Watch their conversation below.

The topics included Carswell’s illustrious career from Dallas to Manhattan to now southern California, and his ascendancy in luxury real estate.

Photo Credit: Anthony Barcelo

Ernie Carswell is one of the most accomplished and respected real estate agents in the industry today. His extensive roster of satisfied clientele includes the likes of Fortune 500 CEOs, professional entertainers, top studio executives, leading attorneys, government officials, ambassadors, and foreign dignitaries. Beginning his real estate career in the exclusive Highland Park neighborhood of Dallas, he claims, “Texas was a different Republic back in the 80s when I started there.” He continues, “I transferred to New York City and became a Manhattan broker having fantastic times there. I came to southern California in 1991 and have been working here ever since, not leaving, and not going anywhere else.”

Photo Credit: Anthony Barcelo

Here are some of the questions and answers from the exclusive interview with Carswell.

Seth Semilof: When you first got into the business, what made you become a realtor?

Ernie Carswell: I was studying in my college career to be a psychiatrist. While I was in pre-MED, I was in the therapist training program for the state mental hospital of South Carolina. Do you think that was a great prelude to getting into real estate? It was because I learned a lot about human behavior that completely shaped my ideas about what I do now as a real estate agent.

SS: How scary was it going from working a steady paying job to becoming a real estate agent?

EC: There is no paycheck until you sell something and I like that. These technology companies are trying to change our industry and trying to make it a salary position. What about people like me that want to dream of an unlimited ceiling of income and unlimited potential. There is no limit to what I can do with my career, where I can go, and what I can sell. The beauty of what we get to do as real estate agents today, as long as it can last, is we have unlimited potential to sell as much as we can.

SS: What are some attributes that have made you successful for such a long time?

EC: One of the ways that propelled me here was I had mentors. Every agent that gets into this business should have their eyes on someone that they think is doing it right. What I would say the other thing is that I failed. Any agent listening should know that you are going to fail. If that bums you out and you cannot get out of bed the next day, this is the wrong business for you. Tomorrow is another day to meet with optimism and possibility.

SS: Back when you started 35 years ago, if you did not cold call, and if you could not knock on the door, it is was not like you had email. How did you build your business?

EC: Face to face. One at a time. I am pretty good at relationship building. The problem with real estate agents in these very sensitive deal making situations is they are only listening to the words that are being said, but they are not reading all. What you do is everything, so I judge people on their actions. Communication is really about 20% verbal and 80% body language.

SS: What advice do you have for somebody in the business for less than five years and not having the success that they envision or dreamed about?

EC: I do live the dream.  It was a lot of challenge and a lot of hard work, but I take every moment of it as a privilege. The people that work around me are just as grateful. Those TV shows and people running around like it is all just dripping on us is not true. People have worked hard and those agents on those TV shows have worked hard to get to where they are, but the shows themselves are just entertainment. This is a beautiful career I am still encouraging people to consider it and get into it while it remains what it is: the opportunity for unlimited success and potential.

SS: California real estate, specifically your area, has never been harder, so who is buying the properties?

EC: It is a true pipeline of business coming from around the world. We are also seeing real estate volume from locals. People are just moving around. They are not trying to leave the state or the city environments. They are just trying to get out from the density.

For more information, please contact Ernie Carswell at 310-345-7500 or ernie@carswellandassociates.com

Ernie Carswell is the exclusive agent representing the West Hollywood, California luxury real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of his listings here.

The post Chat With Haute Residence Leaders, Episode 3: Ernie Carswell appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Ernie Carswell presents

The finest lifestyle resides here on Hancock Parks most coveted address street in the form of a grand Traditional Tudor that has beautifully morphed into Contemporary expression. Presiding over a private domain offering gated Driveway w/Porte Cochere and rear Motorcourt, Guest House, tiled Pool, fenced lawn & gardens, Canopy Refuge & expansive entertaining Terrace -the residence offers ultimate living in discreet secured privacy. Double height Owners Suite offers sitting Lounge and perhaps the Citys most beautiful double bath Suite w separate wardrobe rooms. Public spaces include the handsome Library/Office, Bar Lounge, Game Room, Wine Cellar clubroom & huge projection Cinema that echoes the Arclight experience. The drama of the upper hall suspended chandelier from the sky proves unforgettable and must be seen. 6 bedrooms suites, 2 Laundry service rms, outdoor Kitchen w/Pizza Oven complete a perfect scene for enviable comfort.

Address: 516 S Hudson Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90020

Price: $9,998,000

Photo credit: Noel Kleinman

For more information, please contact Ernie Carswell at 310-345-7500 or ernie@carswellandassociates.com.

Ernie Carswell is the exclusive real estate company representing the Sunset Strip/West Hollywood real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of his listings here.

The post Ernie Carswell Presents A Hancock Park Traditional Tudor appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Ernie Carswell presents

Traditional residence on enormous double ocean-view lot inside secure guard gated Ridgeview Country Estates delivers splendid volume and handcrafted design. Spacious open flow leads to unforgettable 2-story circular Library that presents multifunctional use and opens to the outdoor Pool & grounds. Outdoor covered Dining Pavilion, centered upon large fireplace, views ocean, sunsets and rolling hills. Walnut hardwood flooring stretches from main rooms toward specialty Kitchen that also overlooks ocean views and a covered casual dining veranda. Upstairs, an extra wide hallway proceeds to multiple spacious bedroom suites. Primary Suite offers numerous rooms for dressing, office, luxury bath plus delivers a beautiful oval bedroom overlooking dramatic ocean & vineyard views. Huge football field yard invites sports but also entertaining events on grand scale. Generous motor-court circular drive entry provides ample park space for guests in addition to 3 car direct entry Garage.

Address: 16258 Shadow Mountain Dr, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272

Price: $13,850,000

Photo credit: Noel Kleinman

For more information, please contact Ernie Carswell at 310-345-7500 or ernie@carswellandassociates.com.

Ernie Carswell is the exclusive real estate company representing the Sunset Strip/West Hollywood real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of his listings here.

The post Ernie Carswell Presents A Ridgeview Country Estates Residence In Pacific Palisades appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

They were hosted by Haute Living's Erik Haase. Watch the full webinar below.

Highlight quotes from the webinar:

John-Mark Mitchell: "Here, the prices just keep going up and up and up and it's been amazing. We are breaking a lot of records, seeing an influx coming from California, Chicago, Florida, New York, and a lot of them are buying second or third homes. They want to have a place to go that they really enjoy, that has a little bit of everything and four seasons, so we have been very blessed... You can get from Winston-Salem within hours to really beautiful beaches beautiful mountains. It is extraordinary... Part of my job is that we want to know what tomorrow is and the day after that, and the month after that, and the year after that. Everything that I can predict, based on every search, it is going to be amazing for this year and continue to be that in the real estate world. Because we've had some listings where we've had literally 35 offers on on a particular house, I encourage my buyers not to be in so much of a win game that they lose sight of where they could be two years or three years. I do think that we are setting, in some aspects, a cautious tale of where we enjoyed it so well, and we encourage people to buy at such a point, not because we were saying it but [rather] the market, that it actually hit us in reverse and that people are much higher in debt of what they can sell it for. I don't know that can happen, and that is a slight caution that I feel that we have to address."

Ernie Carswell: "When we last talked, we were all quite frightened and thought we were just going to shut down, and that was it. Exactly the opposite happened and we've had the best increase in prices that we've seen in years. January and February that we just completed have been the busiest, highest-grossing January and February in decades, so that's how it's going here... LA was hit pretty hard. We know Manhattan and San Francisco, the vertical cities, were crushed. We're preparing to open up much more fully. We've been surprised how real estate has just kept going, and as Darlene and John-Mark have said, our markets, whether they're Carolina, Santa Fe, or LA sprawl, people are buying. We have had some long-time Angelenos try to move further out to Santa Barbara, to the mountains. Palm Springs has had a huge boom... It's really hard to find a good house in LA. A lot of the best of the best has been sold off. We're hoping for new inventory that's good and beautiful. There is still the tail end of a development boom, so some new construction homes will be coming on... It's the perfect time to be a condo buyer because you will get the perfect deal opportunities... Now is a good time to be a seller, and it's still a good time to be a buyer. It's not going to remain that forever. One of those categories is going to start slipping.This is the time to take action, whether you're a buyer or a seller."

Darlene Streit: "Inventory is at an all-time low, as it is probably everywhere in most places, and I don't see it changing. We used to have a lot of older, retired people that came here to retire.Our primary market used to be Texas. Now, we're seeing a lot more tech people from Google, Apple, all over people who are working at home, coming in droves from San Francisco buying sight-unseen. I'm digging around, trying to find out whatever's unlisted and selling it before it's listed. I sold two last week before they hit the market. In one, [the seller] wouldn't even take the asking price because they were anticipating the bidding war. It's unprecedented in Santa Fe. It's really moving and people are coming here. I think it's still really affordable compared to most of the country. They can come here, spend a few million dollars, and get a really great house where they would have a small apartment somewhere else... I've been here for 31 years, and it's really great to see such a variety of people coming to Santa Fe... You've got to find the inventory. I have a list of people who want houses and what they want. It's very competitive. I'm always determined and digging around to find out what's going on. It takes a lot of determination... It's one of the greatest seller's markets in the history of real estate. If someone wants to sell, now is the time, but get a good broker and price it right. You can push it, but you can only push it for the right amount."

To watch more real estate webinars curated by Haute Residence, visit dev.hauteresidence.com.

John-Mark Mitchell, Ernie Carswell, Darlene Streit

The post Watch: “Coast To Coast” Real Estate Webinar #11 By Haute Residence appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Ernie Carswell presents

One of the largest private estates in the greater Los Angeles/Pasadena area and located in prestigious San Marino, the Seeley Mudd Estate has been a fixture in Southern California history since its construction in 1934. Designed by celebrated architect Reginald Johnson and nestled adjacent to the Huntington Library and Gardens on over 7 acres of resplendent landscape parkland donated by Henry Huntington and General George Patton, the approx. 14,000 sq. ft. American Colonial has been home to USC's presidential families since 1979. Modern conveniences and top-of-line systems blend seamlessly with historic accents including imported 17th Century wood paneling in Liv Rm, original steel window & door hardware & walnut hardwood flooring. Sweeping, endless lawns flow into a mature forest of Magnolias, Sycamores, Oaks and Chinese Elms passing English Rose Gardens and multiple fountains leading to a sunken championship Tennis Court on the far end of the expansive property. Hosting up to 2500 guests each year for dinners, gala events and important meetings, the property has served as a stately setting for University and charity events as well as a beloved family residence offering the incomparable luxury of living within a perfect Southern California landscape.
Co-listed with Austin Alfieri and Brent Chang.

Address: 1550 Oak Grove Avenue, San Marino, CA 91108

Price: $24,500,000

Photo credit: Noel Kleinman

For more information, please contact Ernie Carswell at 310-345-7500 or ernie@carswellandassociates.com.

Ernie Carswell is the exclusive real estate company representing the Sunset Strip/West Hollywood real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of his listings here.

The post Ernie Carswell Presents A San Marino Estate appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Alison Melton of The Melton Group, Hilton Head Island/Bluffton, SC: "ZOOM, FaceTime, WhatsApp, virtual showings are all the rage!"

Bento Queiroz of The Bento Queiroz Group, Southwest Ranches/Weston, FL: "Instagram for sure!"

Brian Pearl of the Pearl Antonacci Group, "Zoom and Matterport."

Catherine Burgess of The Burgess Group, Boulder, CO: "Apple Watch, and a weekly newsletter"

Clara Hartree, West Vancouver, British Columbia: "Instagram."

Claudia Llanes, Edgewater, FL: "I'm definitely using Instagram a lot more in order to strengthen my brand presence digitally. This has helped me generate leads at a volume I did not think was possible."

Dante DiSabato, Naples, FL: "More online signing and contract forms. Not enough time in the day to write out the contract and scan for signature. this just streamlines the process to get a contract out fast in an ever-changing market."

David Welles, Wellington, FL: "Zoom calls with clients for updates and referrals and Matterport for my significant listings."

Debra Johnston, Atlanta, GA: "Mostly analytical tools that were not previously available."

Doug Labor, Steamboat Springs, CO: "Facetime. With our market so active, and it being a resort/retirement area, buyers need to jump on a listing as soon as possible, and the quickest way to get the property seen is by Facetime."

Elisa Linton, Humble/Kingwood (Houston metro area), TX: "CRM."

Elliot Bogod of Broadway Realty, Upper West Side, New York City, NY: "We use our smartphones to access apps to post updates and changes to listings."

Ernie Carswell of Carswell and Associates, West Hollywood, CA: "Zoom changed our world; Google Mapping."

Frank D. Isoldi, Westfield, NJ: "Every listing now has a virtual iGuide tour and we are doing more and more personal video tours as well."

Joyce Rey, Beverly Hills, CA: "I would say I use Instagram, YouTube, and publish articles on my blog a lot more often than [in] previous years. Instagram and YouTube are truly two of the top channels for promoting our listings/business!"

Karen Kenyon, Vancouver Island, British Columbia: "Facebook Business page and Instagram."

KC Martin of Sotheby’s International Realty, Paris, France: "My cell phones (plural) are probably my greatest asset in the market today. Staying connected real-time via online meetings, phone calls, video calls, apps, text, and email keeps me in touch and informed and up to date daily."

Kelly Ringer-Radetich, Redwood City, CA: "Active Pipe."

Krista Richman, Fort Lauderdale, FL: "We have been using Zoom for years to connect with international buyers. Now, we use it for our American buyers as well."

Leslie S. Modell of the Leslie S. Modell Team, Midtown East, New York City, NY: "Zoom, Microsoft teams, and digital staging."

Roberta Ingletto of RGI Realty, South Miami/Pinecrest, FL: "Zoom meetings, FaceTime to show properties; social media in general."

Ryan Knowles, Bahamas: "Zoom and WhatsApp."

Sandra Fiorenza, Miami Beach, FL: "Mostly Instagram."

Scott Goshorn, Brentwood, CA: "YouTube marketing."

Tim Fenton of Blue Zone Realty International, Costa Rica: "Definitely Zoom and other video conferencing tools."

For more, visit dev.hauteresidence.com.

The post What Are The Preferred Real Estate Tech Tools For Professionals? appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Here, members of the Haute Residence Network share their thoughts on the subject.

"Homeowners cannot match the networking influence or results of experienced real estate agents, even though we wish they could." - Ernie Carswell, West Hollywood, CA.

"As experts in our field, a professional Realtor will know all the possible issues that can arise during a transaction and have the industry connections to get them resolved, so that collectively we can work towards a smooth closing. In a luxury market, my knowledge has come from years of experience, and investing in extensive luxury training to ensure that I am current and astute on things that all too often the homeowner may not think about. When you have to deal with wetlands, easements, open permits, property lines, warranties, previous history of the property, there are always variables that make it crucial to have that expert available to you. Also, in a low inventory market like we are currently seeing along the Emerald Coast, we have the ability to find properties through our spheres they would not be able to find on their own." - Hilary Farnum-Fasth, Broker, Owner, Corcoran Reverie, Scenic 30A area, FL

"Listing with a professional real estate agent gives the property endless marketing avenues that an owner would never be able to do. Through Sotheby’s I can network with agents basically all over the world and market a property in so many different markets." - Sandra Fiorenza, Miami Beach, FL.

“Your bottom line!  Stats are proven agents deliver a better net! Better systems, better marketing, better relationships, a better deal!” - Scott Goshorn, Brentwood, CA

“Experienced agents are skilled negotiators and understand what buyers want and what potential pitfalls lie ahead, so we can build a sales process that has a high probability of success.” - Cyd Greer, Napa Valley, CA.

"A trusted advisor delivers far beyond their fee in terms of ROI, time saved and quality of experience.” - David Hatef, Washington DC Metro area.

"Your Realtor can give you up-to-date information on what is happening in your local market, as well as the price and condition of competing properties. These are important factors in marketing your home and selling it for the best price. Statistics show that listing your home with a professional results in both a faster sale and more money for the seller." - Susan Ito, Dallas, TX.

Contact Haute Residence for all your real estate needs. We have a vast network of real estate professionals throughout the US, Canada, the Caribbean, and Europe that can help you find your dream home or sell your estate.

Visit https://dev.hauteresidence.com/ for more.

The post Hire A Real Estate Agent To Sell Your Home Faster And At A Fair Price To You appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

Ernie Carswell presents

Singular World Class Gated Estate is balanced on a generous acre-plus lot overlooking fairways of the Bel-Air Country Club. Situated at end of the cul-de-sac on prestigious Perugia Way. Built in 2015 by London-based architect, Felicity Bell, this indescribable residence is nothing short of a masterpiece, it could be characterized as a Villa Moderne. As the ultimate Los Angeles retreat, meticulous craftwork presents unparalleled European quality & timeless elegance, comprising over 14,000 S/F of living space with jaw-dropping ceiling heights. The formal foyer & sky-lit Main Gallery lead to the large Grand Room with floor-to-ceiling motorized glass doors opening to expansive outdoor entertaining areas, sprawling lawn & infinity-edge pool. Significant Dining Rm, gourmet Kitchen, & Den. 3 guest bedroom suites, extraordinary dual walk-in closets, silk carpets, spacious Office with bath, 2 bedroom staff quarters residence, & indoor lap pool & gym. From sublime to the eternal.

Address: 670 Perugia Way, Los Angeles, CA 90077

Price: $38,500,000

For more information, please contact Ernie Carswell at 310-345-7500 or ernie@carswellandassociates.com.

Ernie Carswell is the exclusive real estate company representing the Sunset Strip/West Hollywood real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of his listings here.

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

Photo Credit: Jonathan Golden

The post A Masterpiece Estate In Los Angeles By Ernie Carswell appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.