Who are these young and ultra-affluent buyers of homes in Rancho Santa Fe, Palm Beach, La Jolla, Aspen and Manhattan?

Robert Frank, in his best-seller Richistan, calls them instapreneurs (didn’t he coin the term?).

These are the new titans in technologies, who have benefited from a rise in financial speculation and governments that support free trade and wealth.

Instapreneurs are not plodders when it comes to accumulating wealth. They don’t develop companies to last for family generation; rather, they may launch several companies over their career life spans. And the goal for each venture is a lucrative “exit strategy” that will create the fattest windfall possible.

What are these luxury buyers seeking when searching for their trophy home?

1. They are specific in their demands as to age of property, views, room volume, luxury closets, privacy, and entertaining areas.

2. Instapreneurs often wish to be near prestigious country clubs, where they can golf, play tennis and entertain business elite.

3. In San Diego, many of these nouveau uber-wealthy demand ocean frontage, ocean noise–and silent streets. Or the highest penthouse in downtown San Diego. The want what is rare, what is singular.

4. Instapreneurs often have children, and are concerned about the quality of nearby and private schools. How the home works for the kids can be of keen importance. Instaprenerual parents want safety, space and room for kiddie galas.

5. These luxury home buyers often have special room requests, such as a library, multiple offices, servant quarters, guest houses, snoring rooms, home gyms, massage rooms, a conservatory or even a panic room.

6. These busy people often demand to be not far from a major airport because of frequent travel demands and the desire to minimize time spent away from families.

We enjoy working with these interesting folk, not just because we enjoy finding perfect property fits, but also because of the stories we get to hear. Some have been scientists, some movers and shakers in technology, and some who just had the courage to pour everything they had into an idea whose time had come.

They all inspire and the world is a better place because of these producers.

The post Nouveau Luxury Home Buyers: Instapreneurs appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.

In our coastal San Diego luxury real estate market, buyers are almost manic about their closets–and especially the ones in the master suite.

Luxury home buyers are most pleased when there are separate closets for each–or if single, closets for the seasons. The compleat closet in the luxury home will be spacious, well lighted and masterfully organized. It is a room where we prepare ourselves to meet the world–or simply the day. The closet holds our clothing, our personal treasures, our shopping triumphs. It’s status in homes has been elevated to be far more than functional storage. People now want to spend real time in their master bedroom closets.

And what are some features they would like to see?

• A staggered hanging carousel for shirts, skirts and jackets.
• A swing rod that comes down and elimates strain from reaching up for hangers–especially in closets with the more prevalent high ceilings.
• Banks of bureau drawers that are fully extendable, and which have super-quiet concealed glides that prevent snaggy contact.
• All shelves are smooth, snag-proof and have vertical dividers that can be adjusted for height.
• A built-in floor or wall safe for valuables.
• A few locking drawers.
• Floor to ceiling mirrors. Natural lighting is often achieved with protected skylights.
• Large spaces for organized shoe storage.
• A dressing bench.
• It is also a plus when laundry facilities are nearby.

Other bonuses and accessories in the luxury home master closet would be rotating show carousels, scarf and tie cellarets, lingerie caches, jewelry inserts, tasteful garment bags, decorative storage boxes, and wicker storage baskets with washable cotton liners.

If your closets come nowhere near this description (and my own do not), the best and first thing you can do (whether you plan to sell or not) is to clear it out and keep only those things that you love–and those which love you by hanging so well on your body. Look at your emptied closet and determine if it needs paint, new rods, shelves, scented shelf paper, or new lighting. Is there room for a mirror? A dressing bench? Might it be organized differently? Is there room to move in a small chest?

(If you follow Feng Shui guidance, this might also be the time to introduce needed elements to the room.)

This closet re-do is one that will yield great benefits to you, whether you intend to sell your home or not. There is nothing that beats the sense of peace and control that comes from having a beautifully organized personal closet that is used day in and day out. And if you are selling your home, it is a feature potential home buyers will appreciate.

The bedroom closet may be a small thing, but is one of the most frequently used spaces in the home.

The post The Luxurious Closet appeared first on Luxury Home Digest.