I recently helped an amazing client to sell her home at 1559 Diamond Avenue in South Pasadena. This was the second home in South Pasadena that I sold for this particular client. Below is a summary of the journey we took together in getting this beautiful 1911 craftsman home sold.
To set the stage – directly below is the review that my client left on my Google Reviews.
“Consistently Exceptional — Derek Delivers Again! After our first experience working with Derek Vaughan of South Pasadena Homes (shared in a previous review) we had complete confidence returning to him for the sale of our second property. Once again, he delivered an outstanding result: the home sold above asking after just 12 days on the market.
Derek handled everything from coordinating trades, ensuring the home was market-ready, and managing each step with professionalism and care. His attention to detail and thoughtful approach made the entire process seamless and flawlessly delivered from start to finish.
This second sale confirmed that the first wasn’t just a one-time success. Derek brings a clear strategy, deep market insight, and genuine enthusiasm to his work. He doesn’t just list homes, he positions them to stand out from the rest, and it shows in the results.
What continues to impress us most is Derek’s consistency. He brings the same energy, focus, and commitment to every sale, regardless of the situation. If you’re looking for an agent who’s responsive, hands-on, and always a step ahead, Derek Vaughan is the one to trust.
Derek, thank you for your continued dedication, insight, and professionalism. You make what could be a stressful experience feel smooth, personal, and even enjoyable. You’re incredibly easy to work with, and working with you again has only deepened our appreciation for the exceptional service you provide.”
What led to this glowing review? Here’s a bit of detail on that.
1559 Diamond Avenue was a pretty nice looking home from the street when I first saw it. Sure, it needed some paint and (I didn’t know this at the time) the roof needed replacing – but it had a nice wide lot with a large front lawn and the architecture (low slung airplane craftsman) really made the house stand out. It was also in a great location – right down the street from South Pasadena High School.
The home had been a rental for a number of years and the interior needed attention to prepare it for sale. While the renters had been relatively gentle on the property – it had deferred maintenance.
Thankfully the owner didn’t have a tight deadline and also had a reasonable budget to prep the house for sale. Since the owner lived geographically distant – the oversight of any work performed became my responsibility.
The first order of business was the roof. I have had roofs replaced myself in South Pasadena and have also had numerous real estate clients who have hired roofers. I suggested several reputable companies that have done quality work here in South Pasadena for my client to interview by phone. She selected a great company and turned the project over to me. I coordinated with the roofers to remove the old roof – then do significant wood repair on the structure and put on the new roof.
Next came a few repairs and upgrades. The water heater was replaced by local experts – Morrow and Holman. I supervised that. Then the vent for the water heater needed replacing. Next was the HVAC system checkout and tuneup. The kitchen floor looked tired and worn – so we replaced the kitchen floor with really nice slate tile from local vendor – Mission Tile. It looked great. Then a few plumbing issues – including replacing the kitchen faucet with a brand new designer faucet and sprayer.
We then had the electrical system checked out by my favorite South Pasadena electrician. Noting a number of issues – the owner decided to replace the entire electrical panel. I oversaw all that work – including digging a trench to the garage to get the electrical connection underground. I also arranged for the electric company to reconnect the panel to the pole once the city inspectors had approved the final install.
Finally it was time to paint. I suggested my favorite painter to the client and oversaw the quoting process – making sure that we did enough to make the house look great without completely re-painting the entire interior and exterior.
Once the painting was complete – we were almost ready to go to market. The property had a very old and poor looking fence in the back. I recommended that the owner replace the fence prior to sale. She agreed and I oversaw all the work of replacing the back fence. This whole process took several months. Now we were ready to show off the house and had a super solid and beautiful looking property to take to market.
As you can read in other posts – I have an extensive methodology to promoting a home for sale. Below are just a few other things I do that most other realtors don’t.
SouthPasadenaHomes.com – Hundreds of buyers each month coming to take a look. Every visitor is interested in South Pasadena real estate. This is exclusive – no other realtor has this. Currently at around 800+ visitors per month – these are serious potential buyers.
YouTube Mastery – Property tour videos at: YouTube.com/@SouthPasadenaHomes attract actual buyers. The last property tour I shot garnered over 5,400 views and nearly 400 hours of watch time for 1559 Diamond Avenue in just several weeks.
Newsletter – U.S. Postal Service mailing to about 1,000 potential buyers in South Pasadena via my newsletter.
South Pasadenan – The local South Pasadena online newspaper. Thousands more taking a look via BOTH advertising and articles on your property. Your ad will be on every page of this well-read local publication! This is an exclusive ad buy and exposure opportunity.
Instagram – Thousands more coming to take a look. I have gotten as many as 4,500 viewers per post. These are usually short videos which I edit and create the music for.
Best proven method for property brochure – it simply gets people interested in buying. I have perfected this brochure model from years of real world experience and testing.
I pay for the floor plan – the photography – all the advertising – YouTube production – property brochures – mailings out to potential buyers (newsletter and personal letters to interested buyers).
So that’s a bit of what I did to sell 1559 Diamond Avenue in South Pasadena. As noted by my client in the review above, the property was very popular and well liked. It sold in just 12 days after receiving multiple offers and the final sales price was well above the listing price. The final sales price was $2,035,000.
If you need to sell a property in South Pasadena or any of the surrounding communities, reach out to the top realtor in South Pasadena anytime. It would be my pleasure to work together with you.
Derek
