The Story of Mark and Anne Pepys

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Date2016 Mar 22ContributorPepys, MarkLanguageengCollectionYour Story is the Peninsula's Story CollectionDescriptionIn 1974, when the mortgage interest rates were 11%, we needed a house. We were living on the Strand in Manhattan Beach in an apartment with Craig who was born that year. There was no place for him to play outside when he reached 2 years old. The four houses we looked at in Palos Verdes were very nice, but each had a problem for us. We kept looking together. Then Anne went by herself and met a real estate agent, Vera "Jonesie" Wochos. Anne told her our price range was $110,000 to $120,000. Jonesie said to Anne "come see a house with a great view". It was listed for $175,000. Anne had nothing else to do and was curious. They pulled up to 6065 Via Sonoma, Rancho Palos Verdes. They walked inside and immediately saw through the windows in the dining room an unobstructed view of 180 degrees from Long Beach to Malibu. In addition to the coastal view, they saw all of Los Angeles from the high rise buildings downtown to the mountains. Even the Hollywood sign was visible. At night time, you could see all the lights that an airline pilot would see coming in to land at LAX. Anne and I decided to offer $135,000 to see what the reaction would be. The house had been on the market for 6 months. There were many real estate agents who put their cards in the bowl in the dining room. The going interest rate for a mortgage loan was 11%. The real estate agent Jonesie called and said the counter-offer was $140,000. This amount was affordable. However, the inclination was to offer $138,000. When we heard back from Jonesie, she said the seller came down to $139,000. She so wanted us to have the house, she forfeited $1,000 of her commission to consummate the sale. Since then, we have been troubled by the fact that we could have lost the sale. That would have crushed us. We lost contact with Jonesie. We have wanted to find her and give her $1,000 she forfeited. We looked high and low without success. However just recently we found out that Jonesie left the real estate profession in 1984 and died shortly thereafter at age 64. Since we cannot "pay back" 'to Jonesie, we have decided to "pay forward". When we find the right person and give that person the $1,000, we will ask he or she to consider a "pay forward" when they are able. We hope this would continue for some time.

"Lot H" was referenced [on a map included] in a legal case between Bixby vs. Bent. I became interested in it so wanted to find out more about the houses [in the area].

The top is a postcard showing what the view looks like. The bottom image is the view from our backyard.

Pictured: Kirsten Pepys (contributor's daughter), Mark Pepys (contributor) and Craig Pepys (contributor's son).

This is the article that inspired us to "pay it forward" when we couldn't find our real estate agent Jonesie.'Held ByPalos Verdes Library District. Peninsula Center Library. Local History CenterRestrictions on AccessElectronically digitized by the Palos Verdes Library District. Copyright status must be investigated before publishing or commercial use. To obtain permission and images for publication purposes please contact the Palos Verdes Library District.NotesContributed in writing.Your Story is the Peninsula's Story scanning event April 30, 2016, Malaga Cove Library, Palos Verdes Estates, CA.

Topic

Geographic LocationRancho Palos Verdes (Calif.)SubjectCoasts--California, SouthernTime Period1981-1990

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Capture Date20160430Capture DeviceEpson Expression 11,000XL

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