Leslie Whitlock, small business owner of Leslie Whitlock Staging Company, passed away this week of complications from pneumonia and our team is grieving. Leslie was a talented creative independent stager with eclectic cool taste. I enjoyed working with Leslie because I love and appreciate talent and passion. Leslie had an amazing design eye and his staging was unique and hip and his houses didn’t look staged. Leslie took pride in his work and he was so proud when the houses he staged sold quickly and for top dollar. When I asked owners if they’d like to work with Leslie, I always presented him as a talented creative who beat to his own drum; you couldn’t necessarily count on any specific date, but when the staging was done on Leslie’s time, you could count on the result being out of the box and done well. I loved how Leslie was trusting and also caring. During Corona, we worked with a seller who couldn’t afford to pay out of pocket, and he asked if he could stage without paying upfront. Even though Leslie was a small business owner with not a lot of reserves, he agreed to get paid for his staging at the close of escrow. The house sold right away and Leslie got paid in full for his staging from the proceeds at the close of escrow; the gesture was kind, generous, and trusting on Leslie’s part and he did the job so well. The most successful sale Leslie collaborated with us on, was a house in Hancock Park we listed after it was listed by another agent. The highest offer on the table before we came on board was 3.2. We got an offer for 3.9. Leslie was a large part of that success story. Leslie was a large part of many success stories. I will always remember Leslie for his strong work ethic, his commitment to doing things well, his keen eye and design flair, and his wild creative spirit.
I’m excited for our new listing at 128 N Kilkea. The house is filled with character, high ceilings, and so much charm. The owners remodeled the kitchen in 2016 and the appliances are new from 2020. The previous owners added a master suite to the back of the house, complete with a walk-in closet, bath with tub and shower, bay window to the yard, and French doors to a large deck. The previous owners also converted the garage to a soundproof rec room that’s currently used as a large sunshine filled outdoor living/work space/gym. My favorite part of the house is the backyard – I love the huge shady beautiful tree, the outdoor living room on one side and the basketball court for the kids on the other, and the high privacy hedges all around. Like their house, the owners are super cool too!
I’m also excited for a listing coming to market early next week at 950 S Muirfield. The property is a little jewel box and a gem. It’s a gated celebrity hideaway cottage with two beds, 1 bath, a super charming remodeled kitchen, private yard and bonus living space in the garage. The highlight of the house is the gated inner courtyard with seating area around an outdoor fireplace; it’s cool that the character living room opens up to the courtyard with great flow for entertaining. That house is a sweet deal for 1,200,000.
As a person who works a lot, the best people in life to me are the people who genuinely care. My favorite people are those who: 1) take great pride in the work they commit to do and they do their work super well 2) serve with humility the people who hire them and 3) charge a price for their service that feels fair for the product that they deliver. I so appreciate Oscar, our painter of 10+ years, who often works through the night, with extra lights hung up on hooks, to get a project done in time. Oscar’s family lives in Mexico and he sends them money and he visits them when he has a break in his work schedule. Oscar is the hardest working, most generous, happiest, sweetest human and he easily meets my three criteria for the favorites list. Peter, my lawyer and real estate advisor of 14 years, is another person who is smart, compassionate, devoted, humble, and such a great human being. As a service professional, I hold myself to those same standards. I want to be on the favorites list for 1) taking great pride in the work that I commit to do and doing it super well 2) serving with humility and gratitude the clients who hire me to represent their special sanctuary and 3) having the clients feel that the service was killer and therefore so worth the price they paid for it.
Service people who are favorites make a mark on the world and their presence is missed when they’re no longer here. Leslie Whitlock was a favorite and he’ll be sorely missed.
Xoxoxxoo,
Sheri
