Open Up the Doors to Your More Stately Mansions, Estates, Castles and Historic Villas and They Will Come

Good morning, Happy Mansion Lovers!

Are you feeling motivated this morning? I certainly hope so.

The local Cheesecake Factory draws my wife and daughter like a magnet draws iron filings. I occasionally join them there for a delightful salad (the new chopped salad is great!) and the delicious tropical iced tea. But inevitably there's a wait (unless we go at 3:45 in the afternoon).

Fortunately, there's a Borders near by, and I usually duck in there to check out the new books and magazines while waiting for my pager to buzz. Having realized that thousands of my regular blog readers love learning about mansions, estates, castles and villas, I've been reading up on what's available at the Borders.

I must say that what I found is disappointing. Architectural Digest, for instance, has a section in the August 2005 issue about Private Homes in Faraway Places. The title is certainly accurate, but the material is hardly worth your time. Most hotels I've stayed at in the same regions have nicer public areas where you can enjoy an iced tea in more beautiful surroundings than in these archetype private homes.

Next, I looked at one of the many magazines that are really just ads for homes that are for sale. The one I happened to pick up was Dream Homes International. You can see what their listings look like by going to www.dreamhomes.us/.

While their homes are certainly pricy . . . very little is under one million . . . very little is special. Your average billionaire might buy one of these homes to keep the staff in, but they didn't feel like the real thing. Consider one home in La Quinta, California. It had less than an acre of land and looked like any other golf course 3 bedroom home for $2.5 million. I wouldn't waste your time considering that property for anything.

I have been enjoying the Tour de France over the last three weeks as Texan Lance Armstrong rode to his unprecedented seventh straight general classification title aided by his stout fellows from the Discovery Channel team. I must have seen over 100 beautiful castles and estates from the air during the long helicopter shots that help relieve the tedium of watching the peleton. I would rather have seen more about one of those homes than anything I could find in a magazine at Borders.

That led me to realize that the most wonderful homes have to be sold from time to time . . . just like any other home. Naturally, those who own such marvelous places don't want everyone who would like to see their home trooping through. It would be like the crowds that visit the Vatican Museums.

But perhaps, just perhaps, some of the owners who were selling would be willing to let in one person to stay for a few days . . . perhaps someone like Your Dream Concierge . . . and report on the charms of the place for thousands to consider. That seemed most likely when the family was actually living in another location during the sales process or there had been a family problem and no one was ever going to live there again.

What's in it for the owners? Well, you may remember that old statistic about six degrees of separation. Each of us can meet anyone else on Earth by only being introduced to the right five new intermediaries who know one another.

This blog can start the process of helping those who want to buy real dream homes (rather than the overpriced weekend getaway spots in the magazines) find out about the properties. The blog readers will tell their friends, who will tell their friends . . . etc. and within a week the optimal buyer for the property will find out about its charms for the first time.

This process can both increase the sales price and shorten the time needed to sell the home. Most sellers like those benefits. Their real estate agents do too.

So whether you are an owner, real estate agent, attorney or a friend who knows about such properties, get in touch with me at ultimatecompetitiveadvantage@yahoo.com and let me know about properties you would like me to visit. Anyplace in the northeastern United States is just a few hours away, and I would be willing to travel in this area over the next few months. Put the heading "Come Visit This Great Mansion" on your e-mail so I'll be sure to read it.

My wife and I are big fans of Frank Lloyd Wright. A number of his spectacular homes are open for visits. The intelligence and customization in these homes will fascinate you, I'm sure. For those who love urban elegance in a university setting, consider visiting the Frederick Robie house near the University of Chicago. While I was a summer student there, I lusted to see that home. Now, you can take tours as part of the National Trust (www.nationaltrust.org) about which I have written in the past. Here is a link to find out more -- http://www.nationaltrust.org/national_trust_sites/frederick.html/.

If you are going to be in Chicago anyway, you should naturally also visit Mr. Wright's first home and studio in Oak Park, Illinois . . . just outside of Chicago. Here's a link for that as well -- http://www.nationaltrust.org/national_trust_sites/frank_lloyd_wright.html/.

You can walk to several other homes that Mr. Wright built in the area . . . as well as Unity Temple, his fascinating Unitarian-Universalist church.

But my favorite Wright work in the Midwest is located in Spring Green, Wisconsin . . . not far from Wisconsin Dells, Taliesen. The name means "shining brow" in Welsh and refers to Mr. Wright's placement of the home down from the peak of the hill. It's well worth a special trip to Wisconsin from anywhere. You can read about it at http://www.taliesinpreservation.org/.

If you have a taste for the bizarre, consider also visiting the House on the Rock in the area. This is a mostly underground abode built in a beautiful part of Wisconsin. All of my relatives like House on the Rock better than Taliesin while I prefer the latter. One or the other will delight everyone in your party. Here is a link: http://www.thehouseontherock.com/html/attraction.htm.

Please feel free to let me know what else you would like to learn, and I'll do my best to help in future blog entries.

Thanks so much for your support of this blog. I'm delighted that so many thousands of people have made this blog part of their regular reading habit!

May God bless you.

Donald W. Mitchell, Your Dream Concierge

Copyright 2005 Donald W. Mitchell