When Scott and Lannette Turicchi reached out to me, I quickly learned that Scott had endured years of bad real estate experiences. The last thing he wanted was a repeat during the sale of his Pasadena home. Challenge accepted.

“I had real concerns.”

.

“When we got serious about listing, Eva’s name came up. She’d been in contact with us for probably a decade with her updates on our local market and tips for sellers. She was persistent and knowledgeable which is why we decided that we should talk to her.

“I had real concerns. It’s an interesting house, not right for everybody. High price point. Interest rates are significantly higher than they’ve been. Would there be a large enough pool of qualified buyers to get to the finish line? I’ll admit I approached the whole process with skepticism, but I was willing to see what Eva could do.

.

.

“We invited her over. She wanted to understand both our perspectives. What was our motivation? What did we value about the house? What would make us happy and what would frustrate us during the process? My wife and I had very different answers. Eva was diligent in writing it all down.

“Lannette wanted to be deeply involved in every level. For me, it was simple. I wanted the least amount of interaction. I want to know the timeline and when you’re going to hand me the check. We’ll communicate via text. I explained, look, I’ve not had good experiences in real estate. This is my preference.

“Her team was very important. The house needed staging and repairs. Our girls had painted their rooms in unusual colors when they were young. Off chartreuse or purple wasn’t going to appeal to every buyer. They came in with detailed plans for each room. Where to repair, which walls to repaint, access to quality contractors. The entire prep took about four weeks and moved smoothly.

“Our daughter’s wedding happened in the midst of all this. Our eldest wanted the reception in the backyard. We tried to dissuade her for a year, but were unsuccessful. It ended up being the capstone of our 11 years there. It was lovely and it meant so much to see how thrilled our daughter was.

.

“Just as we got the house ready to show again, interested buyers came forward. Some had seen it in the first three weeks, others had heard about it. Within about a week, we had multiple offers. Eva generated enough interest that there was a small bidding war. We even got slightly above our asking price. All cash, quick close. Just like I requested. In fact, the close happened so quickly it took us by surprise. No way we could be out in 21 days. Eva negotiated a leaseback that gave us an additional 45.

“Eva executed flawlessly against what I’d asked for. She stayed very engaged with Lannette, providing all the details my wife wanted. With me, she kept it to quick summaries and responded promptly when I had questions. The house sold very, very quickly. It shocked us how fast it happened.

“It was a good experience. My first truly good real estate experience. Yes, Eva knows the market, but more importantly, she’s flexible in how she communicates and works with clients. She genuinely listens. She was attentive to the very different needs that Lannette and I had. That’s what sets her apart. In fact, I’d love to convince Eva to sell our Montecito home when the time comes.”

In working with Scott, my goal was to provide much more than just a successful sale. I wanted to change his mind about real estate for the better. Given his years of bad experiences the challenge was simple: make the process painless for him. It is truly a thrill for my team and I to hear that we were able to do exactly that.