Terry Niemann

My Local List

• Favorite Spa: The Spa at Terranea Resort
• Favorite Restaurant: The Original Red Onion
• Favorite Retail Shop: Waterleaf Home
• Favorite Garden Center: Roger’s Gardens 

Terranea Real Estate is a full-service real estate agency assisting buyers and sellers of view homes on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and the Beach Cities. The firm also maintains a waiting list of people who want to be notified about Terranea Casitas & Villas resales. Realtor Terry Niemann has worked in the industry for two decades and joined Terranea Real Estate in 2010. She previously worked as president of an advertising and PR firm that specialized in marketing real estate.

What is your professional superpower? 

Buying or selling residential real estate is emotional and can be intense, worrisome or stressful. We certainly hope to alleviate some of that as well as create a calm, positive experience. It’s my job to keep everyone relaxed and on track for a successful completion where all parties feel like winners. In an ideal world, buying or selling a home as the next step in one’s life adventure should be fun! Terranea Real Estate clients enjoy special privileges at the resort that are customized just for them. These include perks like complimentary valet parking, being able to use the fitness center and spa pool or playing golf at the Terranea Links course.

What motivates you in your work? 

What motivates me is that I truly care about my clients. Because I live here and raised my family here, I will probably see them at the grocery store, while walking/hiking or at a restaurant. Relationships are far more valuable than any single transaction. Clients become friends, and the fact that they trust me to be straightforward and hardworking, pay attention to their specific wants and needs, and take care of them as if they were a family member is extremely important. It’s very rewarding when clients say, “Thank you! You were absolutely right!” even years after a sale.  

What is the main thing that you credit for your professional success? 

I am truly fortunate to have been blessed with great clients, wonderful mentors and partners, and some pretty incredible bosses over the years. The South Bay has many wonderful, knowledgeable real estate professionals, and we are fortunate to work with great experts. Knowing the best mortgage lenders, inspectors, landscapers, architects, engineers and interior designers benefits our clients when we are preparing their homes to sell for the best price or buyers who want to remodel or rebuild. I have a keen interest in staging and sometimes updating interiors to help create the best presentation, photos and flow for a home on the market. I am proud that as a broker, I was named a Los Angeles Magazine All-Star Top Producer in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024, in addition to earning the Palos Verdes Specialist certification.

Which transaction are you proudest of?

Selling the original Terranea Casitas & Villas for the resort’s developer during a recession and stagnant real estate market was challenging because very few people had heard of or understood the California Coastal Commission conditions that make the Terranea properties second homes and not primary residences. There have only been Terranea resales available for the last several years. Many of the original buyers are now dear friends, and we continue to do business together all over the South Bay. 

Which transaction helped define your work? 

Selling the new semi-custom homes in Rolling Hills Country Club was exciting, creative and enjoyable as we worked with buyers to personalize and customize their new homes along the brand-new Rolling Hills golf course and country club. Seeing a former rock quarry transformed into a beautiful, thriving neighborhood of families living in their gorgeous dream homes was very fulfilling. Plus, I adore all things related to interior design, including the indoor-outdoor spaces. So it was truly so much fun. 

How well do you know this area? 

As a longtime resident, I raised my children here and was very involved in their schools’ parent associations, community service groups and sports leagues. My husband coached many youth sports leagues in the area, and one of our sons and his wife are now raising their own family in the South Bay. I am delighted to help clients navigate the different neighborhoods and unique personalities of the South Bay and on the Hill.

What is an unusual request you’ve received from a client?  

A buyer insisted that I meet her at 5:00 a.m. in front of a house she was considering buying—to see if street traffic would wake her up in the morning. Well, we stood outside in the front yard until about 6:30 a.m., and thank goodness no loud trucks drove by. She ended up buying the house!

Photographed by Lauren Taylor