Luxury Home Magazine of Seattle showcased a Brazen Sotheby’s International Realty estate yesterday. This unbelievable one-of-a-kind design features details such as hand carved Romanian crafted cabinets and 500 year-old temple doors.  One of the most spectacular homes currently on the market, this estate was finished in 2008 with nearly 11,000 square feet and 84+ of pristine waterfront with jaw dropping views.

Take a virtual tour of this property and others at www.brazenproperties.com

See the original article posted on Luxury Home Magazine’s online blog.

According to members of the Northwest Multiple Listing Service there were some nice surprises in November’s housing market including an upswing in relocation sales, and a year-t0-date volume of closed sales that’s outpacing 2009.

It was noted there was an increase in move-up buyers for mid-range home prices in both the Eastside and Seattle real estate markets.  In King County prices rose from $337k to $340k, and other counties including San Juan, Skagit and Whatcom also reported year-over-year price gains.

NWMLS Director OB Jacobi remarked that the gain in transactions written up for November were surprising since it’s usually a slower sales month during the year. Other factors Jacobi noted were increased activity at open houses and new buyers motivated to be in their houses before the holidays.  Also very encouraging was an upswing in relocation sales, indicating a positive shift in the employment sector as employers want new hires in place for the first of the year.

With inventory priced from $15k for a manufactured home in Shelton to a $28.8 million dollar luxury home on Mercer Island, there are plenty of properties to choose from, and with the interest rates still low buyers continue to move forward with real estate purchases.

Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC today announced the launch of SIR Mobile, a free Sotheby’s International Realty® mobile application that works on standard cell phones and smart phones across all mobile carriers, allowing consumers to view luxury homes for sale in a given market. The app is available via all carriers on standard cell phones and smart phones including BlackBerry, iPhone, Android and the Palm webOS.

The app uses GPS, when available, to locate the user and display luxury home listings in the immediate geographic area. Users also can search by a U.S. address, city or zip code to see property details including price, square footage, estimated mortgage, taxes, features, maps and pictures for all homes for sale in a specified area. Within the next few weeks, SIR Mobile users will be able to search for all homes represented by the brand’s network outside the United States as well.

“With the launch of this app, consumers will have instant access right at their fingertips to detailed information on the fine properties represented by our global network and within the local market, providing our affiliates a powerful tool in each of their areas,” said Wendy Purvey, chief marketing officer, Sotheby’s International Realty Affiliates LLC. Interesting features include a Refine Search capability that allows users to narrow their search by selecting a price range, property type and number of bedrooms and bathrooms. If a user has questions or wants a tour of the property, the Call feature connects them to a Sotheby’s International Realty representative.

To download the app, consumers can text SIR to 87778, or click on the SIR Mobile app link found at SIR Mobile app download page to send a text message to their phone with a link to download the app. Those using their smart phone can download the free app directly from the Apple, Blackberry, Android and Palm stores.

The app was created by Smarter Agent, the leading mobile real estate provider in the United States, to create innovative ways for buyers to search for homes and interact with their agents. The Sotheby’s International Realty® network currently has more than 11,000 sales associates located in approximately 500 offices in 42 countries and territories worldwide.

We are pleased to announce that Bay Harbor Properties in Bay Harbor, Mich., is the newest member of our network.

The firm is owned by David V. Johnson and now will do business as Harbor Sotheby’s International Realty. Please join us in welcoming Harbor Sotheby’s International Realty to our network!

Download the Press Release for more information.

We are pleased to announce that Briggs Freeman Real Estate in Dallas and Turkey Sotheby’s International Realty in Istanbul are our newest members.

Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty is owned by Robbie Briggs, and Turkey Sotheby’s International Realty is owned by Emin Hitay.

Please join us in celebrating these new members in our network. Our expanding reach depends on these new members, and ultimately helps us connect buyers and sellers for our luxury real estate.

Did you Know?

Wikipedia says…

• Bellevue is a rapidly growing city in the Eastside region of King County, Washington, United States, across Lake Washington from Seattle
• Long known as a suburb or satellite city of Seattle, it is now categorized as an edge city or a boomburb
• The population was 109,569 at the 2000 census, but by 2009 had grown to an estimated 126,626
• Bellevue is currently the second largest city center in Washington state with over 35,000 employees and 5,000 residents
• Based on per capita income, Bellevue is the 6th wealthiest of 522 communities in the state of Washington
• In 2008, Bellevue was named number 1 in CNNMoney’s list of the best places to live and launch a business. More recently, Bellevue was ranked as the 4th best place to live in America

Growth possibility coupled with incredible scenery and diversity makes Bellevue extremely attractive place to live.

The diversity and beauty in Bellevue is reflected in it’s properties: single-family homes, condos, and townhouses abound as well as waterfront and luxury real estate.  Unique, one of a kind, and beautiful — nestled into the unbelievable landscape and looking out at some of the most coveted scenery in the world — if that sounds like your dream then take a look at Brazen Sotheby’s International Realty exclusive offerings.  How can you go wrong with a city whose name means “beautiful view” in French?

We’re happy to welcome Lenihan Sotheby’s International Realty in Louisville, Ky., as the newest member of our network.

The firm, owned by John S. Lenihan, will serve the Louisville real estate market.  Attached is a press release for more information…  please join us in welcoming Lenihan Sotheby’s International Realty to our network!

We are pleased to announce that Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty in San Diego is the newest member of our network.

The firm, owned by Brian Arrington, serves San Diego County.

Full press release is attached with more information, join us in welcoming Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty to our network!