Original article published by VoyageLA
Today we’d like to introduce you to True Cross.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’m a Realtor here in Los Angeles. I also have a home concierge service, True Home Curation. THC gets our own listings ready for market as well as helping other Realtors get theirs ready. THC does everything home related from editing and organizing to packing and overseeing movers. We also oversee vendors as well as beautifying the property such as painting, landscaping, remodeling, etc. We are soup to nuts.
I started out as a Fashion Stylist and Costume Designer while having my own line of handbags. My bags were in the coolest stores such as Fred Segal, H Lorenzo, etc…
That was really exciting to me because I realized designing space was going to last longer than clothing and that really appealed to me. I had just bought my house, a 1926 Mediterranean in Beachwood Canyon, and was redoing it while simultaneously designing a movie. I realized I was using my same design skills on the space as I was in my day job.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Not at all. Haha But it’s been fun. My main struggle is people not knowing about us. It’s a noisy / competitive space. It’s noisy because there are so many companies that do aspects of what we do, however, we’re the only personal home concierge service that does everything home-related soup to nuts: packing and overseeing movers, setting up new homes, overseeing vendors, beautify homes (i.e., landscaping, decorating, staging) setting up seniors in new environments, etc. Even other realtors hire us to help get their listings ready.
The struggle is getting our name out there and educating the consumer that we’re all-inclusive. We can take the whole process of getting a home ready and project manage it, therefore saving time. We’re still seeing homeowners doing ala carte with their tasks; wasting time and money when we could handle the whole process.
For lessons, it depends on the projects. But an example is – when we’re helping a senior client my team has to slow way down to accommodate the pace of senior. Understandably, they are super connected to their belongings. So we have to offer a slower pacing to help make them feel seen and not rushed when getting rid of items and packing up. We can’t move at the same speed as when working with a younger client. This really teaches us to be more present and available, which helps us in the long run.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a luxury Realtor here in Los Angeles. I specialize in helping sellers get their homes ready quickly and using things they already have. I’m proud of working with clients, no matter the price of the listing, to help them save more money to get their homes ready and then in return make more money.
I’ve listed homes everywhere from Bel Air to Inglewood. But for example, I have a new listing in Inglewood; the house is a multigenerational home (and was packed full of stuff). As I always do, I came in to analyze what needed to happen to be able to earn top dollar. We got everything out of the house and put a plan together with my crew on how best to highlight its features. In this case included removing debris, deep cleaning, painting (interior and exterior), replacing light fixtures, landscaping and staging – ALL OF WHICH my team does. We are a verticle business: We get the house ready, then list, market and then sell it.
Can you talk to us a bit about happiness and what makes you happy?
Sitting at a beautiful table surrounded by people I love, sharing stories and laughing our asses off. I really do find comedy in my darkest moments – it’s the best medicine and it has gotten me through my toughest years, both personally and professionally. I love to laugh AND making other people laugh! I actually have a comedy routine that I may do at an open mic night…. if I ever find the courage.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.truelahomes.com
- Instagram: truelahomes
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/true-cross-a9546832/
- Twitter: truelahomes
