A day in the life of the foreclosure king

The South Bay’s “king of foreclosures” Leo Nordine works the phones. He closes about 25 sales a month working from his Hermosa Beach home.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Nordine, at his Hermosa Beach home, is a longtime surfer and real estate broker.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

No shoes or sleeves are required in Nordine’s home office. He has sold 3,500 bank-owned homes during the last two decades.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Most mornings, Nordine starts his day with a bit of surf time.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Nordine at Palos Verdes Cove.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Nordine helps his son, Nate, get ready for school.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Nordine hugs his son, Nate, before he leaves for school.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Nordine with his collection of more than 50 surfboards in his garage.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Nordine’s son, Nate, heads out to catch the morning carpool to school. Nordine and his wife, Molly, left, run their real estate office at their home.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Nordine works with his staff in the office he has set up in the guest house of his Hermosa Beach home.  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

Nordine wades through hundreds of files on homes. He treats his clients with dignity. He understands that homeowners may think of him as an evil person, the guy with the job of selling their homes. “Whether I sell their houses or not, they are getting foreclosed,” he said. “I negotiate the best deal I can for them ... cash for keys.”  (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)