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 November 19, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

Let’s face it: Food and wine are sexy.

Today, chefs are the rock stars of their generations. Here in North Texas, pros such as Tiffany Derry, Tim Love and Junior Borges — and icons Stephan Pyles, Kent Rathbun [...]

For a few years now, Californians have flocked to Texas for a variety of reasons. The two biggest ones? Major corporations continue to relocate to the Lone Star State — and North Texas, in particular — and the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the way (and where) people can remotely work. Many former California residents now know that moving to Texas can offer an equal or better lifestyle. The expert agents and relocation specialists of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty [...]

Many — if not most — top real estate agents have their listings staged. This is no coincidence, as staging a home can make a big difference when it comes to selling it. How big? Read on.

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 November 12, 2021.

FROM MY PERSPECTIVE

Our agents and our brokerage are keenly focused on helping people who need a shelter or a home.

In my mind, that’s because we’re all lucky to have one.

Though they give of their time and money all year long, our agents go into overdrive at the holidays — helping charities that help so many who need food, shelter, clothing or care. (Or, all of [...]

A vacation home by a lake is the perfect opportunity to escape the everyday grind. While rustic lakeside houses have their own allure — and are wildly popular with North Texans — some love a more modern lake house that adds a bit of luxe to their lives. Whether you’re already the proud owner of a lakeside house or one is on your radar, we’re sharing decor and design ideas that can take a lake house to the next [...]

At this point, it’s no secret: The Texas real estate market continues to defy expectations, with a boom brought on before the pandemic — and certainly accelerated by it — that doesn’t show signs of slowing. The seller’s market that skyrocketed in the summer of 2020 has led to homes being listed for extremely short periods of time, often hours, before an offer rolls in. In many circumstances, buyers are submitting contracts for well over asking prices, [...]