do you think DTM is impacting the real estate industry? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Don’t hesitate to connect with Raj on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube

Check out Boutique Real Estate Group to learn more!

Link back to original article here.

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June 4, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

The Digital Age of Real Estate | Raj Qsar | The Boutique Real Estate Group

Episode 44: Raj Qsar: How to digitize & “Boutique-ify” your Real Estate business.

What does it take to be a Real Estate Rockstar? Join us as Raj shares his realtor mindset and a glance at his journey to becoming a “boutique-ified” Real Estate Rockstar.

Leadership, passion, strategy, and execution are the keys to success according to Raj Qsar. Raj has started The Boutique Real Estate Group in Orange County, California. It is his vision that effective marketing of residential Real Estate be, by nature, complex. Each listing they receive is assigned a best-in-class sales & marketing campaign, and it then receives industry-leading marketing, advertising, social media, interior design, and graphics/design. Each of these pieces come together to create a customized marketing plan for each client and each property. When you partner best-in-class sales & marketing with a digital Real Estate experience, you have one of the most sophisticated, strategic companies in the Real Estate industry. Join us to learn how Raj Qsar and The Boutique Real Estate Group are turning heads everywhere they go!

Real Estate AH-HA Moment

When Raj first entered the world of Real Estate he tried to do it all. From the fancy camera, to video, to social media, and even staging, Raj was a one-person show. He realized that in order to scale his business he needed to hire others that were experts in their field. His first hire was a graphic designer, Listen in to hear what happened next.

The Boutique Real Estate Group

“We are a tech start-up who happens to be passionate about people, and we happen to sell homes” Check our their website to see for yourself just how cutting-edge they are: http://www.theboutiquere.com

In this Episode, We Also Talk About:

How to become publicly recognized.
How to start a business.
Change the way you market a home.
How to find that “one shot” of a home.
How to learn and then tell the story of the home.
How to specialize in Pinterest.
How to take your business digital.
How to market a home for social media outlets.
Plus so much more!

Thank Raj on Twitter

If you enjoyed this interview and would like to show Raj some love for coming on the show, you can do so easily by clicking on the link below!

Click here to tweet-thank Raj

Thanks for Rocking Out

Thank you for tuning in to Pat Hiban Interviews Real Estate Rockstars, we appreciate you!

To get more Rockstar content sent directly to your device as it becomes available, subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher!

Reviews on iTunes are extremely helpful and appreciated! We read each and every one of them, please feel free to leave your email so that we can personally reach out and say thanks!

Have any questions? Tweet me, Facebook me, or call 410.750.6746, and ask Pat anything. Then head on over to Bare Naked Agent for his answers, and advice.

Thanks, and keep rockin!

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May 29, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

Upgrading The Real Estate Experience | 3 Tech Tips from Raj Qsar

This week, we have a guest post from Raj Qsar, principal and owner of The Boutique Real Estate Group in Orange County, CA, a contributor for Inman News, and one of the Top 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders for 2013. His company is one of the most dominant real estate firms in Orange County. They focus heavily on utilizing technology to provide more complete and convenient service to all of their customers.

Digitize the Real Estate Experience

We had out “ah-ha” moment back in 2008 as technology and social media found Real Estate. We knew there had to be a better way of not only marketing residential real estate but there also had to be a better way of managing the mountain of paperwork and people involved in a real estate transaction. So in a sense our team has digitized the real estate experience.

Do not get me wrong….We are not robots. We still care, are empathetic and truly love our clients. And because of this love and passion for our clients you will never find our clients running to a fax machine and most likely never even pick up a pen to sign anything. We are a 99% paperless office. Our agents & staff are completely mobile and can run an entire real estate transaction from our iPads and iPhones.

Our technology does not require our clients to be tech savvy – it only requires our agents to understand the benefits of technology and to implement that technology with our clients. Our commitment to technology has even allowed us to bring in an in-house Chief Technology Officer, Jeremy Lehman, who can train our agents and enable them to provide this luxury service to our clients.

Connect More Intimately With Clients

The world is now on the web – advances in technology are changing the way businesses interact with clients and we understand this process. People are on their smartphones, heads down and focused. The next time you are in line at your local coffee shop just look around. Everyone will be head down and in their phone checking emails, scrolling through a news feed on a social platform or just listening to music. We know we need to be where our clients are, so we can be at the forefront of their minds, and more importantly, not forgotten.

Our clients are on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Linked In, Pinterest, Twitter and Four Square. However, the Facebook user is different than the Linked In user, who is totally different than the individual on Instagram.

Learn more about social media for real estate marketing here.

The Facebook user is more likely to be someone you know so the posts there are geared more like a friend to friend discussion and allows for a targeted ad campaign. The posts on Twitter are 140 characters so its “in & out” with a specific message to an audience. Instagram is one of our favorites and allows a more intimate connection. Newer platforms likeRESAAS allow us to engage with an international audience of real estate professionals. You will see that our content strategy is different depending on the platform, who we are trying to reach, and what message we are trying to push.

Streamline the Process

When it comes to in-transaction management the mountain of paperwork that needs to happen is insane. You have buyers, sellers, lender, escrow, title, transaction coordinators, home inspectors, termite inspectors and many others who are involved someway or somehow in your transaction. They all have their paperwork and it all needs to be reviewed, understood and communicated to everyone in the transaction.

How do we create our paperwork? What do we create it on? How do we eSign? How do we store this info? How do we share it with everyone? This is the beauty of technology: our ability to create a REAL estate experience like no other with our clients and co-operating brokers.

This is real estate’s new normal for communicating and engaging with our clients to create a streamlined, easy to use & understand process. It did not happen overnight but required dedication, time, and resources devoted to tech to make it happen.

Technology allows us to be a smart office, engage with our clients in positive manner and allow us to create an experience that is evergreen.

You can connect with us at www.theboutiquere.com.

If you’re interested in learning more about Raj, check out our From the Trenches interview with him.

You can find Raj on Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and Pinterest.

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May 28, 2014 by The Boutique Real Estate Group

AREAA Vancouver | Luxury Real Estate Conference

CONNECT: REAL ESTATE TECHNOLOGY & THE LUXURY MARKET
• NETWORK with hundreds of global industry leaders, practitioners from across North America.
• Enhance your understanding of LUXURY INVESTMENT STRATEGIES and advancements in TECHNOLOGIES.
• CONNECT with AREAA members and investors looking for real estate in Vancouver and across Canada.
• Participate in luxury real estate and technology sessions featuring industry leaders from AREAA, NAR and national brokerages.

JUST TO NAME A FEW OF THE SPEAKERS:
Ivan P. Choi – Chairman of AREAA
Nobu Hata – Director for NAR
Kelly Deck – Director for Kelly Deck Design
Ian MacLeod – President of LuxuryHomes.com
Tina Mak – President of AREAA Vancouver
Raj Qsar – Owner of The Boutique Real Estate Group
Janet Case – CEO of Proxio
Kathy Tsao – Manhattan Broker Douglas Elliman

TIME LOCATION & REGISTRATION:
Tuesday, June 17, 2014 – 8 am – 6 pm
At the Fairmont Pacific Rim, Vancouver BC
1038 Canada Place, Vancouver, BC V6C 0B9, Canada
Fairmont Pacific Rim Vancouver Hotel Rooms available
Buy tickets at areaavancouver.com

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