Kevin Dees
Storytelling can be a powerful tool for marketing any property. But Kevin Dees, a Los Angeles real estate agent with The Agency, is lucky that his listing at 4145 Kraft Avenue in Studio City already comes with a great tale.
The three-bed, two-bath, 1,700 square foot property was the home of Quentin Tarantino’s character Jimmie in the mid-1990s, Oscar-nominated cult classic Pulp Fiction. And more recently, if the walls of the house could talk, they could also tell you about a new Netflix show that was written on location (Dees isn’t sure which show, but a studio rented it out a while back as a workspace for its writers).
Credit: The Agency
Dees comes from a unique position in that he actually used to own the home, which he then sold to fellow Agency colleague and co-listing agent, James Harris. Dees took advantage of the Pulp Fiction connection when he and his wife were renting out the home on Airbnb. On the rental website, Dees’s enterprising wife showed photos of certain rooms in the movie and what she had done to them to pique interest, and curious fans stayed there just because it had been the set for the American crime film.
Photo by Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images
According to Dees, Colfax Meadows, where the property is located, is one of the top 10 neighborhoods in all of L.A. based on schools. It’s also where actor Steve Carell has chosen to live with his family. Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers pitcher is another familiar face in the area.
Credit: The Agency
While the Hollywood connection “doesn’t hurt” when you start the marketing, the majority of people who come through the house in the next couple of weeks will most likely look at it as a nice family home near good schools with interesting development possibilities, said Dees.
The home comes with the potential to become a larger, 4,200 square foot house if so desired thanks to plans Dees drew up when he owned it. It’s also possible that the buyer could end up being an investor who knows there will always be tenant demand for the home with the ever-changing cast of actors, producers and writers working for the nearby studios — including Universal Studios, CBS Television City and Warner Brothers. The nice thing about the studios as tenants is they often pay over market rate, according to Dees.
The agent is optimistic about a quick sale of the home listed for $1.395 million in the hot L.A. market where 20 to 30 days on market is standard.
Credit: The Agency
Dees, who, in January moved to the Agency from Partners Trust, which is now part of Pacific Union Southern California, is no stranger to dealing with celebrity-related properties. He acted for Johnny Depp in selling a portfolio of penthouse units at the art deco Eastern Columbia building in downtown Los Angeles, for a total of $10.9 million.
“He was a delight to deal with and such a professional,” said Dees.