Downloads and Press Items

This page contains downloads and press items from Donovan Group at Chase International. Check back often for current flyers, listings and press items in a downloadable and printable .pdf format.

How the software billionaire has taken serial property buying to new extremes.

One of the nation's most voracious consumers of trophy real estate is back on the hunt.

October 21, 2011. By Sarah Tilton And Juliet Chung, The Wall Street Journal

Since the mid-1990s, software billionaire Larry Ellison has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars worth of top-shelf properties around the world. The portfolio of Oracle Corp.'s co-founder includes five adjacent lots in Malibu, Calif.; a Newport, R.I., mansion formerly owned by the Astor family; a historic garden property in Kyoto and an estate in Rancho Mirage, Calif., with a private, 19-hole golf course.

The list of serial buyers of trophy properties, while thinning in recent years, includes Paul Allen along with Roman Abramovich and other Russian oligarchs. Mr. Ellison has a distinctive buying pattern: When he finds an area he likes, he takes a flood-the-zone approach. He often buys several adjacent properties to combine into a single sprawling compound. At the same time, he acquires other noncontiguous properties nearby, increasing his overall holdings in a desirable area.

Mr. Ellison has been applying this approach to a new location: Lake Tahoe, the resort area straddling the California-Nevada border. Records show Mr. Ellison has spent $102 million in the last several years buying property, both on and off the market, to assemble three different parcels fronting the 191-square-mile lake. On one of them, purchased over three years for a total of $58 million, Mr. Ellison is constructing a compound with more than 18,000 square feet of living space as well as a pond with an island, waterfalls and a tennis court with a pavilion, according to plans submitted to Washoe County, Nev.

Click here to read the rest of this article at the Wall Street Journal Online.

Of the 105 Incline Village lots that border Lake Tahoe, 40, or nearly 40 percent of available property, are controlled by just 15 owners. Billionaires and millionaires have flocked to Lake Tahoe to build estates for decades. But the recession has presented additional opportunities for those who long to build a private, mega-compound at the lake.

"If you find the location that you love and that you are really drawn to, you might or might not have the opportunity to expand on that land," said Kerry Donovan, a Chase International broker. "Many want to expand their privacy, and more people want more acreage -- not less."

Most Lake Tahoe parcels already have buildings on them. Some luxury homebuyers tear down existing structures and build an estate that suits their taste.

"It's a lot easier to start from scratch sometimes," Donovan said.

Those with the means have long been acquiring Lake Tahoe property to build compounds and dream homes. In 1987, businessman Warren Trepp bought seven homes and then proceeded to razed them to build a 8,000-square foot residence. Junk-bond king Michael Milken, casino mogul Steven Wynn and many from Silicon Valley such as PeopleSoft Inc. chief David Duffield and Oracle CEO Larry Ellison followed.

Even with the housing market going bust in Nevada, Incline-Crystal Bay's 89451 zip code still made Forbes' 2010 list of the most expensive ZIP codes in the U.S. At No. 389, it was the only Nevada entry on the list.

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Click here to read the rest of this article on WSJ.com
Click here to see more exclusive images of Sierra Star Lake Tahoe at WSJ.com

The Silver State shines ranking number two in the nation on a list of the 5 Most Tax-Friendly States To Live In by Daily Finance in 2010. Nevada also ranked in the top 14 Most Pension-Friendly States in a report released by Kiplinger in 2011.

Here are some simple tax facts. In Nevada, there are fewer taxes and a lower tax burden than in most other states. That's why Nevada is on every list of the top tax havens. The Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan tax research group based in Washington, D.C., crunched some numbers to determine which states are the most generous with residents, considering criteria such as state and local income taxes, property taxes and local sales taxes. In fact, they report that Nevada’s state and local tax burden is second lowest in the nation. In Nevada, there is:

• No personal income tax
• No corporate income tax
• No inheritance, estate or gift tax
• No special intangible tax
• No sharing information with IRS
• Simple annual requirements
• Low property tax

The Tax Foundation also ranked Nevada 4th in the nation on their State Business Tax Climate Index. The index compares five areas of taxation that impacts business: corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales taxes, unemployment insurance taxes and taxes on property, including commercial and residential. Nevada’s pro-business attitude includes:

• No gross receipts tax
• No franchise tax
• No inventory tax
• No unitary tax
• No special intangible tax
• No tax on issuance of corporate shares
• No tax on sale of transfer of shares
• Protection of Directors and Officers
• No initial or minimum capital requirements
• Anonymity of owners – Total Privacy

We can connect you with local CPA’s who can help you evaluate your potential for Nevada state income tax savings.

Original Article from and all credits and rights to Financial Times - FT.com
Emma Mahony, FT.com, July 1, 2011

As Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the US, observed: “Fish and visitors smell in three days.” One way round the problem is to have separate guest accommodation. And if you can offer entertainment in the way of tennis, golf or a boat on site, then hosting at a second home need not be a chore. Below, we offer five of the best houses with guest accommodation.

Osprey Estate, Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, Nevada, US

Where: An exclusive enclave on the eastern North Shore of Lake Tahoe, which borders California and Nevada, and is the largest of the Alpine Lakes in North America, 200 miles east of San Francisco.
What: Designed by architect Roderick Ashley, this eight-acre estate has 690ft of water frontage and an eight-bedroom, seven-bathroom home, with 7,100 sq ft of living space and a guest house and studio/library. Commissioned by the late US inventor Jerome Lemelson, the estate has large entertaining areas and an indoor infinity pool facing the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Why: The guest house and library are linked by a boardwalk. Both pavilions have marble floors, with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sculpture garden and lake. There is skiing in winter, sailing and scuba diving in summer.
Who: Chase International, www.chaseinternational.com, tel: +44 (0)20 7467 5330

Read the full article with at FT.com

Financial Times online (FT.com) has posted an article on their website listing attractive high end properties in forested locations around the world. One of our current listings in Incline Village, Lake Tahoe, dubbed "Stonegate", is featured in the article.

In the article under the "Why" section, Financial Times Online writes, "This is a great base from which to explore the forests of the California/Nevada border. There is hiking and mountain biking on offer in the summer, and skiing in winter. The house’s interior is opulent – with a gym, wine cellar and spa bath – and was created by President Barack Obama’s interior designer, Michael S Smith. Nevada has one of the laxest tax regimes in the US."

Click to view the entire article at FT.com

Tranquility is set on 210 secluded acres in Zephyr Cove, surrounded by aspen and pine forest, down a private, almost mile-long road.

The Lake Tahoe estate is owned by Tommy Hilfiger co-founder Joel Horowitz and his wife, Ann Horowitz.

It has been on the market for $100 million -- which makes it the third most expensive home for sale in the country, listing agent Shari Chase said -- since 2006.

Chase, founder and CEO of Chase International, said the property is in a league of its own. And so is the process of selling it.

Article continued, click here to read the full article.

LAKE TAHOE, Nev. (July 8, 2010) – Home prices in Lake Tahoe are beginning to level off and the high-end market is looking lively, according to a mid-year analysis by Chase International.

The average home price was up two percent ($899,515) while the median dropped only one percent ($530,681). The slight changes mark the first time the Lake Tahoe real estate market hasn’t experienced a significant drop in home prices since the end of 2007.  The report compares sales and figures from January 1 through June 30, 2009 to the first two quarters of 2010.

Click here to download the full press release article

We have the Lake Tahoe Mid-Year Statistics for January 1st to june 30th comparing 2010 to 2009.

Click here to download

A flyer with 9 current Incline Village real estate listings. Includes the following listings: 593 Lakeshore, 453 Lakeshore, StoneGate, 15 Lakeshore Terrace, 1169 Lakeshore, 250 Northlake, "245 Estates", 822 Ellen and 966 Caddie. Printable .pdf format.

Click to download now.