We’ve decided that we’re going to start blogging. It’s a great way for us to tell you a bit about us and our business; to introduce you to some of the communities with which we work as well as the great restaurants (we are foodies and also love a great glass of wine, a pint or two of craft beer or a flute of Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs) that surround them; to share fun events taking place in the San Gabriel Valley, great hikes and walks in the region, and places to visit; and, first and foremost, to talk about real estate. This includes the steps to buying a house or condo in California versus other parts of the country and world, how to select the right mortgage, how to prep your home to put up for sale, how to find the right craftsmen to help you turn your a house into your home, and much more.
As this is our first blog post we’re going to start off by introducing ourselves and tell you a bit about our road to Partners Trust Pasadena. As proud members of the founding partners leadership team at Partners Trust Pasadena, we agree with the Los Angeles Business Journal that Partners Trust is one of the “Best Places to Work in Los Angeles." The accolades continued this week when Pasadena Weekly announced that Partners Trust Pasadena was voted the "Best Real Estate Office in Pasadena" for 2015.
After a stint working in Zaire for Morrison-Knudsen International after we were married, we relocated back to the San Gabriel Valley. Moving to Arcadia was a no-brainer as Brad grew up in Alhambra; and when Susan and her family lived stateside, they called Sierra Madre home. Susan was the first one of us to get into real estate. For as long as Susan can remember she loved visiting homes, and thoroughly enjoyed house hunting with her mother each time that her family was transferred for her father’s job. Having moved frequently as a child and having lived both in the United States and abroad, Susan can easily relate to clients who are being transferred in or out of the area and understands the nuances of moving frequently. She joined Herbert Hawkins 30 years ago. After leaving the world of finance, Susan and Brad joined forces in 1988.
Since then, we’ve worked together for a number of different firms in Pasadena, including Sotheby’s International Realty, where we were one of the "Top Ten Producing Teams" in the United States in 2011. Shortly after, we were approached by Nick Segal, president and founding partner of Partners Trust, to be one of the founding partners of Partners Trust’s expansion into the San Gabriel Valley––first into Pasadena in 2012 and later, as investors, in the La Canada Flintridge office.
We’re passionate about what we do and believe that Partners Trust’s commitment to its clients is unparalleled and that its belief that “every client deserves discreet and peerless service based on a foundation of trust” most closely mirrors our vision of how we conduct our business. We believe that there’s nothing better than helping our clients find their dream home. Come to think of it, who wouldn’t love being a dream maker?