The Boutique Real Estate Group will be hosting the 38th Annual Corona del Mar Christmas Walk 2016 at our Corona del Mar office December 4th from 11-4pm. We will have a photo booth, Taco Man, Margarita Machine, games & more. Come celebrate the holidays with us. We look forward to seeing you there!
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via homespotter
So, I did some heavy lifting for you to find some of the most influential real estate agents and influencers to learn from online. Then, I curated some of the best resources they created, as a one-stop shop.
Rather than list these experts in random order (or choosing our favorites), we took the time to rank each person based on their influence across social media, using scores from FollowerWonk, Klout, and our own judgment.
While not a perfect science, by ranking each influencer by their social impact, you will have a better sense of who you want to learn from as you master your craft.
As the Principal/Owner of The Boutique Real Estate Group, Raj has invested heavily in bringing all aspects of the real estate experience completely in-house. From custom design, professional staging, architectural photography, cinematography and social media to technology, internet optimization, cloud based transaction management and global listing syndication. This design & tech-forward approach has earned The Boutique Real Estate Group accolades & awards worldwide.
In 2016 Raj was named to the prestigious SP200 Honoring The Most Powerful 200 People in Residential Real Estate. Raj was selected as Most Innovative Real Estate Agent in 2014. Raj was also selected as 33 People Changing The Real Estate Industry by Inman News and was also named Top 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders For 2013.
Yorba Linda, California is no stranger to accolades. It’s been ranked as one of the best places to live in the United States. It’s also been singled out as one of the best small cities anywhere. Last but not least, it just so happens to be one of the wealthiest cities in the United States.
Life here is sunny, idyllic, and filled with opportunities for enjoying the good life. For starters, there’s the Black Gold Golf Course, a stunning, Arthur Hill-designed par 72 that stretches out over 219 magnificent acres and is widely regarded as one of the best courses in the country.
Yorba Linda is also home to the famed Nixon Presidential Library and Museum, which features a replica of the White House East Room, an immaculately kept rose garden, the presidential helicopter, and the former President’s actual boyhood home, complete with the pepper tree his father planted back in 1912.
Need more adventure? You don’t have to travel far. This quiet community is a mere 40 miles from downtown Los Angeles, 18 miles from Disneyland, and only 30 miles from Huntington Beach – popularly known as “Surf City.”
In Yorba Linda, six-figure incomes are the norm, and those who can afford to build their dream homes tend to do just that. That’s why the Yorba Linda area is home to so many opulent residential properties.
But even in this rarified Southern California enclave, 22750 Hidden Hills Road is a rare treasure. Find out why Pinnacle House is worth every penny of its $10 million asking price.
Situated on one of the highest peaks of Orange county with a commanding vista of Yorba Linda, the beachfront cities that lay farther afield, and the glittering Pacific horizon, Pinnacle House certainly earns its title.
But it isn’t just the jetliner views or prestigious neighborhood that make this home desirable. It’s the thoughtful design that’s apparent in every square inch of its 8,000+ square feet of living space.
DKY Architects’ David Streshinsky designed Pinnacle House exclusively for Yard House restaurant’s corporate executive chef Carlito Jocson.
You’ve seen Streshinksy’s work, whether you know it or not. After all, he’s worked on such large-scale design projects as the Jurassic Park and Jaws rides at Universal Studios. He’s also designed restaurants and businesses all over the world. But even though he’s worked for a who’s who of household names, he’s said that Pinnacle House is one of his proudest achievements.
It’s easy to see why. This home is a masterpiece of modern residential design. Here, forward-thinking architecture coexists with aloha spirit, and the resulting residence is both serene and supremely stylish.
Take, for example, the entryway. As you pull up to this stunning home, a waterfall greets you, and that waterfall actually flows into the home. Beyond the stately, 9-foot tall mahogany door, you’ll find a home that is as comfortable as it is elegant around every corner.
There are captivating views of the surrounding hills from nearly every room in the home, but the residence itself has a way of stealing the show.
Spend a moment in that sleek, modern kitchen. With its custom cabinetry and crisp lines, it’s a dream come true for those who know that making a great meal is wonderful for the soul. And as it was designed for a professional chef, you can bet that it has the very best appliances money can buy.
The dining room features that ever-present skyline panorama, a custom chandelier with hundreds of Edison light bulbs, and a dining table that’s as much a work of art as a piece of furniture.
Down below, the wine cellar is a showpiece in itself. It’s a climate-controlled, glass-enclosed time capsule that will keep your favorite vintages in fine form while providing plenty of visual panache.
This home offers plenty of opportunities to entertain and to be entertained. There’s a home theater with a huge, Ultra-HD screen and seating for all of your favorite cinephiles. There’s also a billiard room and an outdoor kitchen equipped with imbedded walnut cutting boards, a pizza oven, and an oversized wok range.
But of all of this home’s many amenities, the outdoor infinity edge pool has to be the most captivating. With its forever views and glass-tiled fire pits, it’s the piece de resistance to this design tour de force.
At the end of the evening, you’ll retire to your 1,600 square foot master suite. It has a private parlor, an expansive dressing room worthy of a Hollywood starlet, and spa-quality master bath enclosed in expansive picture windows. In the bedroom itself, there’s a wall of sliding picture windows that open directly to the pool, so you can jump out of bed and into the swimming pool each morning before breakfast.
Listed by Raj Qsar & Christina Boladian, this is a California dream home in every sense of the word. Here, the world is at your feet, and nothing can intrude on your peace of mind or your ideal lifestyle. It’s everything a luxury home should be – a private escape, a trophy, and a work of art. And it can be yours for $10 million.
Listing information for: 22750 Hidden Hills Road, Yorba Linda CA, 92887
via inmanLA
This beautiful hillside estate in Yorba Linda is minutes from the esteemed Black Gold Golf Course, but with a stunning backyard and infinity pool, wine cellar and in-home theater, you might never want to leave.
The five-bedroom, seven-bathroom home is listed at $10 million by Raj Qsar and Christina Boladian with The Boutique Real Estate Group.
via David Glenn
Nothing quite defines the American dream like homeownership, and that’s true for homes of all shapes and sizes. For those of you who want to really invest in your abode, the luxury market might be for you. Luxury homes are currently defined as homes with a multi-million dollar price tag. Though that qualification does not always need to be met if the home is possessed of certain features such as location, amenities, etc. Luxury homes are always homes that are unique and original, and they include amenities such as a Home Theater, private elevators and car lifts, cutting edge technology and more.
What is especially important in the luxury market is the ability to adjust the home to a particular homeowner’s individual needs. There’s a big difference between what’s considered luxury in Los Angeles and in Houston,
and the market responds to that. Many luxury homes are focused on security, with gated entrances, motion detectors, and secure buildings to make homeowners feel safe and secure, as well as grant peace of mind. Aside from practicalities, there are a few standard features that most luxury home buyers look for.
Firstly, location. As with any real estate purchase, location is perhaps the most important consideration. Most luxury homes abide in gated communities or closed buildings, in what are considered elite neighborhoods. Luxury apartment buildings are equipped with incredible views, a full time staff, and concierge service. Luxury homes are equipped with private locations, stunning vistas, and plenty of room to grow.
Depending on where the home is located, outside can be just as important as inside, with decks and pools playing a big part of a luxury lifestyle. Californians are more likely to be drawn to a house with a pool, while New York residents and other city dwellers are more interested in a room with a view.
Quality is also key. Luxury homeowners want quality in everything, from the floors to the walls. Many choose exotic or imported woods and tiles to finish with, and that alone can bump up a price tag. In the kitchen especially, custom cabinetry is a must, and homeowners want the install to be perfect.
Another amenity that appeals to most luxury buyers is a Home Theater. These rooms often come equipped with a large screen, custom lighting and sound, a mini-kitchen or refrigerator, and often a popcorn maker, to lend that movie atmosphere to your home.
Homeowners are also beginning to embrace an entire wet room instead of a simple shower or bathtub. Many of these rooms have multiple shower heads, as well as a place for seating and luxurious flooring. They are considered one of the most popular luxury features, for the relaxation value alone.
Open floor plans are also a must, just like in the suburban real estate market. However, luxury homes often have extremely high ceilings of twenty feet or more, along with the use of counters or cabinetry to separate the living and eating areas. The floor plans are fully customized as well.
Wine cellars are also becoming a more usable space, with room for entertaining and serving guests directly in the cellar itself. This use of smaller space is creative and whimsical, and allows hosts and their guests to be more focused on the current conversation then perhaps they would be in the rest of the home.
There’s also a focus on technology in the home, especially in the kitchen, where smart appliances are quickly gaining popularity. Many homes can be fully synced to a mobile device, like your ipad, that you can use to control everything.
So what’s most important in a luxury home? Real estate always focuses on location first, but after that, most of the requirements are left to homeowner’s individual taste. With the luxury market expanding as it is today, there are no shortages of opportunities to fully customize a home and make it yours. It’s said that “A man’s home is his palace”, and the luxury market provides the chance to make that statement very true indeed.
When it comes to lead conversion, The Boutique Real Estate Group in Orange County has moved on from MLS to RealScout, a San Francisco-based software company that makes connecting with buyers as simple as a text message.
“I can do anything I want standing in line at Starbucks if it has to do with a real estate transaction,” said Raj Qsar, owner of The Boutique Real Estate Group. “Contracts, social media, technology.”
Qsar referred to the current MLS as archaic in its ways of communicating directly with clients. The process of logging in and checking messages only through the MLS portal became a tether, he says, prohibiting engagement. With RealScout, agents are notified immediately of interested parties.
How it benefits different offices depends on the location. For Los Angeles, and more specifically The Boutique Real Estate Group, the criteria chosen caters to the demographic. In learning what buyers are looking for, RealScout is able to build a profile and inform them of other homes that offer similar amenities.
Once buyers find what they are looking for, they are then able to narrow down the search through the criteria: high ceilings, floor plans, and other details unique to each buyer. This information is also passed along to the agent, helping them secure the relationship.
“The common use cases are when the agent invites the client to use RealScout,” Andrew Flachner, president, and co-founder of RealScout, said. Another entryway is through Zillow, which Qsar said has a direct impact on building a relationship.
Through API integration with Zillow, buyers can connect directly with agents. If during the search they click on a page featuring The Boutique Real Estate Group, users are automatically entered into the agency’s RealScout database and begin receiving notifications according to their search criteria.
Converting leads from online sources is not easy. It’s hard enough getting your face and name seen, much less turning someone’s query into a sale. Through the buyer notifications, which are property listings based on prioritized criteria, RealScout helps to bridge the trust between agent and client.
“They can count on the info from RealScout and your happy, smiling face is what they’ve seen all the time,” said Erica Boisvert, realtor and operations manager at Boutique. “You’ve already got that trust.”
Flachner, who used to be a real estate agent, said that RealScout was developed out of necessity. When he was showing houses, he says his clients wouldn’t demand something like an exact square footage number because they are not robots. Instead, they describe how a cul-de-sac would be a safe place or how a backyard for the kids would nice, which is the criteria that he wanted to implement in RealScout.
“I wanted software that emulated what a good real estate agent is and helps me, almost like a superpower,” Flachner said.
The criteria for each location is different. Flachner said he has come across a buyer searching for a beachfront property that was able to see the surf break, which is not a common criterion in Seattle. Instead, criteria there features options for vicinity to Microsoft’s bus station.
“The answer is, agents, helped us form these criteria,” he said. “We don’t normalize across the country.”
Offered by The Boutique Real Estate Group
Presented by Raj Qsar & Christina Boladian
Coming Soon to Yorba Linda. World Class Luxury Estate Home.
Designed by David Streshinsky of DKY Architects
For more information please call//text Raj Qsar at 714-412-5019 for all inquiries.
All square footages are estimated:
1st Floor Living: 6,238 sq ft
2nd Floor Living: 1,909 sq ft
Garage: 1,029 sq ft
Outdoor Bathroom: 173 sq ft
Total square footage = 9,349 sq ft
Lot Size = 132,794 square feet
Photos used with permission.
via PLACESTER
Years ago, real estate agents were the gatekeepers. If you as a consumer wanted to know what was on the market, you had to go through an agent. But those gates are gone. Real estate consumers now have access to all the property data they could ever want. Today, you need to give them something unique, something they can’t Google—and Raj Qsar has a few ideas about how to do it.
Raj is truly on the cutting edge of the real estate business. In 2015, Inman News named him one of the 33 People Who Are Changing The Real Estate Industry. As principal of The Boutique Real Estate Group in Orange County, California, Raj has led the charge to create content and experiences that provide value for real estate consumers far beyond the MLS.
“I wanted to do something that was different,” Raj explained. So, in 2009, Raj worked with a local filmmaker to produce an emotional short film about one of his listings. “Not only did we sell a price record on that home, we got like every listing for the next three years in that neighborhood.” Today, The Boutique Real Estate Group continues to produce high-quality videos that offer prospective buyers a beautiful, intimate look at their clients’ listings.
Whether it’s through video or some other avenue, Raj says, today’s agents need to focus on adding more value for their clients. “Give them something they don’t know,” Raj told us. “‘Hey, did you know that this neighborhood on the 4th of July actually shut down the streets? There’s a live band, a taco cart, and the local fire department comes up and does a parade with all the kids?’ [That’s] the stuff that…provides value to these people who wanna spend a couple million bucks on a home.”
Of course, it’s not just the agent’s responsibility to add value: brokers also need to step up and provide for their agents. “They need to create value within the brokerage to be able to push it to their agents, so the agents can push it to their clients, and give [them] the opportunity for success,” Raj explained. That value consists not just of modern tools and great design, but also intensive, one-on-one training in how to use these resources effectively.
“Most of the agents [we hire] are at these big brokerages with 500, 600, 800 agents,” Raj told us. “They feel like a fish. They feel like they have a number. They come here and they’re like, ‘I can’t believe how much one-on-one time I got. I can’t believe that you sat down for three hours and didn’t look at your phone one time.’”
In this interview, Raj explains how video can tell powerful stories around your listings and neighborhoods, and describes how today’s brokers should be investing in each of their agents.
Solution Leverages Data-Driven Insights, Collaborative Tools To Identify Best Homes for Each Client
Corona del Mar, California – May 5, 2016 – The Boutique Real Estate Group, Inc. (www.TheBoutiqueRE.com), a luxury residential real estate brokerage focused on brilliant design, beautiful marketing and luxury services, has extended its tech-forward business advantage with RealScout, a powerful solution that empowers brokers and agents to generate more offers in less time.
The Boutique Founder Raj Qsar said the addition of RealScout to the firm’s already extensive technology portfolio has empowered agents to generate more business and build stronger relationships through a variety of innovative features that foster collaboration and client engagement.
“RealScout takes the guesswork out of the real estate experience by providing critical, timely market intelligence that uncovers the best opportunities for each customer,” he said. “It offers uniquely targeted, data-driven insights and other tools that help our agents and clients work together in identifying the best homes based on lifestyle and feature preferences.”
Tech-enabled collaboration and marketing are at the core of The Boutique’s value proposition. Founded in 2013 and with agents serving Orange, Los Angeles and Riverside counties, the brokerage has mastered virtually every element of the luxury real estate buying and selling listing experience, with in-house creative design services, professional staging, architectural photography, cinematography and film production, world class social media, internet optimization, cloud-based transaction management, and global listing syndication. The firm was a finalist for the 2014 Inman News Innovator Award for “Most Innovative Real Estate Agent” and the 2015 Innovator Award for “Most Innovative Technology.” Furthermore, Qsar was named to the prestigious SP200 recognizing the “200 Most Powerful People in Residential Real Estate for 2016.”
RealScout is an agent and broker-branded web and mobile platform that has facilitated billions of dollars in residential real estate sales by empowering agents and their clients to find the right homes through the use of highly detailed information extending well beyond MLS data. In addition, unlike conventional, third-party Web portals – which often disengage consumers from their agents – RealScout facilitates collaborative search within a broker and agent-branded environment.
“We were introduced to RealScout through a group demonstration and our agents were so enthusiastic about its capabilities that we decided to jump onboard almost immediately,” Qsar said. “It allows you to have an ongoing conversation with your client through the platform, and it is exceptionally easy to use for all parties.”
“Many real estate technology companies have tried to replace the role of the real estate agent, but RealScout is built around the exact opposite philosophy,” said RealScout Founder and CEO Andrew Flachner. “Everything we do at RealScout is based on the belief that agents’ local neighborhood knowledge and residential real estate transaction expertise, augmented with the right technology, provide clients the best advantage when making the most important financial decision of their lives. Raj and his team immediately understood the value RealScout could bring to their organization, and it is rewarding to see The Boutique build upon its success through our solution’s innovative features which help their agents generate more offers in less time.”
About The Boutique Real Estate Group
The Boutique Real Estate Group (TheBoutiqueRE.com) is a boutique real estate brokerage founded in Orange County, California, that focuses on brilliant design, beautiful marketing and luxury services. The Boutique has created a culture that spurs collaboration, technology and social media with a unique marketing approach. This design and tech-forward approach has earned The Boutique Real Estate Group accolades and awards worldwide: 2016 SP 200 “Most Powerful People in Residential Real Estate,” 2015 Inman News Innovator Award Finalist nominee for “Most Innovative Real Estate Agent,” 2015 “Top 33 People Changing The Real Estate Industry,” 2014 “Next Generation Real Estate Brokerage,” 2013 and 2014 “Top 100 Most Influential Real Estate Leaders in the USA,” and 2014 “Real Estate Video of The Year.”
About RealScout
RealScout (realscout.com) is the brokerage and agent-branded home search platform that empowers agents and their clients to find the right home faster. RealScout supports the competitive needs of brokerages and agents by helping them work in concert with their clients throughout their property hunt. Home buyers receive exclusive personalized property matches based on their specific lifestyle and feature preferences. Agents have visibility into buyer activities to best meet evolving client preferences, boosting client loyalty and facilitating informed, data-driven decisions that generate more offers in less time.
Trying to be a better realtor, investor, and business woman is tough. To keep on top of your game, you know the value of learning from the best.