Boulevard real estate office action

| April 26, 2018 | 0 Comments

NEW REAL ESTATE OFFICE is on the second floor of the former Larchmont Hardware building.

Business is bustling, as is usual in the real estate market this time of year. Larchmont is no exception, and it will soon count three big brokerages on the Boulevard.

The newest, Pacific Union International, has yet to open (a summer debut is planned), but design plans are well underway on the expansive second floor at 156 N. Larchmont Blvd.

Boasting a rooftop terrace with views of Griffith Observatory and downtown, “at nighttime it just shines,” said Pacific Union Larchmont office associate manager Bret Parsons.

The outdoor patio will be furnished and have hedges at the edges.

“The whole idea of this is to be a community outpost,” he added.

Parsons will work with a 20-member sales team, overseen by manager Susan Jacobs, who will also be in charge of the Toluca Lake branch.

When we visited last month, the space was empty except for a work table, but design choices have all been made, said Parsons.

Inside the space, floor-to-ceiling windows face tree tops and Larchmont Boulevard below. A contemporary light fixture will hang over a lounge facing the streetside window, flanked by soundproof telephone booths. The space also will include a conference room and broker offices under an open-beam wood ceiling.

Architects, designers and landscapers will offer drop-in clinics for residents.

“This is a boutique for the community to use,” Parsons said.

PACIFIC UNION office associate manager Bret Parsons in the new space.

Parsons, a Windsor Village resident, also will spearhead the launch of an architectural division.

“It’s exciting. This is the lucky #21 office in Southern California.”

Also in the major real estate office line-up in Larchmont Village and serving Hancock Park and its environs are Coldwell Banker and Keller Williams — both with design plans of their own.

Coldwell Banker’s offices are being updated to meet the needs and customer lifestyles of the 21st century, said John Winther, office manager of 119 North and 251 South Larchmont Blvd.

The two sites are part of the legacy left behind by the late real estate forerunners Fred Sands and Jon Douglas. At one time there were four real estate offices on the street: Jon Douglas, Fred Sands, Prudential and Coldwell Banker, Winther said.

Today 80 people work in both offices of the New Jersey-based Coldwell Banker.

When asked what the Coldwell Banker North and South combined sales volume was, Winther said, “It’s big.

“We have the largest market share for the area. We’re ranked #1 and #2 not only in the Larchmont area but in Greater Los Angeles.”

Business is so good at Keller Williams Realty, upstairs at 118 N. Larchmont, that a satellite office opened in Miracle Mile last year, at 5150 Wilshire Blvd.

Another satellite office is poised to open in Koreatown by the end of the year, said Larchmont office CEO and team leader Joey Sacavitch.

About 380 agents serve the area office and satellites.

“Ours is different from a traditional brokerage,” Sacavitch explained, allowing for a more inclusive split of sales commissions among the many sales people.

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