Curb appeal
Barry Fox
Hometown: New Orleans
Age: 35
WORKS FOR: Sunset Boulevard office of DBL Realtors
TERRITORY: Hollywood Hills
PREVIOUS LIFE: Producer for MTV in New York.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: Subway
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: Saab
CHA-CHING MOMENT: No longer caring if I go over my “anytime” minutes.
WEIRDEST REQUEST: “A really great space for our teepee.”
YOUR CURB APPEAL: Directness -- I can’t fake enthusiasm for a house I really don’t appreciate.
SLOGAN: Listen to the client.
DEAL-BREAKERS: Shabby Chic, gold hardware or too much marble.
HOBBIES: Art collecting, drawing, swimming, grilling.
WHAT YOU LIVE IN: 1940s Modern home in the Bird Streets with lots of Billy Haines influence.
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Barry Sloane
Hometown: Melbourne, Australia
Age: Very youthful mid-fifties
WORKS FOR: Sotheby’s International Realty
TERRITORY: Silver Lake to Malibu; properties that are historic or architecturally significant
PREVIOUS LIFE: Producer/director/writer for TV, documentaries and specials.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: Mercedes-Benz sport coupe
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: BMW 745Li
CHA-CHING MOMENT: Not the biggest sale by any means, but the biggest thrill was selling Frank Lloyd Wright’s “La Miniatura” in Pasadena.
WEIRDEST REQUEST: A primal scream room and a panic room.
YOUR CURB APPEAL: Energy and knowledge.
ARE YOU A FIXER-UPPER OR IN MOVE-IN CONDITION? Move-in condition (but with humility).
SLOGAN: The client always comes first.
DEAL-BREAKERS: Rudeness and screaming.
HOBBIES: Collecting contemporary art.
WHAT YOU LIVE IN: 1924 Spanish by a great architect.
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Michael Slater
Hometown: Arcadia
Age: 44
WORKS FOR: Prudential California Realty A John Aaroe Division
TERRITORY: Silver Lake, Los Feliz, Hollywood Hills and Elysian Heights
PREVIOUS LIFE: Catering.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: Honda Accord
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: Lexus
CHA-CHING MOMENT: Finalizing architectural plans for the vacation house I’m building in Maui.
WEIRDEST REQUEST: A buyer asked me to help finance the purchase of their house.
YOUR CURB APPEAL: I’m very accessible--and have a good sense of humor.
ARE YOU A FIXER-UPPER OR IN MOVE-IN CONDITION? I am a “move-in condition with character.”
SLOGAN: I bow before the divinity in myself and others.
DEAL-BREAKERS: When people are dishonest or will not listen to reason.
HOBBIES: Playing the piano, gardening, writing and studying Italian.
WHAT YOU LIVE IN: A serene Spanish in the hills with a wonderful garden and great tomatoes.
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Steven Kaufman
Hometown: Los Angeles
Age: 37
WORKS FOR: Coldwell Banker Previews International
TERRITORY: North of the 10 Freeway to Ventura Boulevard
PREVIOUS LIFE: Home interior design.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: Ford pickup
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: Cadillac
CHA-CHING MOMENT: At the register at Gucci.
WEIRDEST REQUEST: “Is there a way we can find out if
the bathtub fits two?”
YOUR CURB APPEAL: I get it.
ARE YOU A FIXER-UPPER OR IN MOVE-IN CONDITION? Move-in, but always renovating.
SLOGAN: I didn’t know she was your girlfriend.
HOBBIES: Furniture and more furniture.
YOU LIVE IN: Mies van der Rohe and concrete.
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Lance Eng
Hometown: Brainerd, Minn., a town of 10,000 made famous by the movie “Fargo.”
Age: 30
WORKS FOR: Hancock Park office of Coldwell Banker
TERRITORY: Have Deal, Will Travel
PREVIOUS LIFE: Restaurateur.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: Honda Civic
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: A Lexus that’s a Ferrari poser
CHA-CHING MOMENT: When I made $5,000 for less than eight hours of work.
WEIRDEST EXPERIENCE: When the buyer rented a limousine to look at houses in the Hollywood Hills and it got stuck in the narrow streets, the driver got lost and I got car sick.
YOUR CURB APPEAL: Service, service, service.
ARE YOU A FIXER-UPPER OR IN MOVE-IN CONDITION? Move-in condition with gourmet kitchen, pool, tennis court, hot tub and 10-year warranty.
SLOGAN: Take care of the client.
HOBBIES: Reading books on how to make more money.
DEAL-BREAKERS: People with Champagne tastes and beer budgets.
WHAT YOU LIVE IN: A cozy nest with great views that’s one block from my Starbucks.
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Jon Root
Hometown: Santa Monica
Age: 40
WORKS FOR: Synthesis Realty Group, LLC
TERRITORY: Luxury estate and resort properties here and abroad
PREVIOUS LIFE: 1988 Olympic gold medalist in volleyball.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: A white Yugo with a USA Volleyball logo across both sides of the car. Imagine a 6-foot-6 guy getting out of that car.
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: Upgrading to a Cadillac Escalade SUV.
CHA-CHING MOMENTS: $200,000 contract to play professional volleyball in Italy.
EIRDEST REQUEST: A buyer in California who wanted to make the master bathroom open-air (a pretty cool idea to me).
YOUR CURB APPEAL: I tell it like it is. From my days representing the U.S. as an athlete, I learned to represent with integrity.
ARE YOU A FIXER-UPPER OR IN MOVE-IN CONDITION?
Fixer-upper. I like to be creative in enhancing a property.
SLOGAN: Everything is connected.
DEAL-BREAKERS: Passive-aggressive buyers.
HOBBIES: Hiking, mountain biking, cooking, creative arts, participating in sacred Native American ceremonies.
WHAT YOU LIVE IN: A triplex in Venice with wood floors and original trompe l’oeil mural on living room wall.
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Brett Bodrato
Hometown: Northvale, N.J.
Age: 39
WORKS FOR: Sotheby’s International Realty
TERRITORY: Sunset Strip, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood
PREVIOUS LIFE: Interior designer in New York.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: BMW
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: BMW
CHA-CHING MOMENT: My first sale as an agent was to Dr. Phil McGraw in Beverly Hills.
WEIRDEST REQUEST: Nothing surprises me here; in L.A., the weird request seems to be the norm.
YOUR CURB APPEAL: Outgoing and friendly; try to make looking for a home as stress-free as possible. Treating clients to a good meal never hurts either.
ARE YOU A FIXER-UPPER OR IN MOVE-IN CONDITION? I’m happier with myself as I get older.
SLOGAN: Treat others as you would like to be treated.
HOBBIES: Riding horses (spent years showing hunter jumpers), rollerblading, travel.
DEAL-BREAKERS: Lack of integrity and loyalty.
WHAT YOU LIVE IN: Just sold my house in the Hollywood Hills.
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Chris Dickson
Hometown: Pasadena
Age: 38
WORKS FOR: Dickson Podley Realtors
TERRITORY: San Gabriel Valley
PREVIOUS LIFE: Began real estate career directly out of college, later taking over operation of father’s company, Jim Dickson Realtors. Last year merged with Podley & Associates.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: Honda Accord
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: BMW 740i
CHA-CHING MOMENT: Biggest sale was a $3.25-million home in La Canada.
YOUR CURB APPEAL: My insightfulness, calming objectivity and enthusiastic, visionary spirit.
ARE YOU A FIXER-UPPER OR IN MOVE-IN CONDITION? Just as no home is ever without potential for improvement, I believe that I will always need and desire to grow.
HOBBIES: Surfing, playing guitar and music production.
WHAT YOU LIVE IN: A restored 1932 English cottage.
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Stan Roy
Hometown: Maineville, Ohio
Age: 38
WORKS FOR: Mitchell Roy & Associates Real Estate
TERRITORY: Leona Valley, Eagle Rock, Aliso Viejo, Los Feliz, Westwood
PREVIOUS LIFE: Photographer/climber.
WHAT YOU DROVE THEN: Old truck
WHAT YOU DRIVE NOW: New truck
CHA-CHING MOMENT: A house that had 30 offers, and my buyer got it.
WEIRDEST QUESTION: “Why is there a toilet in that closet?”
YOUR CURB APPEAL: Midwestern calm.
ARE YOU A FIXER-UPPER OR IN MOVE-IN CONDITION? Rustic charmer.
SLOGAN: Energy is like an echo.
DEAL-BREAKERS: Nuclear waste, disclosed or not.
HOBBIES: Climbing, cycling, riding horses, trying to golf.
WHAT YOU LIVE IN: Mid-century traditional.
