All right, welcome to another SLG meetup, your host, Avro. Now today is a very special SLG meetup because we're here with the two talented individuals that made this incredible $280 million private island in Palm Beach called 10th Harpoon Isle. Happened, Todd Glaser, Brianna Smith. Welcome and thank you for having us here.
Thank you for coming. So we have here Todd, Michael Glaser, the mastermind and builder, developer from this fantastic property and Brianna Smith with Meredith Bier with all the staging. So I just wanted to get started by asking you both how in the world did this project all started? We were offered the property about a year and a half ago, wasn't on the market.
So we jumped at the chance of buying the island and we came up with the development of keeping part of the house and building a new house that matched the existing architecture. Amazing. And how was it for you to do all the staging? Well, it was wonderful and we loved collaborating with Todd and Kim.
You know, she mentioned Kim and I met numerous times to kind of develop the design and really ensure that our furnishings matched with the finishes that she'd selected. So, you know, it's great. We love being able to collaborate with people that are so good at what they do. And the good thing is my wife only does the homes that we develop.
And then Merriffaert only does the homes that we develop also. So they have a great work for me. Now what is so special about this place? Because it's not just the price tag of $280 million.
But the fact that it's a private island. So what happens is a lot of people want to find, you know, a safe place to live. So Palm Beach is probably one of the safest places in the world. The second favorite question is what's the most safest area?
And you know, Tarpen Islands, its own island. So it's surrounded by a moat, which is water, has its own bridge with its own gate. It gives the extra security that you have. So where do you find the inspiration to do something like this?
The existing house that we copy. Ah, there we go. Usually I don't let the tail wind the dog. No.
In this case, we were able to use the architecture of the existing home and design the new home to match. So it seems, you can't see when one begins and one ends. How long did it take to? Ten months.
Ten months. Wow, that's fast. Incredible. For this type of property.
We don't use fast in our company. Efficient, I love that word. I need to start using it more because it's fantastic. Now, it really I wanted to ask you, when it comes to the things that have changed over the last couple of years with COVID and everybody looking more of that privacy, but also the spaces that are a bit more wellness.
And did you have to make adjustments when it comes to those specific trends? So I think we're really lucky in our business that we're able to customize a lot of the furniture and we created a lot of custom pieces for here as well. Obviously it's a once in a lifetime property. So it was really great to be able to tailor those pieces to be able to make comfortable spaces.
Obviously this is a gigantic house. There isn't a space in this house that hasn't been so well designed and furnished that nothing feels overscaled or scaled improperly. It's all very comfortable, approachable in terms of wellness. There's a whole wellness center at the end of the house.
You can quite literally never have to leave. What is, in my opinion, the most difficult thing of doing this project? I mean, for this project it was just getting the product. We were in the middle of everything with the supply chain having effect.
So we got very lucky, unfortunately, for the storm in the West coast of Florida. A lot of homes were damaged. So all of a sudden all these appliances that were being held for some zero and all with the brands, they didn't need them anymore. These houses were no longer in the store on the new belt.
So a lot of inventory came. Now when it comes to one of your favorite features of the property, what would it be? The pool and the tennis pavilion. There you go.
For you, Brianna? I would also say the tennis pavilion. I love the flooring that Kim chose for there. I think it's beautiful.
That space is just incredible. I mean, I love this house. And then on the tennis pavilion, there's a copper roof and it has fish scales if you look. It'll be a very important beacon when people run on their boats and come by and see it.
That'll be one of the focus. It's starting to patina now. So it'll have some green and some different colors. It's very organic.
So in two, three years from now, beautiful. That's so fantastic. But the house really is a 9,000 square foot house. Gotcha.
Facing Dead South has the most amazing views. Every window in the house has one of these. It has mature trees that we kept. The two big vanions in the front that we drive through really directed where the front door of the house was going to be positioned.
And then we went from there. It's just a feeling from the very beginning, just crossing that bridge into the house with the trees and everything. It's just so fantastic. It just gives you this zen energy which is very difficult to capture in such a huge property because sometimes you lose that warmth.
But here from everywhere you go, you feel that coziness and at the same time that wow factor which is a very difficult thing to do. So I want to congratulate you both on that. And one thing that we all came as well, which is not joining us here, but definitely a lot of these amazing results are part of that. And one of the questions that we always have for our guests in the show is what is the meaning of luxury to you?
That's a great question. You want to answer first? It's happiness. Oh, there you go.
I like it. Great answer. I would say if it makes you happy, it's luxury. It's a brand new car that's a Toyota Celica.
I remember going on every morning, washing my car. It's six in the world. I wouldn't drive a brand new car if it was dirty. And that was luxury to me.
And it made me happy. And my happiness has grown. It gives me a moment. I like that.
What about you? I would say luxury for me is getting to be at home. I think there's nothing more luxurious to me than being able to wake up on a Saturday morning and be in a space that makes me happy. So certainly a gift and something I enjoyed being able to make other people's homes feel that way.
I think luxury of being in a beautiful space is pretty wonderful. What's interesting is I built about, in the next two years I've built almost 200 homes. And it's amazing if I really went back and did a family tree of who had kids. Now the kids are having kids, because we're a little older.
Now they're having grandkids. And it's pretty amazing to see how many families have lived in my homes. They might have sold it on somewhere else. They started a family.
It's interesting if I really had to sit down and figure that out, it would be unbelievable. How many people my homes have touched? I think that's a great project to focus on by the way. That could be something very impactful.
And that has a deep meaning, right? Just building the house. It's like the people that lived there. What's the gratification?
Everyone's who are you walking? Something's not happening again. We'll be there. We'll be there.
Now my last question, and this is something that I always encourage the listeners to pay attention, because there's a lot of real estate professionals out there, and they're trying to get to your level. And what will be something that you will encourage people to do? What's been a great takeaway? I mean, I'm going to write a book one day.
It's going to be called, Basic, Screen bananas and Serendipity. I love the title. One of the items is a basic. So people always email me or on Instagram, whatever they call it, DM, I guess.
And they say, oh, any advice? I said, just get in the game. Buy an efficiency. Renotate it.
If you could do that, you could do a $220 million home. It's the same moving parts. You're finding it, finding it, permitting it, putting it in a kitchen, putting it in a bathroom, putting it in floors, maybe fixing a roof. And never get over your skis.
And what happens is if you get in the game and you swing, and you got to base it, now you're on, and you might score. Now you got a chance. Every once in a while you swing, and you don't even mean it. And the ball hits the bat so good it goes out of the park.
So every once in a while you get a home run, but you can't swing. So, you know, a rod and all these home run guys, one thing they have is huge stats for how many home runs they get. Hey, Rod, I think the second or third highest strikeout in the history of the game. You know, and that's, you know, something that is mental.
So mentally strong. Hey, Rod is that he struck out so many times, but he was still the champion of hitting, but he had one way. I'm different. I like to take it slow.
And I've built up to this. We've both been successful in both different ways, but how many Hey, Rod's out of that? Not many. Guys like me in different aspects have taken time in commercial, bought their first building.
You know, look, I named Alan Wasserstein, like with the junior high in elementary school. He owns Half of Duran was buying it in 1991. Wow. So, you know, he's got to go off his buildings with warehouses.
Now he has thousands and thousands and thousands of square feet. So, you know, is it luxury like my house is now? It's real estate. You know, you got to pick your lane and stick to your lane and never get over your seats.
Wow, that's amazing. We can't wait to read your book. Although we got that right summary right here. The book's going to be good.
Right after the finish. Finish it. I did do the audiobook as well because your voice is very inspiring as well. Oh, absolutely.
Yeah, I did do the audiobook as well. Now what about you Brianna? Oh, I think for me, you know, it's hard work, basically. You know, I started with Meredith Thera right out of college.
I've been there for about 13 years and, you know, I just think just keeping your nose to the grindstone and just, you know, continuing to go after the next thing and, you know, always picking up the phone and just being there for your clients working hard. I think there's nothing better. But Brianna is like play, which is great because you set a date for her to move and then now you have to move the date. Never a problem.
And then we get lucky because we finish sooner and then we got to move it back. Never a problem. Sometimes when I finish with the whole house. So she comes in and does half the house.
Not a problem. I don't recommend that, but she's been very good with that. And I don't know how many people should do that for her, but she does. She picks up her phone, but a lot of people are straight, you know, they're corporate.
If this is it, you move the date. I'm sorry, you can't do it. Really, three weeks later, it's like then there's a story that something happens to the container, you know, and it's like, you know, I like it. I guess the hard work of the patients and the adjustment is so important.
As long as the end result is always in mind. Well, that's the best. You know, and my wife works very well with Brianna and so does Andreas who runs my projects in Palm Beach. I try to stay out of it.
I deal with the outside. I like doing the landscape and I design the pool here. I did everything in the layout. Our architect, Roger Jensen, was instrumental in putting the whole thing together.
I came there one day. I said, put the front door. Master Ben will cross that. And within five minutes, I could be there.
He knew what to do. And that was it. He drew it. I was like, wow.
And that was it. Was it like 15 times from around? No, I think this is incredible. And look, I'm super excited to show you guys what we're talking about here because your work just speaks by itself.
I mean, not only the previous homes that you've done, but this one in particular, I think is the cherry on the top of all the successes. This is a wow property. So this in Carl Fisher's house with the tower that we want to book, that was by far my last, but now this is because this is in Palm Beach. This is in the market.
I did an attitude, a different safety. Right. No, it's so many amazing components getting together here that is just magical. So it has everything but one thing.
The person to live here exactly, which by the way, I think that the person that it's out there looking for the dream property. This is it because this is just like out of a dream. Well, there's a saying. There's an ask for every seat.
There you go. This is a big seat. So we need that big ask. We only need one.
Yeah, exactly. Well, thank you guys. I appreciate your time and congratulations again for what you're doing. This is phenomenal.
Please make sure to follow them both because their projects are incredible. Very inspirational as well. As they both said, consistency, hard work. Get yourself started.
And hey, maybe one day you'll get to this level. On the meantime, let's go get a nice tour of the property. Thank you all for watching. And thanks again for everybody tuning in today.
We hope you enjoyed it. And remember, embrace it's beautiful success in life. My name is Alvaro and I'll see you next time.