Suzanne Dyer

Highlights 

• Luxury & Complex Property Sales
• Probate, Trust & Estate Sales
• Divorce & Court-Related Sales
• Foreclosures & Short Sales

Realtor^® Suzanne Dyer helps clients buy and sell residential real estate throughout the Palos Verdes Peninsula and South Bay, with a particular focus on luxury and unique properties. She grew up on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, graduated from Miraleste High School and attended the University of Southern California. She began selling real estate in 1990 and has since closed more than 1,000 homes, representing more than $1 billion in career sales.

In what ways do you stand out in your work?

Experience and local knowledge are difficult to replicate. I’ve been through virtually every kind of market and transaction, and I think strategically. Sometimes the best advice is to renovate before selling; sometimes it’s to do almost nothing. Sometimes it’s to push for another $500,000, and sometimes it’s to take a great offer. My job is to know the difference.

What top traits make a great business leader?

Work ethic, judgment, resilience and the willingness to tell people the truth even when it isn’t what they want to hear. Great leaders make decisions and take responsibility for them. Real estate teaches you very quickly that you can’t control everything. What you can control is how prepared you are, how hard you work and how you respond when something doesn’t go according to plan.

Who opened a door for you professionally that made a huge impact?

I’ve benefited from many people who trusted me with opportunities throughout my career, particularly clients who referred their friends and families to me. My biggest influence was my mother, Kathleen Tonsich, who was a Realtor for 40 years and managed a large real estate office in Palos Verdes. She liked to joke that I started my real estate career at 7 years old, holding open houses with her. I want younger women to understand that they don’t have to choose between having a family and building a serious career. It isn’t always easy, but it is absolutely possible.

What does success mean to you now, compared with when you started?

When I was younger, success was about building the business, selling more homes and proving what I could accomplish. Today, I still love competing and I still love putting together a great deal, but success has become broader. It’s having a business that I’ve built over decades, clients who become friends, children I’m proud of, and the freedom to spend time with the people and pursuits that matter to me. At this point in my career, success isn’t just what I’ve built. It’s being able to enjoy it.

What belief have you completely changed your mind about?

Early in my career, I thought every transaction ultimately came down to price. I’ve learned that people are much more complicated than that. For someone selling a home they’ve owned for 30 or 40 years, who buys it can matter enormously. Timing, certainty, convenience and even knowing that the next family will love the home can sometimes matter as much as squeezing out the last dollar.

When people tell the story of your business years from now, what do you hope they’ll say?

I hope they’ll say I was someone they trusted. Sales numbers and awards are wonderful, but eventually people remember how you handled the moments that mattered to them. A home is often someone’s largest financial asset, but it’s also where they raised their children and built their life. I want clients to feel that I understood both sides of that equation.

Speak about the importance of community.

Community has been woven through every stage of my life. I raised my children here and spent years volunteering in our schools and organizations, including PTA, the Peninsula Education Foundation, Sandpipers, National Charity League and other community groups. Over the years, those genuine relationships I developed at these organizations naturally became an important part of my life and career.

Tell us about your family and team.

I’m married and the mother of four children, and my family has always been at the center of my life. Building a real estate career while raising four children taught me to be organized, flexible and efficient with my time. And I’m fortunate to work with people who understand that exceptional service is about details. Luxury real estate can look glamorous from the outside, but behind every successful transaction is an enormous amount of preparation, communication and problem-solving.

Photographed by Shane O’Donnell