As a real estate expert for more than 20 years, Jennifer Landon of the Landon Realty Group has helped her clients buy and sell some of the most stunning estates in and around the neighborhood. Perhaps none was more notable for Landon than selling the 8,400-square-foot estate of actors Hal Holbrook and Dixie Carter last year.
But the properties that give Landon the most satisfaction are the diamond-in-the-rough homes that allow her to roll up her sleeves.
“My favorite properties are the ones that, with a little bit of elbow grease, can blossom into beautiful homes,” she says. “In one case, I found a distressed property for my buyer, and even though the property was packed with personal belongings and had significant deferred maintenance, I could see that the location and layout of the property had immense potential. We were able to negotiate a great deal, and my client renovated the property. It has since turned out to now be the prettiest house on their street!”
Landon’s willingness to go above and beyond for her clients was recently shown when a major hiccup occurred as a purchase was close to completion.
“We represented a family in the sale of their property and purchasing of another, and a week prior to them selling their home and moving, the seller of their purchase found out there was a large lien that he could not pay,” she explains. “This stopped the sale of their purchase and was about to leave them homeless since the buyers of their home needed to move, too. I worked arduously with the lien holder to renegotiate the lien and close escrow, and everyone was able to move on time.”
Overcoming obstacles is nothing new for Landon, who is always adapting to the ever-changing real estate market and helping clients with any issues that may arise during the buying or selling process.
“Whether it’s restrictions in showing homes due to COVID, fluctuating interest rates, loan programs coming and going, new rules and regulations for sellers or tax advantages and liabilities, my team and I are constantly jumping hurdles for our clients,” she says. “We make it a priority to keep ourselves educated and up to date on changes and how to protect our clients’ interests to ensure they have an experience that they would want to tell their friends and family about.”
Landon explains that each of her clients has a transaction coordinator assigned to their escrow, listing coordinators who oversee the 25-plus steps of preparing a home for sale and social media/marketing specialists promoting their home and ensuring it’s being seen by potential buyers.
Having such a well-organized team comes at a good time as the market shifts to buyers “having a more thoughtful and pragmatic approach than they did during the pandemic,” Landon says. “Buyers have the advantage right now of less competition and negotiation power. For sellers, right now is a reminder that they gained over 30% equity in the last three years when a healthy market is 3–4% a year.”
With Landon, home buyers and sellers have an agent with over two decades of experience at their disposal, as well as a longtime resident who knows the community like the back of her hand.
“As a resident of Toluca Lake, I love helping people buy and sell here — who doesn’t want to work where they live?” she says. “There is nothing like Toluca Lake. It has a je ne sais quoi that is hard to define, but you feel it whenever you walk down Riverside Drive.”
For more information, visit landonrealtygroup.com, email jennifer@lrgla.com or call (818) 613-1767.