Buying LA

When it comes to real estate in Los Angeles, everybody wants some. Whether you’re in the market for a fixer upper, a mansion, or you’d just like to flip a house or two, there are two agents in the field who are fast becoming a powerful duo. Juliette Hohnen and Jackie Smith have been partners at Hilton & Hyland in Beverly Hills for the past two years, and have sold $85 million in just the last year alone. After being introduced by a real estate mentor and coach, Hohnen and Smith started working together 24/7, relying on personal referrals to help build their business of selling spectacular homes to celebrities and high profile people. And loving every minute of it.

Hohnen, a Brit, is recognized as a former MTV personality and producer, as well as ex-wife of actor Steven Weber. She is now one of the top brokers in LA and a top 10 agent at Hilton & Hyland. Her partner, Smith, has always had an eye for design, even when she worked at Miramax in NY and Landmark Theaters in LA over 10 years ago. Married to a designer/builder, she started flipping houses while her husband was doing client work, and wanted to sell the houses she was flipping. So she eventually got her real estate license and was a self-realtor for five years before working for Teles Properties, selling $50 million annually.

Hohnen and Smith now have a team of 5 and cover the entire city, and are experts in their respective neighborhoods – Smith lives in Hancock Park while Hohnen lives in Venice. Clients can trust them due to their expertise and ethical approach to a business that isn’t always ethical, in addition to their design sensibilities where they guide clients on how to stage their home when selling. There seems to be more buyers than sellers this year, most likely due to easier lending and lots of foreign buyers, so Hohnen and Smith always have multiple offers. A girl can never have too many offers. www.juliettehohnen.com