TESTIMONIALS

I first met Norm Kerner in 2007. I had just moved to LA from back east, was looking for a Realtor, and saw something online about Norm’s specialty in properties that either already had a recording studio onsite or ones that Norm believed, based on all his years designing, building and operating studios, were good candidates to have a studio put in.

Norm found me a great property in the Hollywood Hills on Curson Terrace that had an 1150 sq ft bonus structure. We were one of 7 offers but Norm somehow convinced the listing agent to pick ours. Norm and I became friends and eventually business partners. Together we designed, built and eventually opened what was to become the premier residential recording facility in So Cal, which we named Perfect Sound Studios at this wonderful location -- perfectsoundstudios.com.

In 2012 he found me a perfect little Mid-Century home for my wife and myself on Ledgewood in Beachwood Canyon where I built a home studio for my personal use. In 2013 he found my sister Sarah a fabulous Spanish on Armstrong in Silver Lake where she stills resides to this day. In 2014 he and I began discussing building a 2nd studio at a location near Silver Lake. Norm found me a great commercial building on Gilroy St in the area called Frogtown by the LA River which he said was about to become a very hot area. What he found us was a working machine shop making metal parts for jet planes but Norm saw how it could be reconfigured as a commercial recording studio.

We designed and built what is now called Gilroy Street Studios which we just opened in 2018. In 2015 my family had outgrown our house on Ledgewood and we had Norm list it. His extensive contacts in the music business were key to bringing in the right buyers who would value the studio I had built at the property. He took care of that sale for us and found us a great house on Laveta Terrace in Angelino Heights which we won in multiple offers and lived in until recently when we decided to move to a different part of the state. Norm listed the Laveta house and took care of that sale as smoothly as he had done everything else for us in the realm on real estate.

Norm does it all — residential, commercial, properties with studios, properties without studios, everything. He is presently looking for what will be my 1st income property — something with 4-8 units that I can keep long term. With that purchase, Norm will have done 8 deals for us since we met. The guy is smart, funny and focused — focused on protecting my money, my rights and my future. He’s my Realtor for life.

Jake Rodenhouse

I first met Norm in 2005 at an Open House he was holding in Silver Lake. Though the house we met him in was not for us, I remember taking his card after speaking with him and thinking that he should be the agent for my husband and myself. My husband agreed so we asked him to find us something small and affordable that could be a suitable first house for us to own.

He found a great little bungalow on Vestal St in Echo Park where we lived for several years. Deciding we need more space we had Norm list the house in 2008 just as the market was beginning to crash. He somehow found a buyer at the price we wanted and somehow got that deal closed before everything crashed. He then found us a wonderful duplex on Ave 66 in the Garvanza area of Highland Park. We moved into one side, rented the other and were really happy with the setup. After the crash there were short sales and foreclosures going on all around us. We heard that the house right next door to us had been sold off the market and that their short sale deal was falling apart just as the deal was about to close.

We contacted Norm and he jumped into action – somehow getting us inserted into the short sale deal. We had about 3 weeks to close or lose the place but Norm orchestrated the whole thing and we closed. We paid a ridiculously low price for this gorgeous Craftsman and we were thrilled. We cleaned it up and moved into it ourselves, renting both sides of the duplex where we had lived next door. This is still our current set up though in the past year my husband has decided to look for a place in the Pasadena/Altadena area and Norm has been showing us properties over there. When we find the right one we will buy and have Norm list one or both of our present properties on Ave 66.

Norm is our Realtor forever as far as we’re concerned. The guy is sharp, savvy and a tough as nails negotiator when going after credits based on inspections when we are in escrow. Must be his New York City upbringing! Can’t recommend him highly enough.

Sim & David Davidson