When Daniel Katz called me in January, he and his siblings were carrying the weight of a difficult decision. After losing their father in 2014 and their mother in late 2024, they faced having to let go of the extraordinary home their parents had spent a lifetime creating.

“You think… We’re actually doing this.”

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It was a blast growing up here. We enjoyed the pool tremendously, as well as many intense competitions on the basketball, paddleball, and shuffleboard courts. We would have these amazing formal gatherings in the dining room for every holiday meal and my parents often held charitable events here, especially for our local temple. People always wanted to come see the house because it’s so unique.

“Our mother had told us that she hoped the house would stay in the family for another ten years after she passed away. And as much as we wanted to honor her wish, none of us were in a position to move into the home. I’m the only one who still lives in the area. My sister, Sondra, moved to Chicago, my brother, Aaron, lives in San Diego, and my younger sister, Sarah, lives in Seattle. While we were all conflicted about it, we realized it was time to sell and made the decision together.

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“You don’t realize how difficult a decision like that is until you actually get started on it. Since our mother passed, I’ve been prepping the home, dealing with the pool guy, the gardener, maintenance, and the estate sale company. It brings up a ton of really happy memories, but also a lot of nostalgia and sadness. You think, wow, this is reality. We’re actually doing this.

“Our mom passed away in November 2024, and by January we had interviewed six Realtors. Eva Lin just blew us away. She doesn’t just tell you what you want to hear. Instead we found her to be very forthcoming about the reality of the market we faced. We first learned about Eva when my niece worked with her a few years ago to sell her house. She told us that Eva was excellent, that she moved fast, did things respectfully, and kept her promises. And that’s exactly what we found.

“At the time, we were also selling my sister’s home in Pasadena. That was really the first test we gave Eva. We thought that if she did a good job with my sister’s home then she would be the right choice to sell our parents’ more unique home. Eva suggested a pricing strategy based on the current market, and though my brother was initially skeptical, she was absolutely right. We had multiple offers and she made believers out of us all.

“When it was time to sell our parents’ home, we were concerned because a house like this is not for everyone. But Eva said, ‘Don’t worry, we’ll find your buyer.’ And sure enough, just shortly after listing we had three or four interested parties bidding against each other.

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“Eva’s attention to detail was remarkable. During the walkthrough, she didn’t miss a beat. Her team was amazing too. They treated the house like it was their own, taking care of both the property and us, the property owners. Most importantly, we could tell that Eva didn’t just want to find any buyer, she wanted to find the right buyer, someone who would appreciate a home as unique as this one. I can’t tell you how much this reduced our stress about the sale.

“Both homes went into escrow after just a few weeks and sold well above asking. This was a better outcome than we could have imagined. A new family with at least three kids is moving in, and I think it’s awesome to know that they will be making this their home. It really feels like we are honoring our parents’ memory by finding someone who will fill this house with the same love and life our parents did.

“And personally, it feels like a major burden is being lifted. Taking care of the home after our mother’s passing has been more emotional than I expected. This house has been part of my life for so long. But knowing that children will be running around here again, using that pool, making their own handprints, and how our parents would be so happy about that, has meant everything to me and my siblings. We couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome.”

Working with Daniel and his siblings through this profound transition has been a truly meaningful experience. This wasn’t just about selling a house. It was about helping a family honor their parents’ legacy while finding peace by letting go. Knowing that this extraordinary home will once again be filled with the laughter of children feels like the perfect way to honor their parents’ legacy. I’m honored to have played a part in helping them do exactly that.