What is your name? Charles Pence 
When is your birthday and what’s your sign? 8/16/1945 and I am a Leo.
Who are your parents? Orville and Amy Pence
Where were you born and where did you grow up? Born: Duke University Hospital, Durham North Carolina. Grew up in Seattle Washington
Which college? University of Washington – Go Huskies!
Which sports did you play? Soccer and Rugby for the University. Tennis personally
What brought you to LA? When was that? Actor/model in 1973
What brought you to real estate? A friend was selling houses and it sounded fascinating and lucrative with no income ceiling.
What did you do with your first commission check? I put it in a savings account to pay rent and groceries for the next 3-4 months. It felt like my life as an actor, I was only as good as my last gig and I didn’t know when the next one would come.
How did you meet John and Loraine? When John joined the Jon Douglas Company we got to know each other. A few months later I was looking for a new business partner. He seemed to have the same business goals, drive, direction and ethics that I have, so I asked if he would be interested in partnering up. Loraine, John and I met the next Spring. The manager of the Santa Monica office told John and I that she was going to be moving on from a business partnership that wasn’t working out and would we be interested in another partner? We had a meeting with her and thought she was a perfect fit for our team. She was smart, very successful and as a woman would add an element to our business that would give us a broader appeal.
What is your greatest achievement professionally? Building, with my partners, a very successful and widely respected Real Estate business from the ground up. I grew up tremendously as a person and especially as a business professional through the process. It is great to look back at what we have created but far more exciting to see what we can build in the future, understanding that we will never be done building our business.
What is your motto? “What I don’t know I can learn” and “Do the right thing the first time.”
What are your favorite real estate experiences? My favorite real estate experiences are generally born out of the necessity to change and stay relevant to our industry…experiences that make me grow.I loved when, in 1984, we did our first American Flag distribution. We placed thousands of high quality American flags in front of every house north of Montana Ave. It was a herculean feat, beginning weeks prior to the July 4th holiday. On the morning of the fourth at 3:30 A.M, with the help of 10-15 kids from Boys Scout Troop 2, we began the operation! We had five adult drivers, each with two scouts, and each driver and their scouts only had to distribute and install them on two streets. It was incredibly emotional and beautiful to see the flags lined up perfectly in the center of each front yard, four feet in from the sidewalk as the sun was coming up. It looked incredible. There was the smell of fresh morning air and even a coyote or two making a mad dash north heading back to the hills. We had 50 residents call, write us letters, some crying (they were so emotional at the sight) to thank us….war veterans, current service, parents of current service personnel, and many elderly folks. It was coincidental but it was also the year the Olympics were held in Los Angeles so it heightened everyone’s sense of patriotism.
Least favorite? Any of the transactions with thankless people or those that think and act as if they know better than we do what should be done. Unfortunately they make the process unpleasant for all and the results fall well short of the optimal results.
PART II of this interview will be continued in a future post…..
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Here is your real-time real estate market info:
No new listings this week. Maybe some people are still hung-over from Labor Day weekend. 7 homes are in escrow and there are 3 sales. There have been 45 closed sales so far this year – up from 43 the previous week.
No New Listings this Week
New Sales this Week
225 22nd St. – 5 bedrooms + 8 baths. $5,980,000. New construction Cape Cod. Over 6,400 square feet features 3 levels with an elevator, luxurious lower level guest suite, gym, bonus room, 800 bottle wine cellar, home theater. Spacious formal living and dining rooms and a well-appointed kitchen. 7,500 square foot, 50 x 150 lot.
241 19th St. – 5 bedrooms + 6 baths. $4,995,000. Listed by Pence Hathorn Silver. Gorgeous Country English significantly remodeled recently. Huge subterranean level with exquisite craftsmanship and quality details. Sophisticated backyard with saline pool and spa, and more. Last sold in March 2011 for $4,031,000.
1002 Alta Ave. – 3bd + 4ba. $3,699,000. Beautiful home on a large corner lot. Features an open floor plan, hardwood floors, stainless steel appliances, formal dining room. Master suite with upgraded bathroom. Last sold in May 1991 for $1,505,000.
New Closed Deals this Week
724 San Vicente– 4 bedrooms + 4 baths. $2,000,000.
Pence Hathorn Silver Active Properties:
502 16th St. – 5 bedrooms + 7.5 baths – $8,495,000
440 15th St. – 5 bedrooms + 6.5 baths – $5,395,000
241 19th St. – 5 bedrooms + 6 baths – $4,995,000
721 23rd St. – 5 bedrooms + 5.5 baths – $4,495,000
100 Esparta Way – 4 bedrooms + 2.75 baths – $3,199,000
12727 Sunset Blvd. – 4 bedrooms + 4.5 baths – $2,345,000
416 Entrada Dr. – 3 bedrooms + 1.75 baths – $1,450,000
2402 11th St. – Duplex, 2 bedrooms + 1 bath – $1,258,000
937 12th St. #211 – 1 bedroom + 1 bath – $625,000
Search for more homes, see real time analytics and learn about the North Santa Monica / North of Montana Ave. community on our North of Montana blog. Add your comments (scroll down to the “Add Your Comment” section) and read other blogs. And please call my mobile phone (310) 924-4014 with any questions.
