Indian Wells, California home at The Vintage Club
Chris Miller: Imagine Imagery
Valerie Neuman, founding partner and broker associate of Compass Greater Palm Springs area is one of the desert’s top producers with annual sales totaling over $100 million. Neuman knows how to showcase and market her ultra luxury listings. Over the busy Thanksgiving holiday weekend Neuman is hosting two twilight opens at some of the poshest country club communities in the desert.
On the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend, Neuman’s $5,850,000 listing at The Vintage Club in Indian Wells, is the setting for a twilight open. This recently renovated modern estate at 7,112 square feet is ready for it’s closeup. Neuman invited members of the Vintage Club and friends to attend. In addition to cocktails, wine and catered gourmet fare there is a piano player and music throughout the home. Neuman’s twilight opens are by invitation only. That’s how most luxury agents hold their twilight opens. Think of them like a cocktail party.
Set against a winter desert sunset, this home is ready for its close up. The artfully lit pool sets the stage for the home behind it to sparkle. “We do these twilight opens quite often at luxury properties that truly come alive in the evening. Clients and agents just love to attend,” Neuman explains.
To best view The Ritz-Carlton Residences Sunny Isles Beach Miami, with prices ranging from $2.6 million to $40 million the Chateau Group and Fortune International (the project’s development team) set sail at sunset with brokers and prospective buyers on a 55-foot yacht to view the building from the water. “We cater the event and usually invite 10-12 top producer brokers we’ve been working with to enjoy champagne and wonderful food. In the winter, we sail from 4pm to 7pm to see the building from the ocean side. The sunset truly showcases the building,” Isabella Holguin, director of sales for the The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Sunny Isles Beach explains.
San Francisco’s number one residential agent, Nina Hatvany explains her strategy behind twilight opens. “We do them often during the week after work so brokers and buyers can just stop by. Sundays can be a hard day for families to get to an open house,” Hatvany said. For a new listing, if the property has a great view, Hatvany will do a Friday evening launch with champagne and chocolates. “It’s a delicate balance when you serve food and drinks at listings because you don’t want to take a chance messing up a client’s home,” Hatvany adds.
High above Sunset Boulevard the view at twilight
The Agency
David Parnes and his business partner James Harris, directors at The Agency, based in Beverly Hills have many multi-million-dollar listings perfect for twilight opens. “We’ve done several where we do cocktails and canapes. It works best for mega view properties. As it’s getting dark the whole experience of the property changes.” Parnes and Harris invite anywhere from 80 to 200 VIPs. These include targeted buyers and brokers from their extensive database. “The transition to see the glitter of city lights can be magical,” observes Parnes who attributes several sales from these twilight soirees.
Heading to Cape Cod, Paul Grover, principal broker at Boston-based Robert Paul Properties has held many twilight opens for waterfront properties. “We did one several years ago for a $10 million property on the Cape with food, wine, a jazz trio and of course a great sunset. It sold as a result of that open.”
Twilight opens are another example of showcasing luxury properties to the right buyers and brokers.