A Local Real Estate Legend Tells All

••• Local real estate legend Suzanne Neal Perkins (at center in the photo above) has written a “pictorial autobiography” called Flying Through Life, and if you’ve ever met Suzanne, you won’t be surprised to learn that it’s entertaining. (To order a copy, contact co-author Michelle Finley Heckman at [email protected].) The stories from her days as a Pan Am flight attendant—including working R&R flights during the Vietnam War and a humdinger about her relationship with Frank Abegnale, the famous imposter from Catch Me If You Can—are terrific, but it seems only right to run one about real estate. Take it away, Suzanne!

I was working with music icon Justin Beiber, who was very enamored with a particular beachfront property in Hope Ranch. He pulled up in his turquoise Lamborghini and walked to the front door. He looked back and asked if his agent and myself could stay outside in the front motor court so he could have peace and quiet while walking through the house. An hour later, there was still no sign of him. It was a hot Saturday, and I had my dog in the car with me, and we were all just melting. I decided to peek around the corner to find out his status. I looked outside toward the pool terrace, and there he was, getting out of the pool stark naked.

••• Casa del Herrero’s Montecito Estate Sale is coming up on October 7, with a preview party the night before. The merch getting teased on Instagram looks tantalizing.

••• The Ojai Studio Artists 2023 tour is October 7-9. I went last year and enjoyed it. The tour is free, but you have to register.

••• As recently noted, work on the State Street undercrossing revamp is slated to start soon, and architect Jeff Shelton wrote a blog post—with peeks inside his sketchbook—about some of the thinking behind the design.

••• Commercial real estate agent Caitlin Hensel says that Dirt Botanicals/PacWest Blooms is coming to Santa Claus Lane: “The family-run floral and plant design studio has leased the space next door to the Garden Market and will offer a retail studio, workshops, makers markets, and all types of special event florals.”

••• @Vintagetilepreservation (a.k.a. Regrout) is on a mission to get people not to throw out vintage tile—and heaven knows there’s a lot of it around here. From a recent post:

Santa Barbara is a small town, you can be anywhere in 15 minutes, and we love that! So, today while I was out, I wanted to have a look inside some dumpsters as I passed by. I’m not as young, flexible, or as willing to hop into a dumpster as I once was. Old tile is the first thing to go into a dumpster. Then pile the crap on top so in case a county lead abatement supervisor arrives they can say, NO TILE! Because if you read my posts, you would know that each county has a lead abatement department that has to be involved and onsite when leaded vintage tile or paint is removed to be sure the surrounding neighbors aren’t breathing the dust incurred and to make sure of proper landfill disposal! All for a fee, eventually paid for by the homeowner! The good contractors do, and the bad ones don’t! […] I didn’t have to go far, and I saw others, but I figure you get my point! Imagine the whole of L.A. County, or the state of California or USA? Internationally the USA is known as the land of disposal! Spend $100K on bathroom remodel and complain how expensive it was, then vacation in Europe to take pictures of old stuff, oh the irony!

Anyway, you might give him a call before you ditch old tile (or you might find him in your dumpster).

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