O’Connor Estates, a Santa Monica-based boutique real estate firm, launched “The O’List” last month to cut through “the clutter and chaos of traditional real estate platforms,” the firm said in a release.

Prioritizing design and aesthetics, O’Connor Estates Founders and sisters Claire and Sam O’Connor curate the list themselves through MLS sourcing as well as off-market listings.

The O’List extends beyond the firm’s own listings, including properties from a range of brokerages in favor of creating “a design destination” over a self-serving marketing initiative, said Claire O’Connor.

“There’s a lot of real estate agents in this business that we really respect and admire, and they do a great job as well so it’s an opportunity for them to get more eyeballs on their listings,” Sam O’Connor said.

Design is not only at the forefront of The O’List, but also the firm’s overall work. O’Connor Estates’ business model follows a buy, flip, sell trajectory. Focusing on homes in the $3 million and below range, the team makes an acquisition, puts in around $1 million into remodeling and upgrading design over the course of a year and aims to sell the reimagined home right at the measure ULA threshold, which is currently $5.3 million.

“Measure ULA has really changed the way we look at development and sort of stunted us a little bit because it takes such a big chunk of any potential profit,” Claire said.

If they are looking at something above the threshold of the so-called “mansion tax,” then “we would just have to make sure that the profit margins could absorb that ULA tax and also be a strong enough return on investment,” she added.

‘Design forward’

Wanting the firm to be known as “the design forward real estate team,” Claire said their work is rooted in going against the cookie-cutter grain while still being mindful of a particular client type.

For example, if they’re renovating a house on a cliff, the target buyer is probably not going to have children so they would tailor the design more to career-driven individuals or couples.

“We eliminate who’s not going to buy the home, and then we kind of create who probably will buy it,” Sam said.

This strategy leads to profits, the founders said.

“A lot of the people that are leading development teams in L.A. are…really trying to appeal to the masses,” Claire said. “We’ve found that when you create a product with a specific person in mind, they want to pay a premium because it’s sort of like an emotional match.”

Some of the design firms O’Connor Estates partners with for its renovation projects are Ome Dezin, House of Rolison, Lidan Sfadia, Jordan Bakva, and Shane & Pierce.

In practice

The O’Connor sisters hope The O’List serves not only as a way to get eyes on exciting listings but also a platform for design inspiration. Additionally, the list will demonstrate their taste and eye for design.

“We’re trying to get everyone to skip Zillow and go to The O’List if they’re the kind of buyer that appreciates what we appreciate and would align with our aesthetic,” Sam said.

As of the Business Journal’s Thursday press deadline, The O’List had 20 listings across Studio City, Beverly Hills, Venice and beyond with prices ranging from $1.3 million to $35 million. Homes on the list remain in place until they are sold and are updated weekly, Claire said.

“We think The O’List is a good way to highlight … how good presentation always ends in a better result,” Sam said.

While the firm’s sole focus is flipping houses, they’re open to exploring ground-up projects in the future.

“We also see a market for high designed spec builds – spec builds that infuse the soul of a home and character into the design,” Claire said.

Another goal for O’Connor Estates includes continuing its sales volume doubling streak. According to Claire, the firm has doubled its annual sales volume for the past three years. Last year marked $100 million.