I’m super excited that we sold our listing at 606 N Martel!!! It’s fun that we represented the house for sale for the 2nd time in a row (last time in 2020). Knowing 3 owners of this property now, all of them are successful people with fine taste and style, which goes with my running theory that houses have a vibe and attract a tribe. This house was taken down to the studs and entirely remodeled about 12 years ago in 2014. The talented owner who reimagined the original house created an amazing floor plan, finishes in classic timeless beautiful taste that still feel current today over a decade later, and fixtures that fared exceptionally well over the years of use. Houses remodeled well keep appreciating and remain desirable for owner after owner, and it’s cool when each successive owner makes a considerable tax free return on their downpayment investment, while living in the house for years all the while.
It was the greatest honor and joy to represent the buyers who closed on 239 W Fairview this week! Our clients are smart, sweet, kind, soft spoken, articulate, and ultimately savvy. It takes collaboration, trust, and pushing through some fear to win over 15 offers and score a fabulous property. Contrary to many buyers’ worries and fears, houses that have multiple offers are the best houses to buy because a house with 15 offers screams that it’s a great house that everyone wants, and a house that everyone wants is likely to appreciate the most. My buyers, like all buyers, wondered if they were overpaying during the bidding process. There were offers higher than theirs, the fair market value is actually higher than all the offers, it easily appraised, and there’s no question that our buyers underpaid and scored such a neat spot! It’s very fun to work with great people and accomplish awesome feats! Also so fun when people know they did well and they’re hyper excited about it!!!
It’s interesting to observe in market behavior and activity all the different factors that have made our market shift. Our immediate neighborhood was mostly built in the 1920’s and 1930’s. As the houses in our neighborhood turned 100 years old, owners (past and present) stepped up to the task of updating homes. The houses that were not updated are needing to be entirely restored now. Garage conversions that used to often be non permitted, non insulated makeshift backhouses became legal ADU’s with a separate address + sewer line + permit to be a rental. During COVID people started to prioritize private backyards (more so with beautiful landscaping & pools), nice neighbors + community neighborhoods, and quiet serene locations on tree lined streets. Construction costs rose dramatically with Covid supply chain issues (which makes owner users updating original houses a more formidable endeavor.) Covid and remote work made people crave more space, including private home offices. Of course higher interest rates have buyers acting with more intention choosing to buy a house that feels worth the high monthly payments. The travesty of our fires created demand in different neighborhoods and also lots of new construction + brand new houses. Through it all, there seems to be more demand than supply for the special house that everyone wants to buy (updated in fine taste while preserving original integrity + character + charm.) The biggest demand across the board, in both old and new, is for a house with an amazing floor plan + great outdoor space, in move-right-in beautiful current condition, in a quiet central location!
I’m forever honored by the privilege I’ve had over the years of selling exquisite houses like the J.Y. Baruh House c. 1925 by Gordon Kaufmann on Rimpau, the masterpiece by Architect L.G. Scherer on June St, the Paul Williams made perfect by William Hefner on Las Palmas, and the Gerard Colcord on McCadden that sold over the asking price for 6,600,360 in 2024 with the main house being 3500 sq ft with 3 beds + 2.5 baths. These houses are, and always will be, a work of art; the value is from the sheer beauty in the genius of the space, the light, the orientation, and the feels. As the houses in our neighborhood age, it’s the greatest privilege, responsibility, and opportunity for owners, as stewards, to act with utmost care to honorably bring houses like these into the 21st century in a thoughtful way that preserves and creates the greatest beauty, and in turn desirability and value.
It was a huge treat this week to behold House of Rolison’s new masterpiece renovation at 851 Strada Vechhia Road in Bel Air. Even though the main house is one story and has only 3 bedroom suites + 2 powder rooms, for 25M a buyer will get to live in a home that’s a work of beauty inside and out, with the perfect mix of seamless indoor/outdoor living + lush green views to the ocean. In an era where architecture, floor plan, and design are valued by the discerning, this breathtaking gem of a house feels worth it for the right buyer.
Summer is here, which means time to embrace wanderlust and discover the world!!! I’m reminiscing back to last August when Seth and I travelled to St Anton, Austria with Miriam + Danny + kids, and Esti. The highlight for us was Gavriel’s sheer exhilaration after going down the Imst alpine coaster in Tyrol, strapped into the mini cart with Seth. We rode 2 chairlifts that climbed higher and higher into the mountains and then we sped all the way down (without brakes) in coasters on metal tracks carved into the mountain side! We cruised on boats in Lake Constance, and explored St Anton on electric bikes. Austria’s pristine alpine lakes and rivers support a rich biodiversity of freshwater fish, heavily prized in the country’s culinary traditions; the fish we enjoyed was from the most fresh, insanely delicious we’ve ever tasted! I always love to experience the polite refined Europeans, the cool crisp alpine mountain air, the radical change of pace and surroundings, and of course my favorite is the fresh experiences and memories created with some of my favorite people in the world!
Happy 250th Birthday to the USA!!!
Xoxoxo,
Sheri