After almost 40 years in their beautiful Hillside Terrace estate, Shari and Bob decided it was the right time to downsize. But it wasn’t an easy decision. This was the home they had raised their children in. The home they had celebrated birthdays, graduations, and other important life events in… 728 Hillside Terrace had become a significant part of the Thorell family’s lives.

“This house has its own personality. It’s a welcoming place and honestly, it’s hard to leave,” Shari said. “It was definitely time to move but you can imagine how conflicted we feel. There are so many memories here. Not just for us, but for our children, and I was even surprised to learn that our grandchildren have a strong connection to the house too.”

Shari and Bob’s children had moved away and started their own families, but they didn’t move far. And since Shari and Bob lived exactly halfway between the children, their home remained a central location for the family to meet up and celebrate important life events.

“Moving is very stressful. I don’t know how to avoid it.”

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“We are going from this large space to a very small home. And it’s been quite a trick to figure out where to put things,” Shari admitted. “Thankfully, we’ve been able to give some of the stuff to our children and grandchildren so it will stay in the family. But there’s still a lot more to deal with.”

Just to give you an idea of how large a space Shari is talking about… This stunning estate has 7 bedrooms, 9 bathrooms and sits on nearly an acre. It boasts a pool, a tennis court, an interior of almost 6,000 sqft and a basement that’s 2300 sqft!

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“And that basement was filled!” Shari exclaimed. “We had so much to do. Moving is very stressful. I don’t know how to avoid it. The sale also happened much faster than we were prepared for. I think it was less than a week from the time the buyer first walked through the property to the close of escrow. And Bob and I had planned an overseas trip with the family, plus we had a wedding to attend in Costa Rica. So we really needed to depend on Eva to handle everything.”

“Those small acts… made a big difference for us.”

Moving is stressful, and as much as we would like to find a way around it, stress can never be avoided entirely. But it can be minimized. So that is what my team and I set out to do.

“Eva is a delight to work with!” Shari smiled, “She and her team are so professional, which is important to me, but she’s also incredibly responsive. She always got back to me immediately and I knew we could depend on her.”

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After years of helping folks buy and sell homes, I know it’s the small and unexpected things that often create the most stress. My team and I work hard to identify, anticipate and fix those issues so our clients have a more enjoyable experience. Hearing stories like Shari’s makes me confident we are on the right path.

Shari continued, “I loved that Eva would send a team in advance of showings to open up properly. They would blow leaves from the grounds, or set down towels on rainy days so the buyers could wipe their shoes… Those small acts of caring made a big difference for us. It really calmed us down. We depended on Eva, and she did everything perfectly.”

This was a substantial sale, well north of $5M. And as Shari mentioned, the escrow was unusually quick. I’m honored that Bob and Shari entrusted me with such an important moment in their life and am proud to have helped make their move a calmer and more joyful experience.

“We are retiring to a great little community in Thousand Oaks. There are some beautiful hiking trails and we’re very excited by our new neighbors. We’re even able to take classes at the local college.”

“And although we’re going to miss Pasadena and the great times we’ve had in this home, Bob and I are excited that a new family with young children will be moving in and building memories here just as sweet and treasured as our own!” Shari beamed.