Hidden Valley: Southern California’s Secret Celebrity Enclave

Interview and post by : Deidre Woollard & Candice Cerro, REALTOR.com

Reality television shows may have given people the impression that celebrities in Los Angeles spend all their time in Beverly Hills or lunching at The Ivy but some of the biggest celebs actually make their home in quieter places far from the throngs of paparazzi.

We enlisted two local real estate experts, Nicki LaPorta and Karen Crystal, who have each been selling real estate in the area for over a decade, to give us the inside scoop of the world of Hidden Valley. Hidden Valley is a small community located north of Los Angeles in the mountains outside Thousand Oaks, California. Here you’ll find only around 40 homes each with at least 20 acres of property. The area has attracted celebs including Jamie Foxx, Tom Selleck and Ellen Degeneres and Portia de Rossi. Hidden Valley is no trendy newcomer either; for years Sophia Loren owned a ranch with the tranquil name of La Concordia, Robert Wagner ruled the roost at the more prosaically titled RJ Farms and actor William Powell also had a ranch here. The area’s roots actually stretch back further still, into the reaches of old Hollywood when Lake Sherwood was used for the filming of the first Robin Hood movie in the early 1920s.

The area is also attractive to billionaires, none more famously than David H. Murdock, the chairman of Dole Foods, who first began buying land in the area back in the 1980s. Nicki and Karen tell us that they’ve taken some very big spenders on tours through the area. The same things that appeal to their famous clients also appeal to those without name recognition: good schools, private space, scenic beauty and lovely weather. The local private high school Oaks Christian has been attended by children of Wayne Gretzky, Will Smith and Joe Montana and has earned the nickname “Celebrity High.”

(image of Oaks Christian via Oaks Christian Facebook Page)

Those who worry about spending hours in L.A. traffic can also choose to fly in to the nearby Camarillo airport, a perk for those who count this as one of several homes in a luxury portfolio. Some properties are working farms with stables and extensive equestrian facilities while others feature just a few pampered family steeds. Homes tend to be customized to the specific owner’s wants and needs and therefore can stay on the market for a while until the right purchaser is found. Prices start in the $5-to-$6 million range, a price point that weeds out many potential buyers. But as Nicki and Karen tell their clients, you aren’t just buying a home but a lifestyle.

A trip to see a home in Hidden Valley is not a casual in-and-out jaunt. There are no open houses. Nicki and Karen scrupulously screen clients before doors are ever opened and protect the privacy of both buyers and sellers. The pair usually opt to show a home together, giving the potential buyer not just a look at the home and grounds but also at the Hidden Valley lifestyle, a place where the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles doesn’t seem like it exists only an hour away. Nicki and Karen are protective of this part of town, instructing clients that “you can’t get this anywhere else in L.A.” They say that being in Hidden Valley is an emotional connection and that nearly everyone they have helped buy a home here has chosen to stay in the area.

Should you want to make Hidden Valley your home, you might want to take a page from Meryl Streep’s book. If you sighed over Streep’s lovely camera-ready home in “It’s Complicated” you can make the manse your own. The 56-acre ranch is listed for $12 million. The classic Spanish hacienda has a pool house, patio with a terracotta fountain, six-stall horse barn, greenhouse and more.

A look through the eyes of the luxury buyer reveals an emotional core.

By: Karen Crystal

Whether it’s a polite conversation, or a heated discussion, luxury real estate brokers are committed to the value of staging, and sometimes our view of this important marketing strategy may clash with that of our client.

The $ million question: is staging worth the investment?

By staging your home, you are visually inviting buyers to become emotionally attached, thereby enabling them to imagine the lifestyle they’ll soon be enjoying.

Visually inviting

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million, right? So, why are visual images worth so much more than the spoken word? I believe it is because visual images are actually emotional triggers. In fact, studies have shown that at least 65% of us are visual learners, much of which comes from “our minds eye”. Our “Visual memory”.
For example, when luxury buyers describe what they desire in their dream homes and the lifestyle they want to achieve, they tend to use phrases like this.

Here’s how I’d like it to look….

This is my vision…

Let me show you how I am picturing it…..

I can see my family relaxing together…

Here is another important point to remember, not everyone possesses a vivid imagination.

Emotional attachment

Whether you want to admit it or not, we are all emotional beings. Many of our thoughts, and most of our important decisions are charged with emotion.

My observation as a luxury agent, having spent thousands of hours with luxury home buyers, is that they act very differently when buying stocks and bonds, or even buying a company, then they do a home. Luxury buyers may not discuss how they feel regarding their business decisions, but they definitely talk about how they feel when it comes to their home buying decisions.

Those of you who are scientific thinkers, may not believe this is true.

To demonstrate my point, visit the staged model of a brand new luxury home development. I don’t know about you, but the minute I walk through the door, my visual senses awaken. I immediately begin to feel and imagine the lifestyle of the staged model home. Life seems a little better, and I imagine moving in with only my toothbrush. It can be a vivid and emotional experience.

What about you? I’ve watched my own buyers “fall in love” with a home, feeling it in their emotional core. They imagine their children’s birthday party in the backyard, and they picture their family eating at the beautiful dining room table already set for holiday dinner.

Lifestyle

The luxury home buyer is looking for a home where everyday living and the luxury lifestyle are inseparable. The home overlooking the 6th hole of the golf course, with the outdoor living room equipped with a flat screen TV over the fireplace, and a bar for entertaining your family and friends. This is the life….the lifestyle we are selling… and the lifestyle they are buying.

So, when my sellers say (and this is an actual quote),

” If they can’t imagine their stuff in my house just because it is empty, then they are too stupid to afford this house anyway”…

I remind them that we are not selling their 13,000 sq ft house with 12 inch crown moldings, we are selling a home with a lifestyle. We need to market visually to buyer’s emotional needs, as well as their rational minds.

I recommend you ask your seller who is resisting staging this question.” Would you prefer getting a massage at the physical therapists office or the Four Seasons Resort Spa“? The answer is obvious. Then I ask them why they like the spa more than the therapist’s office? They usually say they like the atmosphere in the spa better because it feels more relaxing. ” Is it worth paying more for the massage in the beautiful spa then the cold therapist’s office”? I think most of us would agree the answer is an emphatic, yes.

I believe the luxury home buyer will pay a premium for a staged home that creates a lifestyle image that resonates in their emotional core…and they may just buy all the furniture with it!

Featured Post on a Luxury Homes Blog – Staging a Luxury Property

A look through the eyes of the luxury buyer reveals an emotional core.

By Karen Crystal

Whether it’s a polite conversation, or a heated discussion, luxury real estate brokers are committed to the value of staging, and sometimes our view of this important marketing strategy may clash with that of our client.

The million dollar question: is staging worth the investment?

By staging your home, you are visually inviting buyers to become emotionally attached, thereby enabling them to imagine the lifestyle they’ll soon be enjoying.

Visually inviting

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million, right? So, why are visual images worth so much more than the spoken word? Because visual images are actually emotional triggers. In fact, studies have shown that at least 65% of us are visual learners, much of which comes from “our mind’s eye.” Our “Visual memory.”

For example, when luxury buyers describe what they desire in their dream homes and the lifestyle they want to achieve, they tend to use phrases like this:

Here’s how I’d like it to look… This is my vision… Let me show you how I am picturing it… I can see my family relaxing together…

dark creek before

dark creek after

Here is another important point to remember: not everyone possesses a vivid imagination.

Emotional attachment

Whether you want to admit it or not, we are all emotional beings. Many of our thoughts, and most of our important decisions are charged with emotion.

I observe as a luxury agent. This is part of my occupation. I spend thousands of hours with luxury home buyers. Their actions and buying impulses are far different when buying stocks and bonds—or even a company—than when purchasing a home.

Luxury buyers may not discuss how they feel regarding their business decisions, but they definitely talk about how they feel when it comes to their home buying decisions.

Those of you who are scientific thinkers, may not believe this is true… but it is.

To demonstrate my point, visit the staged model of a brand new luxury home development. I don’t know about you, but the minute I walk through the door, my visual senses awaken. Immediately, I begin to feel and imagine the lifestyle of the staged model home. Life seems a little better, and I imagine moving in—with only my toothbrush. It can be a vivid and emotional experience.

What about you? I’ve watched my own buyers “fall in love” with a home, feeling it in their emotional core. They imagine their children’s birthday party in the backyard, and they picture their family eating at the beautiful dining room table already set for holiday dinner.

Lifestyle

The luxury home buyer is looking for a home where everyday living and the luxury lifestyle are inseparable. The home overlooking the 6th hole of the golf course, with the outdoor living room equipped with a flat screen TV over the fireplace, and a bar for entertaining your family and friends. This is the life….the lifestyle we are selling… and the lifestyle they are buying.

So, when my sellers say (and this is an actual quote),

“If they can’t imagine their stuff in my house just because it is empty, then they are too stupid to afford this house anyway…”

I remind them that we are not selling their 13,000 sq ft house with 12 inch crown moldings, we are selling a home with a lifestyle. We need to market visually to buyer’s emotional needs, as well as their rational minds.

I recommend you ask your seller who is resisting staging a few questions.

1“Would you prefer getting a massage at the physical therapists office or the Four Seasons Resort Spa?” The answer is obvious. Then ask them..

2“Why they like the spa more than the therapist’s office?” They usually say they like the atmosphere in the spa better because it feels more relaxing.

3“Is it worth paying more for the massage in the beautiful spa then the cold therapist’s office?” I think most of us would agree the answer is an emphatic—YES!

The luxury home buyer will pay a premium for a staged home that creates a lifestyle image that resonates in their emotional core.

Who knows? They may just buy all the furniture with it!

Read it…..unless you are afraid of truths….then just don’t read it.

By : Karen Crystal

linchpin

I Just finished reading Seth Godin‘s latest book Linchpin, and one engrained thought keeps popping forward from my past.

KISS (not the band), but the acronym : “keep it simple stupid”.

My USC Business School education was filled with acronyms.  I still remember some of them, and I admit KISS has proven useful at times and still seems to work.

The MOST memorable acromyn though was Radio Station WIIFM.  You know, the station that we were all told to tune it to…What’s In It For Me?

Well, if you haven’t changed the station yet, don’t bother.

WIIFM already altered it’s local programming to include a global satellite feed, and is now airing as WIIFM…What’s In It FROM me?

So here’s my thought for you on Linchpin.

Read it.  Unless you are afraid of truths….then just don’t read it.

One truth is that Linchpins are obvious.  They stand out from the crowd.  In fact a Linchpin gave me this book to read, Alex Beattie from duPont Registry.  Alex is a linchpin.  He is connecting luxury marketers and luxury consumers with the duPont brand on a human level through his “gifts”……and it’s working.

I now utilize duPont as a luxury property marketing vehicle, and my luxury clients are clicking on duPont for the latest and greatest in all things luxury.

Why?  The human connector….the linchpin.

Hidden Valley

Hidden Valley  is one of those places where you suck in your breath, let out a low whistle and think, “So this is how the other half lives.”

Tucked in the away in the northern Santa Monica mountains, Thousand Oaks’ Hidden Valley may be considered the millionaires’ bargain club. Right next store to Lake Sherwood, this community, although it enjoys it’s amenities, largely prides itself on it’s less stodgy, ranch style homes. With roughly 60 homes, residents range from horse enthusiasts to boutique winemakers and of course, leaders of industry.

Possibly the most well known resident is David Murdock, owner of Dole Food Co and one of world’s wealthiest people. But years before Murdock came to play the area was used in the filming of “Robin Hood,” starring Douglas Fairbanks in 1921. Jamie Foxx bought here a couple years back to join Tom Selleck and former Major League Baseball player Todd Zeile and his wife, 1984 Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Julianne McNamara. Sophia Loren owned a ranch here for many years but has since sold La Concordia; Sylvester Stallone was one of the original Hidden Valley owners as well.

Hidden Valley’s demographics (according to Wikipedia) are:

population was spread out with 33.0% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 20.9% from 25 to 44, 31.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $200,000, as is the median income for a family. Males had a median income of over $100,000 and females $41,667. The per capita income for the city was $94,096. About 1.8% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.3% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

Many enjoy the comfort of being separated from a busting city and finding $10 million homes at 1/4th the cost of Bel-Air. Hidden Valley attracts a highly specific personality and taste.