I caught up with Latondra just a few days before she and her husband Jim moved out of their beautiful Linda Vista home. Absent were the boxes, packing tape, and general chaos commonly found when selling a house. Instead, Latondra walked calmly, wistfully even, through the immaculate, mid-century modern retreat. This was no simple move for Latondra. It wasn’t just another corporate transfer, or the start of another, high-powered position. This move was a daring and significant life change.
“I’ve always had this creative side and as I got older, I realized it delivered a far more joyful experience.” Latondra’s eyes gleamed, “This whole move is because I decided to take a giant leap.”
And quite a leap it is. After serving six years as the Chief Diversity Officer at Disney, and over 17 with Toyota, Latondra’s first step was to fly to Ohio and design a house! She had already launched her jewelry brand, and once she finishes her work in Ohio, plans to look for their next home.
Moving should be a joyous and celebrated event.
“I’m definitely embracing the unknown. I’ve had good feedback about my work but I really have no idea how this will all play out!” Latondra laughed, “And it’s certainly making Jim a little nervous.”
And that’s where we came in. Selling a home is stressful enough, but in Latondra’s case, she was also leaving a highly successful corporate life to start her own creative business! Personally, I think moving should be a joyous and celebrated event. And that is how I want all my clients to feel. Now it was up to me and my team to make sure that was exactly the experience Latondra and Jim had.
1415 Wicks Road is a work of art.
This house was a serious piece of architecture, and I wanted it to command a serious price
“Before Eva, we had spoken to a few agents who didn’t see the same value in the home that we did,” said Latondra.
It’s not surprising that a less seasoned agent might have seen some odd angles, or the smaller-than-average living room, and priced it lower than Latondra and Jim were hoping. But home selling is about creating an emotional connection with a place. And 1415 Wicks Road is a work of art. I just needed to attract a buyer with the same vision.
We hired two of the best real estate photographers in Los Angeles, and even then, only chose those images that evoked the greatest emotional connection to the space. Our marketing strategy? Make sure buyers knew this home was a masterpiece.
An exceptional outcome.
Our Open Houses were a huge success and within no time, I was presenting Latondra and Jim with 8 offers!“Eva was able to forecast things so well. She walked us through the offers and made them easy to understand. She showed us what steps to take and modeled what it meant to be respectful, not just to us, but to the prospective buyers as well,” Latondra mused.
In the case of 1415 Wicks Road, I was confident the home could attract at least $3M. I priced it at $2.8M, which left room for competing offers, ultimately driving the final sales price to $3.3M. An exceptional outcome by any measure.
“We felt truly cared for…”
“Selling a house. Buying a house. It’s a very stress-filled situation. And Eva understands that,” Latondra said. “She was just so clear, so patient, and so kind… and we would get these little milestone gifts throughout the process. We felt truly cared for and it really put us at ease.”
It makes me happy to hear Latondra’s story. Not just because we got her and Jim a great price for their home, but because we were able to help make the start of their new chapter both joyous, and successful.
Selling a home can be nerve-wracking, but Latondra and Jim show us it doesn’t have to be.
