Real Estate Q&A: Laurie Hudson

The following interview by Editor-in-Chief Frances Sharpe with Laurie Hudson, a realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services, continues our series of monthly Q & A columns with leading realtors and local real estate professionals.

Sharpe: Tell us about your upbringing. Where did you grow up and what kind of work did your parents do?  Hudson: I was born in the Central California town of Taft, the third of four girls within six years. My father was an engineer with Chevron, and we literally lived in the oil fields. When I was five, we moved to the San Francisco area to a small suburb called Los Altos. We lived there until I was going into the seventh grade when we moved to Balboa Island and shortly thereafter to Newport Beach. I remained there through high school where I graduated from Corona del Mar High School.

Sharpe: How would you describe your family life? Hudson: My family life was “close” and very “conventional” – my dad went to work five days a week, and my mother stayed home to take care of the kids and household.

Sharpe: What was your childhood home like? Hudson: My home as a child started out very modest – “company housing” where my three sisters and I all shared a bedroom and the entire family shared one bathroom. When we moved to Los Altos our home grew to two bedrooms and two baths, and in Newport Beach we moved to our first two-story house that actually had five bedrooms and three baths.

Sharpe: How did your childhood help shape your success in life? Hudson: My childhood was very stable, and my parents loved me and my sisters and were involved in all aspects of my life. They always made sure that our schools were good and that we lived in neighborhoods where there were many other children. They created an environment that allowed me to succeed in school. With their support I was able to attend two prestigious universities.

Sharpe: Where did you go to college? What did you study? I attended both Stanford University and the University of California at Berkeley. After high school I began as a freshman at Stanford and attended that school for two years. I then transferred to Cal where I was a theatre arts major, graduating from there with that degree.

Sharpe: What were your first paid jobs? Did you have a business mind from an early age? Hudson: I worked while in high school – mainly as a waitress during the summers. When I was in college my financial aid packages at Stanford and Cal included paid part-time work/study jobs at the university libraries. I think I always had a business mind. I was an organized thinker at an early age. I earned my own spending money as a child with my weekly chores, and I always helped support myself from high school on during my student years.

Sharpe: What were some of your activities or passions in high school or college? Hudson: I was a competitive swimmer in middle school and high school – that was a passion. I was also passionate about my studies and my grades were important to me. In college I became passionate about the theater and after graduating from UC Berkeley I went on to study acting professionally in New York City at the Neighborhood Playhouse.

Sharpe: What was your first job out of college? Hudson: I was always a waitress throughout my days at the Neighborhood Playhouse and afterwards while attempting to support myself as a paid actress.

Sharpe: How did you get into your career in real estate? Hudson: I returned to Los Angeles after several years in New York and began my career as a real estate agent thinking I could use the flexible scheduling aspects of that career to allow me to pursue a career in acting at the same time. I soon realized that I really enjoyed my career as a real estate agent and I guess one could say that I “outgrew” my desire to have an acting career. I left acting behind, never looked back and continued with my career as a residential real estate agent always with an office in the Palisades.

Sharpe: What do you remember about your first transaction? Hudson: I remember that I was thrilled and a bit disbelieving that it was actually happening.

Sharpe: Did it take you a long time to find success in this field or did things happen quickly for you? Hudson: I was fortunate to start off my first year with enough transactions to fully support myself. I never looked back, and I have gratefully enjoyed the work, the people and the success ever since.

Sharpe: Who have been some of your most important mentors in the real estate business? Hudson: Fred McMillan, who was one of my early managers at the Jon Douglas Company, served as an early mentor and advisor. Currently, and for the past 13-plus years, my manager John Closson has always been one of my most important mentors and advisors.

Sharpe: What’s your philosophy about selling real estate? Hudson: I focus on cultivating and maintaining relationships with my clients and not on closing transactions. I also strive to keep my clients’ best interest foremost as the guiding principle defining my actions.

Sharpe: What are some of the most important traits real estate professionals need to have in today’s market? Hudson: Integrity, patience, energy, excellent communication skills and empathy, self-motivation, intelligence and an ability to organize all aspects of the business.

Sharpe: What’s a typical day like for you? Hudson: After dropping off my second-grade daughter at Palisades Elementary, I head into my office. I typically arrive there between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. On some days, I’m in my office working on marketing my listings, searching properties for my buyers, managing my transactions and speaking and emailing with my clients. On other days, I’m out in the field showing my listings, showing properties to my buyers or previewing Westside properties. I try to end my day at the gym for an hour-plus before arriving home at 6 p.m.

Sharpe: How has the real estate business changed in the last five to 10 years? Hudson: Of course, there is now more of an emphasis on online marketing and communications. As of the past several years, there is also an increase in using social networking as a way to communicate with clients and to market properties as well as to market oneself.

Sharpe: Where do you see the real estate business heading in the future? Hudson: I see a continuing emphasis on online communication and marketing. I’m also hoping that there will be more paperless components available for our processes.

Sharpe: What are the top reasons your clients give for wanting to purchase homes in Pacific Palisades? Hudson: The lifestyle in the Palisades is hard to beat. It offers the benefits of a small town community all within the sophistication and service-rich environment of one of the world’s most vibrant cities – Los Angeles. The fantastic school choices, from pre-school through high school, are also a very important draw. The proximity to the beach and to the mountains, the amazing weather and the Village amenities and atmosphere are all important to my clientele.

Sharpe: Can you tell us about your life in the Palisades? Hudson: I have lived in the Palisades happily for the past 20 years. I have travelled extensively, and I am truly living where I want to be. I love California. I love the ocean, the mountains and the weather of this incredible community. I’m an avid surfer, I run on the beach every morning at dawn and I love this community and how I see friends and clients throughout the day – either at the market, at my daughter’s school, at Starbucks, wherever.

Sharpe: How did having a child change the way you feel about the community? Hudson: Since having a daughter seven years ago, my roots have gone even deeper into this community. I have always been very involved in her schools (Methodist Preschool and now Pali Elementary).

Sharpe: What are some of the things you and your family enjoy doing in the Palisades? Hudson: We love to go to the beach with friends and we love to boogie board together. We love hiking to the waterfall in Temescal Canyon. We love walking to school in the mornings and greeting our friends as we go. Our life here is a dream come true.

5 Things I Love About the Palisades

1. The community benefits while raising a child. We know there are other families looking out for us and our daughter. We feel their support all around us throughout each day.

2. The small town aspects and benefits.

3. The sophistication of being part of a major city.

4. The weather (I know, how predictable).

5. The proximity to nature, both to the beach and to the mountains.

Laurie Hudson is a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services with over 20 years of residential experience. Contacts: (310) 230-3754 and LaurieHudson@prula.com.