Azita Sadeghi applies her many talents to create beautiful homes. The Teles Properties real estate agent integrates her artistic side to devise the lifestyle palette her client seeks. Her recent rebuild of a condemned Laguna Beach home show off her facets.
Q: You consider yourself a one-stop-shop. What do you mean by this?
A: I design the interiors, the hardscape, landscape, even rebuild the home (my husband is a contractor) and re-sell it if that is the owner’s intention, as well as manage it as a rental. I look at real estate with a different eye. I see a home as an investment as well as a place to live and enjoy friends and family. I not only help you find the right home to buy or the most enticing home to sell, I make it so you get the most return for your money. I have the vision to see a home and its potential to make it amazing. Ninety percent of people who buy a home, even a new one, will make changes to it to fit their needs. I know from the beginning, according to my buyer’s wants and needs, which house will be perfect for them by knowing immediately what needs to be done. Or that the home does not have the right elements to give them what they want.
Q: Tell me about what you did recently for a client in Laguna Beach.
A: The house, 614 Glenneyre, was condemned and my client actually purchased it without visiting the property. They love Laguna Beach, so wanted a home to reflect that style in the home. They were looking for a place where you can walk to everything, large enough to accommodate family and friends and share in the Laguna lifestyle. I envisioned a place close to downtown where we could bring the cottage feel to it, light, airy and uplifting. So after selecting the site, we set out to build it. There was the main home and a guest house and we kept to that plan. Because it was condemned, we couldn’t even go inside to see it. But I already knew how I was going build it, design the interiors and exteriors. My client had trust and faith in me and approved it.
Q: How long did it take?
A: It was a two-year process once we got the home. Buying the home was another aspect. There were 17 offers on it. They didn’t take our offer. A couple of weeks later, I saw it up for sale again. I called back immediately and unfortunately, they had taken another offer already. I told the woman to take my number. Though she felt it wasn’t necessary because she was sure of the transaction, I insisted. I explained to her my client can instantly wire the funds if anything changes. As it turned out, the second escrow fell through and my client who was away in Europe at the time, immediately wired the funds to keep it in escrow. The amount actually happened to be lower than our original bid. After that it took a year to gain the required permits, another year to build and then about 45 days to design the interior. I love projects where I have to find the property, recreate it for my clients with the lifestyle they want. It’s currently for sale and would be perfect for a family. The small guesthouse makes a great place to accommodate guests.
Q: What is it that you love about your work?
A: For me, every house is a creation, a work of art. Like a painter applying brush strokes to a painting, I do the same to rooms, but my paintbrush is furniture and accessories. And as some painters build their own canvas, I too build mine with the construction or remodel of a home. But always in the back of my head, I’m thinking glamour.
Q: What do you mean?
A: My adage is we need to bring glamour into ordinary life. I’ll give a subtle touch of the elegant for everyday living. A candle, a crystal vase, flowers, and touches of gold in the right places, such as a trim around a chandelier or antique table, brings in glamour. In the Glenneyre home, when you walk in from the cottage exterior, you think beachy as you are immediately introduced to bright open airy spaces with hints of bright blue in pillows and other items that speak of comfort. Everything whispers stay awhile. But the bit of glamour I place is the pizzaz that lets you know you’re special. In other words, a home is a 3D painting and needs to invite you in and make you feel good at the same time.
Q: Is this part of your vision?
A: Yes. I can see beyond and envision how to create it better. When you enter a home, your whole body must feel you want to stay and do something in the space. What the eyes see, the mind wants. So if you enter through a door placed just right, you see a comfortable couch that invites you to curl up and read a book. Or you see a beautiful quartz countertop and feel the desire to cook. On top of it all, I bring in a subtle hint of elegance, which makes you feel good about yourself. My paintings are a physical place you live in to enjoy the lifestyle created just for you. Another important part of designing glamour is the exteriors. It is an extension of the inside of the home and must never be forgotten in the design process. It reflects your indoor style on the outside, creating a balanced flow throughout the home. The way I look at it, if you are not taking care of the outside, your environment, you are not taking care of your inside, your mind and soul. So we have to look beyond the walls of the home as well when designing.
CONTACT INFO
Azita Sadeghi
Teles Properties Inc., A Douglas Elliman Real Estate Company
344 3rd Street, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949.456.8270 office
949.310.9006 cell
AzitaSadeghi@gmail.com
http://telesproperties.com/
