The guest list was short by design. For two days in late September, top Luxury Property Specialists within the Coldwell Banker network from 24 markets gathered in Chicago's Fulton Market District to compare notes on what's working in luxury real estate right now.
Dubbed “Luxury on Location,” the invitation-only networking and collaborative event hosted by the Coldwell Banker Global Luxury program unfolded at The Dalcy, an 1887 landmark event hall, and the evening carried on steps away at Adalina Prime. The insights traded in rooms like these tend to get passed down to the clients who work with these elite advisors, often showing up as sharper pricing advice, more sophisticated marketing strategies, and a trusted introduction when you need an agent in another city.
What Luxury Clients Are Navigating Right Now
In a market that moves this quickly, the approach that sold a home last year may not be the one that sells it today. So during the panels and small-group roundtables at The Dalcy, Luxury Property Specialists were able to compare what they're doing now that they weren't doing 12 months ago. They also opened up about the challenges luxury clients are navigating right now, and how they're guiding clients through them, whether it’s rethinking a listing launch or addressing a seller's doubts head-on. Those themes echoed the day's leadership panel with Robert Reffkin, Chairman and CEO of Compass International Holdings, and Kamini Lane, President and CEO of Coldwell Banker Realty:
To list now or wait? Many sellers are tempted to hold off for spring, warmer weather or lower rates. Reffkin's take: start privately. A private exclusive lets sellers test pricing and gather feedback now, without committing to a public listing.
Protecting a home's value. Time on the market and public price reductions can weigh on a home's final sale price. As Reffkin put it, "Days on market is the killer of value, and price history is a killer of value."
A single point of contact. For today's affluent clients, who are used to outsourcing nearly everything, Lane said the right agent becomes the expert they rely on for every real estate need, with a network of designers, advisors and agents in other markets ready when they need them.
A Network That Travels With You
Later that evening, conversations moved up Green Street to Adalina Prime. Inside the restaurant's 10,500-square-foot indoor-outdoor space, agents from 24 markets continued the conversation over dinner and cocktails beneath twinkle-lit olive trees, with the Chicago skyline glowing beyond the glass. The next morning, an architecture tour of several of Chicago's finest homes gave visiting agents a firsthand look at a market they may one day introduce their clients to. For buyers and sellers, that's the value of a connected network: an agent who knows the market, and the people in it, wherever your next move takes you.
What Agents Bring Home to Their Clients
Brandon Newman, Vice President of Marketing for the Coldwell Banker brand, closed the day with an appeal to lean on the brand. “If there are two things I know to be true about luxury, it's access and consistency."
He traced the idea for Luxury on Location to his years at Aston Martin, bringing people together for intimate moments to learn from each other, establish community and build out their networks. “When you work with one of our Luxury Property Specialists, you're getting an agent backed by research we invest in heavily, tailored to your local market, and connected to a community of top luxury agents around the world. The buyer for an exceptional home today could be in any major market, here or abroad. Because our agents know and trust one another, your home is in front of buyers from everywhere, not just here."
Luxury on Location heads to a new city in 2027 with a guest list just as select and the topics even more attuned to the needs of today’s luxury clients.
