By JACQUELINE PRIMO | Reporter
In the rarefied luxury estate market, few agents have earned the respect and renown that longtime Palisadian Fran Flanagan has attained. With more than 30 years of experience and thousands of transactions under her belt, the Coldwell Banker agent has a genuine passion for real estate. In this interview, Flanagan speaks about how she got her start in the business, what inspired her to make a comeback after retirement and why she calls Pacific Palisades the best-kept secret in L.A.
Jacqueline Primo: How did you get started in real estate?
Fran Flanagan: I had just moved to Pacific Palisades from New York. I was in my 20s, a young mom with two young daughters. I signed up at SMC and took my license course, passed the exam and was on my way.
I went out and looked at property every Sunday and Tuesday and learned as much as I could about the Pacific Palisades “market.” I sat at open houses for my broker and met buyers and sold them houses. I actually met some buyers who had a house to sell and so I became a listing agent.
Primo: You retired and then “unretired.” What inspired the comeback?
Flanagan: Early on in my career I met Jon Douglas who was starting a new company on the Westside, and he asked me to open his office in the Palisades. I worked at Jon Douglas Company for 21 years, during which time I opened and managed offices in the Palisades Village, Palisades Highlands, Malibu, Montecito and Marina Del Rey.
I later became a regional manager responsible for 16 offices from Beverly Hills to Malibu, and finally managed the flagship office in Brentwood.
In 1999 my husband’s tech company went public. We retired and turned our attention to other pursuits. We bought our house on Amalfi Drive in the Riviera, became involved in charity, traveled and took care of aging family.
Then in 2011, I sensed that the recession was ending. I had sat on the Architectural Review Committee of the Riviera Homeowners Association and had seen the plans for fabulous 10,000-plus square-foot properties that were about to appear on the scene, and I was enthralled. Bigger, newer, more luxurious houses in the Palisades? I was in!
Primo: What sets you apart from other real estate agents in the area?
Flanagan: I have 30-plus years of brokerage experience, in-depth personal international expertise, plus a deep-seeded two generation life in the Palisades. Our first house was on Frontera in the Huntington, our second house was in Rustic Canyon and we have lived on Amalfi for 15 years.
Our children and grandchildren have gone to the local schools both private and public. I have always been in love with Pacific Palisades. It’s the best-kept secret in Los Angeles.
Primo: Why do people move to the Palisades?
Flanagan: Aside from the natural beauty, the quality of life here is what makes it so desirable. The public schools are top-rated; the churches and temples are dynamic and well attended; plus there are fabulous parks, a polo field and a world-famous golf course. And no one wants to miss the Sunday Farmer’s Market.
It’s so much fun and there are sports, sports and more sports for the kids. It truly is a place for families and for living a life. I also think the Caruso Village development is going to be a major plus for our town!
Primo: Can you tell us who some of your celebrity clients have been?
Flanagan: Over the years I have represented many A-list celebrities, but one of the reasons I do is because of my complete commitment to confidentiality. I am as star-struck as anyone, but at the end of the day people are people, as my dad used to say. They all put their pants on one leg at a time. So yes, they’re all famous, they’re all fabulous, but they just want an agent who is honest, experienced and who cares about them and their family. And who knows the Palisades from the inside.
5 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT PACIFIC PALISADES
1. The way the sun sets into the ocean.
2. The trees (especially the blooming ones). The Jacaranda take my breath away and the roses here are amazing.
3. Everybody is out in the street exercising every day, and you meet your neighbors and talk to them and become friends.
4. The houses are all different.
5. There is an acceptance among Palisadians of each other. If you live here, you must be okay. In fact, you must be really okay.
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