I just finished helping a wonderful couple who relocated from Boston, Massachusetts to find and purchase their “forever” home in Pasadena. I first met Alison and Josh at the Farmer’s Market in South Pasadena. Since they had recently moved to California from Boston and they weren’t sure exactly where in the greater Los Angeles area they wanted to live, we worked together to find them a beautiful historic home the Madison Heights neighborhood of Pasadena to lease. They spent the next 8 months or so getting to know the area and percolating on where they might like to live permanently.
Having settled in, they began their home search in earnest. Since Josh is a chef in Highland Park, the radius surrounding Highland Park, South Pasadena, Pasadena and generally Northeast LA was a good fit for them.
Anyone who has searched for a single family home in Highland Park, South Pasadena or Pasadena recently knows that it has been a very strong seller’s market. This means properties have been selling very quickly, often with multiple offers and contingency removals and all-cash offers are plentiful.
It was into this hyper-competitive market that Alison and Josh began their home search. We looked at dozens of homes online, and visited many in person. After making a handful of strong offers and getting outbid, Alison and Josh found the perfect home at the Library Lofts at 50 West Dayton Street in Pasadena. The original listing price was $780,000 and this was a probate sale requiring court confirmation.
The loft is incredible with truly high ceilings of around 15 feet in height. Among the numerous upgrades are an engineered lighting system that permits flexible mood lighting at the touch of a button. The 2 balconies also provide views of the park and Castle Green – plus the city of Pasadena.
After performing our due diligence, an offer was submitted and accepted at $750,000. To their credit, Alison and Josh proved shrewd negotiators and also have nerves of steel. All through the ups and downs of the probate process and subsequent court appearance – they both maintained their calm demeanors and saw the purchase through with excellence.
Here’s what Alison and Josh had to say about working together with me on this somewhat complex home purchase, “Derek was a tremendous help as we navigated the California real estate market. We are new to the area and Derek’s knowledge of the local neighborhoods and the market made the purchase process much easier. Derek is a true pleasure to work with. He is very professional and extremely detail oriented. He was super responsive every time we had a question. Derek goes above and beyond. He’s very invested in his clients and was there for us every step of the way. Plus, he’s just a really nice guy – – we can’t say enough good things about working with Derek.”
If you or anyone you know could use the same expert help that Alison and Josh describe above. It would be my pleasure to work together with you on selling your current property or finding your next “forever” home.
Derek
