What does a real estate agent do? They assist with buying and selling homes, but click to learn about their many hats.

Each Friday, Robbie Briggs, CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of January 14, 2022.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

And we thought 2020 was a wild year.

The 365 days that came next were as unusual, challenging and exhilarating — if not more so.

Our nearly 400 agents knocked it out of the park — again — in a market that stayed red-hot through all of 2021. In the end, we surpassed our projections and ended the year with $3 billion in sales to the best clients in the [...]

After the whirlwind of the holidays, does your home look like a disaster zone? With decorations scattered about, new gifts without a home yet and things disheveled from parties and gatherings, you may feel like everything is a little out of control.

Good news: The quieter time after the holiday season is the ideal opportunity to get everything in order. From weeding out forgotten items in your closets to editing down the contents of your refrigerator, use this time to set everything [...]

If you buy a home in 2022, you have a way to potentially lower your property’s taxable value and save thousands on your property taxes. It’s called a homestead exemption, and it removes part of your home’s value from taxation.

A new law effective January 1, 2022, provides property-tax relief by allowing homebuyers to file for homestead exemptions in the year when they purchase the property, provided it is their primary residence. Previously, new homeowners had to wait until the [...]

This is it. Moving day is finally here, and everything is stowed in the moving trucks and ready to go. Suddenly, it hits you: You’re really heading to the one and only Lone Star State. It’s beyond exciting — and maybe a little intimidating. (Maybe you’ve been in packing mode for so long that you haven’t thought about this part of the process, yet.)

Your journey is unfolding, and it goes beyond just the voyage to your new home. You’re starting fresh, which means lots of [...]

A home bar is a dream feature for many — and with good reason. Whether you have a built-in bar or a bar cart on wheels, such a dedicated place for your top-shelf liquor and beautiful glassware immediately elevates your home, making it feel like a luxury hotel. If you’re looking for ways to make your home bar more elegant — or staging your home for sale, to give it the utmost appeal — keep reading for nine expert suggestions that will add some dash to your drinks [...]