Posted by Peter Brady on Tue 3rd October 2006 at 06:00 AM, Filed in Rich And Famous
Forbes does a great job of compiling these lists of the great and the good and this one is no different listing the top ten most wealthy on the planet.
1. William Gates
2. Warren Buffett
3. Carlos Slim Helú
4. Ingvar Kamprad
5. Lakshmi Mittal
6. Paul Allen
7. Bernard Arnault
8. Prince Alwaleed
9. Kenneth Thomson
10. Li Ka-shing
Posted by Peter Brady on Wed 20th September 2006 at 07:00 AM, Filed in Rich And Famous
I think the answer to this is a resounding yes and there are murmurings that reference to local celebrities is a well worn tactic used by brokers and agents to elevate prices and increase local desirability. But how much can the celebrity effect elevate real estate values. It’s a tricky variable to measure but as a qualified chartered surveyor with over a decade of property experience behind me I would make an educated guess of around 10% to 20%. Quite a sizeable chunk of value.
Is this because agents and brokers are making greater capital out of celebrity? I would say so. Read this excellent extract from CountryLife.co.uk by Carla Passino:
“Leaning towards me, the estate agent lowered his voice to a confidential murmur.
‘Hugh and Jemima live nearby, you know,’ he said. Huh? I had asked whether the area was safe—being often on my own, I am obsessed by safety. What did I care if two of his friends lived close by? Taking me for dim-witted, he slowly repeated: ‘H-u-g-h and J-e-m-i-m-a. Round the corner,’ with a self-satisfied grin.
Faced once more with blank incomprehension, he valiantly tried again: ‘Hugh Grant?’
Aha! It finally dawned on me. This specimen belonged to the increasingly common estate agent species that sells a property on the back of names. Once, they used to quote the distance to the nearest tube station. Now, it’s the distance to the nearest celebrity (rigorously called by first name, to imply some kind of acquaintance).”
Read more...
Posted by Peter Brady on Wed 13th September 2006 at 07:00 AM, Filed in Rich And Famous
In the world of the rich and famous, money is no object.
In the case of Jay-Z (the current love interest of Beyonce) her 25th birthday present had to be something fairly extraordinary. Oh boy is it special - Jay decided to purchase a 1959 Rolls Royce convertible for his beloved - value is thought to be in the region of $1 million. I have to say the guy has style!
This is one heck of a land mark car, I just hope she doesn’t prang it!
(Via Luxist)
There seems to be a resurgent hullaballoo going on at the moment about “Tiret New York Second Chance” time pieces. Personally I find them a very sickly form of bling, but they are considered a luxury item by some, hence them being featured here.
Tiret’s co-founder Hip Hop Producer Damon Dash is behind these unique watches and they seem to be flying off the shelves.
Retailing for a staggering £24,000 (some customised watches have retailed for as much as $1 million) the Second Chance Chronograph which has been designed by Daniel Lazar is largely a piece of overt “look at me” work. Nothing wrong in that and for those bling fanatics out there good luck to you with this one - but for me personally, it really doesn’t cut it in terms of style. Yes, each timepiece includes 519 Belgian Exire diamonds (that’s five times the Tag Heuer Diamond Fiction) but sometimes less is more!
Interesting post over on Optimal Strategy which claims that there is evidence to suggest an upsurge in luxury airtravel.
“Increased fears over terror acts on commercial airliners has led to a major increase in luxury airtravel. Eos, which flies Boeing 757 jumbo jets that seat just 48 passengers, has reported an increase in reservations by over 30 percent over the next three weeks. The jump has been largely attributed to frustration and fears caused by the recently foiled terrorism plot. The airline currently flies only from London to JFK, but plans on adding fourteen more routes by 2010.”
The big question is whether this is a long term shift and whether this will result in a more luxury centric airlines popping up. I suppose you might also have to ask the question whether you would actually be anymore protected from terrorism by using a luxury carrier. I have my doubts. What do you think?
