9.23.22 | DIGS.NET 57
native, and had three sons. ‡ey lived
for years in Manhattan Beach, where
Teri first became involved in local groups
like Sandpipers, of which she's a lifetime
member, and Manhattan Beach Educa-
tion Foundation, and then Vistas for our
Children and Peninsula Education Foun-
dation. ‡ey moved back to the Peninsula
and today it remains the place where, in
addition to the Beach Cities, she's focused
her real estate business for the last 25-plus
years. "I have a vast understanding of the
nuances of all the different and diverse
neighborhoods," Teri says of these
communities, "and what that brings to
the table for buyers and sellers."
Real estate has never just been a job—
it's a way to directly enrich the place she
loves. "It's about people at the end of the
day," the agent explains, "because they
make the community." For her to have a
hand in producing the unique satisfaction
that clients experience when they find the
home of their dreams, or to help a client
move on to a new chapter of life; well,
that's been the greatest reward of her work.
‡e best agents are often those perceptive
to the human condition, and possess a
sensitive understanding of the emotional
impact of buying or selling one's home. "I
have a lot of empathy and understanding
for people that are going through difficult
times, whatever those might be," says the
real estate agent, describing how a sudden
loss she experienced in 2009 only accen-
tuated this trait. It's a quality that turns
clients into friends ("In 9 out of 10 deals
I do, I want to have my clients over for
dinner," she quips), and helps her excel at
negotiation. "I try to make every nego-
tiation amicable, even enjoyable," she
explains. "If you are a good communicator
there's no reason anyone should get upset."
Now in her third decade in real estate,
Teri is starting to work with second-gen-
eration clients. ‡ese are the children of
those clients she started working with
years ago; and she observes different
shades of emotion in a business packed
with them: Whether it's the bitter-
sweet sale of a longtime family home
for a client she attended Malaga Cove
Junior High School with, or the exuber-
ance of the 30-year-old son of a client
who she's just helped land a first home.
In all of these situations, her goal is to
make it all better—soften the lows and
heighten the highs. "It's challenging,
yet can be highly rewarding," Teri says
of real estate, "and at the end of the day,
it's all about making people happy."
Top: SOLD! New Manhattan Beach Construction
Bottom: SOLD! Gorgeous Ocean View – Paseo del Mar
Top: IN ESCROW! Charming Designer Remodel – Lunada Bay
*Represented Buyers
Bottom: Designer Kitchen – interior Shot of above
M
A
R
K
E
T