Local Bellevue-based real estate brokers, John Kritsonis and Rick Franz of Windermere Real Estate/East, Inc., joined an accomplished group of real estate professionals from around the world at the Luxury Portfolio SUMMIT on February 20-22 at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach. The event was invitation-only and open exclusively to sales associates who specialize in the luxury market and whose firms are affiliated with Luxury Portfolio International, the luxury face of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World.
Participants engaged in a collaborative program focused on home and lifestyle trends and how to best meet the needs of affluent homebuyers and sellers by cultivating a keen understanding of the most contemporary and sought-after trends in the eyes of today’s homebuyers. Insights on marketing were explored, taking inspiration from captivating luxury brands. Global real estate customs and practices were also a focus, with an emphasis on how Luxury Portfolio connects the best brokerages across borders.
An impressive lineup of keynote speakers included David Gregory, renowned television journalist and former moderator of NBC’s Meet the Press. Also featured were David Bromstad, guest mentor and host of HGTV’s new series Beach Flip; Mickey Khan, editor in chief of the world’s leading luxury business publication, Luxury Daily; and behavioral scientist and author James Kane, known for his research on what makes someone truly loyal.
“When referring our clients to another area, it’s vital that the agent we refer is someone we can trust and reflects our values. The Luxury Portfolio Summit creates an opportunity to make those connections,” said John Kritsonis, Residential and Waterfront Specialist with Windermere Real Estate. Kritsonis, fondly known as “Kritter” by longtime friends and former baseball teammates, still hold the world record for the fastest rendition of the Greek alphabet. He set the record in early 1982, during Hell Week at Delta Chi Fraternity at the University of Washington.
“Every day of the luxury conference provided an opportunity to meet likeminded agents from around the world and hear insights from industry leaders on our high end consumers. A truly remarkable group of agents; I made lots of new friends, connections and have received a few referrals as a result,” said Rick Franz, a Managing Broker and Premier Executive Director with Windermere Real Estate.
“We were thrilled to host such an impressive group of real estate professionals for this year’s SUMMIT,” said Stephanie Pfeffer Anton, executive vice president of Luxury Portfolio. “This group represents the best in the business – those who truly understand the wants and needs of today’s affluent buyers and sellers. We were thankful for the opportunity to bring them together to share their knowledge with one another while we unveiled our latest research and newest tools created to empower them to best serve the high-net-worth consumer today.”
Affiliates of Luxury Portfolio market high-end homes to affluent consumers worldwide through the network’s strategic marketing program, including the award-winning website LuxuryPortfolio.com, which markets over 50,000 luxury homes to over three million high-net-worth visitors annually and features a total inventory of available properties exceeding $48 billion.
About Windermere Real Estate
Windermere Real Estate is ranked the largest regional real estate company in the Western U.S. with over 300 offices and 7,000 agents serving communities in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Mexico. Last year, Windermere closed over 86,000 home sales for more than $31.7 billion in dollar volume. The Windermere family has a proud heritage of serving our neighbors via the Windermere Foundation which funds services for low-income and homeless families. Since 1989, the Windermere Foundation has contributed more than 30 million dollars towards improving lives in the communities where we live and work. For more information, visit www.windermere.com.
