Kendall

Celebrity homes are always a hot topic. The world was amazed when Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s purchased their mega mansion. And, remember when heiress, Petra Ecclestone paid $85 million in cash for Candy Spelling’s 57,000 square foot estate (which by the way was listed AND sold by our Luxury Portfolio International counterpart in Beverly Hills, Hilton & Hyland)? But around here, it’s even more exciting when a celebrity is selling a home, especially when it’s listed through one of our very own Ebby Halliday, REALTORS agents! If you caught the celebrity home segment on The TODAY Show this morning, you saw the impressive Oklahoma ranch of NFL great Terry Bradshaw, listed by Ebby Halliday’s Laura Brewer.

This Love County,OK ranch sits on more than 700 acres and was custom built with six bedrooms and six and two-half baths spread across over 8,000 square feet of living space.  The outside living area offers more than 1,000 square feet of space with a kitchen, firepit and bar. Truly a ranch, this estate also boasts a four-stall stallion barn, 20-stall show barn, 54-stall mare barn and a covered arena.

Also, featured in the segment is Rosie O’Donnell’s waterfront Miami mansion, listed by our fellow Luxury Portfolio International member, Esslinger-Wooten-Maxwell.

See below for the full clip from The TODAY Show. And, be sure to check out more information on the property, here on the Luxury Portfolio International site.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Kendall

Ebby Halliday agent, Cindy Solice, recently took on the challenge of representing engaged clients Lindsay and Dayne in the search for their first home together. This unique couple presented a common challenge as they struggled to find an aesthetic to fit both of their tastes. Lindsay is drawn to traditional homes while Dayne prefers a more contemporary style. Their conflicting styles created the perfect formula for s the HGTV show, “House Hunters”. So, the cameras followed Lindsay and Dayne around as  Cindy faced the challenge by showing the couple a variety of homes.

In the end, the couple settled on a transitional home, a ’70s ranch-style house  in North Dallas with formal living and dining areas to satifsy Lindsay, yet tall ceilings and an open feeling for Dayne’s taste. A job well done by Cindy, and we hope Lindsay and Dayne enjoy their new home!

Inspired to begin searching for a home of your own?  Start at The Best Address In Real Estate, Ebby.com.

Cody

Ebby.com, The Best Address In Real Estate, just added another award to its long list of accolades.  This time it’s the Website Quality Certification (WQC), presented by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World! 

Read the entire press release below.  And then, for fun, check out the great video at the end of this post which gives some history of LeadingRE, particularly Ebby Halliday’s role in its creation.  Needless to say, we’re very proud of this honor:

PRESS RELEASE:

Ebby Halliday, Realtors has earned the 2011 Website Quality Certification (WQC), presented by Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^® to member companies that have demonstrated excellence in website design, functionality and execution.

Every aspect of the site, ebby.com, was reviewed to ensure exacting standards were met in six key areas, ranging from design and content to human interactivity to search engine optimization.  The WQC was introduced in 2009 to recognize and encourage superior websites among Leading Real Estate Companies of the World’s 550 member firms.  

“With so many people going online to obtain information on homes, communities and everything relating to home buying and selling, it is vital for a real estate firm to have a current, easy-to-use and relevant website,” notes Pam O’Connor, president/CEO of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World^®.  “By earning the Website Quality Certification, Ebby Halliday, Realtors has demonstrated that it offers fundamental online resources to home buyers and sellers, which are further supported by the expertise only a dedicated real estate professional can provide.”     

For more information about Ebby Halliday, Realtors, please visit ebby.com.

Cody

Come Saturday night, it’ll start looking a lot more like Christmas in Downtown Dallas.  The annual City Lights event takes place this Saturday, November 19 with events starting at 5 pm. 

This year the family-friendly holiday extravaganza will feature an outdoor market with local artisans, face painting, ornament making and live music.  At 6:30 pm the holiday tree at Main Street Garden will be lit, then at 7 pm, moonwalk over to the flagship Neiman Marcus for the official store lighting, the unveiling of the 2011 holiday windows, and the opening of “Big Encounters of the Little Kind”.  It’s sure to be a great time!

For full details and information, click here.

CityLights 2011 from Downtown Dallas, Inc. on Vimeo.

Cody

For all you creative types out there, here’s a real doozy of an idea for decorating your home for Halloween – and step to it, you only have 1 week before the big night. 

Many of you may have seen this home, as it has become quite the YouTube sensation, but nevertheless, enjoy the video below.  You may just be inspired to create your own fabulous Halloween light display, or, at the very least, enjoy a few minutes of toe-tapping fun:

Cody

In the good ole’ days, all we wanted for Christmas were our two front teeth.  But this year, thanks to luxury retailing Mother Ship Neiman Marcus, you can take that simple wish a few steps further.  Ok, maybe a lot of steps.  

Yesterday at the Dallas Contemporary, the Dallas-based luxury retailing legend unveiled its 2011 Christmas Book.  And while every edition is filled with fabulous gifts galore, the highlight is always the infamous His & Hers gift.  From airplanes to hot air balloons to robots, this item is always the one thing that people talk about – and 2011 is no different. 

For those of you who have just about everything, have you ever considered His & Hers dancing fountains?  And not just any fountain, this over-the-top aquatic marvel is produced by WET, the same company responsible for the dancing fountains in front of the Bellagio in Las Vegas.  Can you imagine what your neighbors would say?  And because you’re dying to know, the cost is a cool $1 million. 

For those of you on a budget, the 2011 Christmas Book also offers an International Flower Show Tour arranged by JetWay Private Air ($420,000), a Hacker-Craft speedboat ($250,000), a Dream Folly Fantasy (described by a launch party attendee as “The Ultimate Girl Cave”) which is a custom Yurt inspired by the 1960s TV show I Dream of Jeannie installed at your estate ($75,000), a Tom Burr Table-Tennis table ($45,000), or a Johnnie Walker Private Scotch Tasting ($5,000). 

And car enthusiasts always know there’s a haute set of wheels included in each year’s Book – this time it’s the 2012 Ferrari FF, bespoke for Neiman Marcus of course.  And don’t worry, the $395,000 price tag also includes a set of luggage that matches the car’s soft-touch semi-aniline leather.  How else would you travel?

A notable change this year that we love - a charitable connection.  Eight of the nine 2011 Fantasy Gifts have a charity donation built into the price.

All that said, as of today, there are only 67 shopping days remaining until Christmas.  So have your Black Amex close by and check out the 2011 Neiman Marcus Christmas Book online at neimanmarcus.com.

Happy Shopping!

Cody

As we mentioned, last week’s 20th Annual WCR High Tea was themed “Hats Off to Ebby: The Foundation of Our Future” – and it was quite an event. 

And how fitting that a fashion show was included.  From her Audrey Hepburn looks in the early days, complete with hats and gloves, to her signature St. John suits today, Ebby has always been known for her style.  We love the headline from a 1958 Milwaukee Sentinel article (above), which dubbed Ebby as “Real Estate’s Glamour Girl”.  We couldn’t agree more. 

One of the highlights of the High Tea was the original video which included interviews with various real estate professionals discussing an array of topics – from the fact that fashion is what brought Ebby to Dallas in 1938, to her enduring style through the years. 

So below, by popular demand, is the video.  Keep in mind that this version does not include the interspersed runway models who walked between segments.  For example, after the piece about the early days when women weren’t allowed to wear pants, models appeared wearing skirts and dresses while ZZ Top’s “Legs” played.  And when the models appeared wearing looks inspired by Ebby, they walked to a very appropriate “Pretty Woman”.  Enjoy:

Cody

With low interest rates, an abundant inventory of homes for sale, and great prices, more and more North Texans are buying homes – as rental properties. 

NBC DFW recently aired a story on this topic, which featured an interview with Claire Krieger, an Ebby Associate from the Ebby’s Little White House office.  She told reporter Julie Tam that homes for lease are not staying on the market long, often leasing within weeks or even days.  She also pointed out that the hottest areas for sales and leases right now are the Park Cities, Oak Lawn and North Dallas.

And according to NTREIS, the inventory of homes for lease is up 6% and the average rent is up 4% at $1,507 per month. 

You can see the full video from NBC DFW below:

View more videos at: http://nbcdfw.com.

Cody

A Dallas/Fort Worth summer can be sizzling, and this year is no exception.  Which is why so many DFW residents seek a respite from the high temperatures at a second home in a relaxing setting.  So whether you’re actively searching for that perfect second home paradise, or just dreaming and looking for a few minutes of escape, enjoy this latest option in our second homes series:

Enter into the gated community “Sands of Kaalawai” in Honolulu to experience serenity, privacy and a stunningly beautiful sandy beach that extends around world-famous Diamond Head National Park on the island of Oahu.  Choose your own special version of tropical island living - swimming, surfing, wind-surfing, diving, kayaking, beachcombing, whale watching and more are all just steps away. 

Enjoy the panoramic ocean vistas from this contemporary designed multi-level home, one of four residences nestled among lush manicured landscaping with a lawn area leading to a private beach access gate.  Features include your own private pool, 12 foot ceilings in the main living area, four bedrooms, and a rooftop observation deck capturing sweeping ocean, coastline, mountain and sunset views.  Transform this property with some TLC into your dream vacation home in paradise.

Conveniently located just minutes to Waikiki’s famous beaches and nightlife scenes and a short drive to Kahala Mall shopping and cinemas.

This home is offered through Luxury Portfolio International, the luxury division of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, a 48-year-old global network responsible for more transactions than any other real estate network.  This powerful organization is comprised of the firms that dominate luxury markets across the globe and know their business and their markets better than anyone else.

The Ebby Halliday Companies, comprised of Ebby Halliday, Realtors, Dave Perry-Miller & Associates and Ellen Terry, Realtors, is the exclusive Dallas member of Luxury Portfolio International. 

To learn more about this property, listed by Luxury Portfolio International member, Choi International, visit luxury portfolio.com.

Cody

The city of Dallas will have a press conference at 10:30am Thursday morning (meaning any minute now) to unveil the city’s new “Happy Trails” campaign. Mayor Dwaine Caraway and others will present the new campaign which is designed to make the city’s trails safer.

The HappyTrailsDallas.com web site clearly explains the purpose of the campaign:

“The City of Dallas has over 100 miles of the most beautiful and diverse urban hike and bike trails in the country. Follow trail etiquette, be courteous and have fun.”  

To promote this idea, the city shot a promotional video with local celebrities and our own Ebby Halliday makes an appearance! Other notables include the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders, Mark Cuban and Troy Dungan. Be sure to check out all the promotional videos and the new site! And remember to be safe on our city’s beautiful hike and bike trails!

Happy Trails Celebrity :60 from Jake Ferguson on Vimeo.