Like many raised in Israel, Assaf Avissar began traveling immediately after completing his obligatory military service. Curious and passionate about understanding people from many backgrounds, he worked his way around the world, immersing himself in many cultures. Long stays in such places as Sydney, Costa Rica, Brazil, and New York helped shape Assaf's concept of where he would (and wouldn't) eventually want to settle down. Arriving in San Diego to visit a friend, Assaf quickly knew he had found home. "It was different than anywhere: beautiful, laid-back, diverse, surrounded by great surfing — a place where your community is your family. It felt like freedom. This is the good life!" said Assaf, now a San Diego local for over 20 years and a proud U.S. citizen.
And San Diego, it seemed, was ready for his international brand of hustle. Assaf quickly gained a reputation for his dedication to his clients' needs — putting himself in their shoes, understanding their needs and wants, and refusing to let them down. Based on past experience with his family's real estate business, Assaf chose to become an agent just when the market seemed at its worst, mentoring with Penny Nathan as she was founding Ascent Real Estate (now Coldwell Banker West). Where others saw hardship, they explored the opportunity to create win-win situations and help clients thrive in tough times. Assaf says, "We set out to prove that honesty was an asset, not a weakness; focusing on the client, not the commission, is the only way to provide true value." As a result, Assaf is always in demand.
Assaf specializes in Metro and coastal properties; with his wide professional network and supportive team, he serves all of San Diego County with a deep familiarity for the area's unique communities and market conditions. With his unique combination of empathy and hustle, Assaf helps buyers and sellers make the most of a home sale with the least amount of stress.
Assaf was recommended to us from a family friend and we could not be happier! He instantly built rapport with us and we felt we could truly trust him right off the bat. As first time home buyers...we knew nothing! Assaf took so much time breaking everything down and explaining every step of the way. I can confidently say Assaf had our best interest in mind and made sure we got exactly what we wanted. Once we entered escrow Stephanie was extremely helpful making a very stressful process go smoothly. She was very patient answering many questions from us and helping us get what we wanted from the seller. Overall, we are so happy and grateful for Assaf and Stephanie’s knowledge of the market, attention to detail, loyalty to their customer, and negotiation skills. We can’t wait to move in to our dream home!
- CarlyAssaf Helped me out to purchase my first home in San Diego and made my move from Seattle to San Diego as easy as it can be. I think that his responsiveness was one of the most important attribute that helped this deal to be successful. He was very knowledgeable about the neighborhood and area and knew what to match to my wants and needs.
- JonWe worked with Assaf and his team to sell our property in San Diego while living in Kansas City (after working with him to buy it a few years ago). We are so pleased with how smooth the process went and also with the price we got for it. We completely trust Assaf to advise and represent us. With San Diego not being our primary residence, we rely on him to educate us on the different neighborhoods of San Diego. He is incredibly knowledgeable about the pros and cons of buying in different areas. We are currently using Assaf to help us find a new property. He keeps us informed of new and coming soon listings, is always available and immediately responsive. He has spent countless hours taking us to see new listings and has been very patient with us as we have taken our time and changed our minds a few times. I cannot recommend Assaf and his team more highly. There is no one else I'd want to work with when buying or selling in San Diego!
- Liz
Stunning Point Loma custom homes like this one don’t come along very often. Built in 2006 by a well known builder as his own home! 3 bedrooms, all en suites with balconies, 3.5 baths plus an office. Modern farmhouse, approximately 2,449 est. square feet on .26 of an acre. Newly remodeled. Entertainer’s dream home with indoor/outdoor living space in almost every room! Private enclave, you are surrounded by open space and lush landscaping. Every detail has been thought out and worked out. Cook’s kitchen with built-in refrigerator, gas cooktop, electric wall oven and built-in microwave/ second oven. Pantry, island, all open to a huge deck and dining. Amazing living room with high ceilings, romantic fireplace and decks and patio on each side. Full size laundry room, hot tub, tree house, office loft and so much more! Amazing breezes.
Art, whether modest pieces by renowned any home. The more elaborate the art program tends estates, homeowners consult nuanced relationship between
“I see great spaces and architectural for great art,” states Kipton and advisory services for clients and Florida through his firm, beautiful homes with the artists, as it’s through art that fully realized,” explains Cronkite. the emotions of a homeowner simply cannot.
Formerly brought into the design of a project, Cronkite reports valued in recent years and that preparation of preliminary renderings. of art as integral to the overall relationship between designers
“I try to be responsive to the and they trust me to honor specialist, but cautions he is
“The juxtaposition between conversation and layering of insists modern art can be setting and vice versa. The new galleries and attending to identify trends and emerging Cronkite reports a strong interest the category includes African powerful contemporary voices. collections, the works of artists and Danielle McKinney command ArtStager offers its own virtual under $10,000 from emerging Brandon Lomax and Wes
Aderhold.modest reproductions or museum-quality renowned painters and sculptors, enhances more expensive the residence, the more tends to be. When it comes to multimillion consult professionals who appreciate the between art and architecture. architectural environments as canvases Kipton Cronkite, who provides art curation clients primarily in California, New York firm, ArtStager. “My passion is to connect works of emerging and established that the true essence of a space can be Cronkite. He believes that art showcases homeowner in a way that furniture or lighting design process toward the conclusion reports that art advisors have become more that his input now begins early, with the renderings. “A greater consciousness overall design has nurtured a collaborative designers and art advisors,” says Cronkite. the architect’s and designer’s visions honor their aesthetics,” explains the art is typically retained by the homeowner.
different styles creates an interesting of creativity,” suggests Cronkite, who effectively presented in a traditional advisor, who is regularly discovering attending art fairs, is particularly well-qualified emerging artists for his clients. Currently, interest in Contemporary African art — African American artists — which conveys voices. As buyers seek diversity in their artists like Rashid Johnson, Paul Sepuya command increasingly higher premiums. virtual gallery focusing on pieces priced emerging artists such as Alexandria Hilfiger, Aderhold.
Luxury residential architect Richard Landry, founding principal of Los Angeles-based Landry Design Group (LDG), must often accommodate clients’ museum-quality art collections into the firm’s designs. “We ask a lot of questions on how the client wants to live in their home, and one of those questions is whether they have an art collection they want displayed,” reports LDG partner Suzanne Evans Shepela. Explaining the goal is to have all art harmoniously incorporated into the project, Shepela states, “Based on the size and type of art, it can either be the star or set into the background.”
Emphasizing a collaborative approach, Shepela discloses, “Our goal at LDG is to seamlessly work with the interior designer so one doesn’t know where the architect’s and interior designer’s work stops and starts.” Maintaining that art considerations extend beyond interiors, she adds, “If the client has a sculpture collection they want to display in the garden, we’ll make sure to accommodate that request and provide options for their review.”
Landry and his team integrated the extensive art collection of a client whose Beverly Hills home is a unique hybrid of classical French château and modern aesthetics. The home is referred to as Papillion (“butterfly” in French) for its themed art installations,
including a nine-foot-high butterfly sculpture by Rubem Robierb and a chandelier consisting of 350 hand-blown glass butterflies suspended from the glass rotunda, created by interior designer Philip Nimmo and Windfall Contemporary Crystal Lighting.
At another Landry project in Los Angeles, a modern guest house on the site of a large classically inspired estate, a colorful modern sculpture by Brad Howe reaches skyward through a cutout in the cantilevered roof, a powerful commitment to art in the home. “When designing the sculpture for the guest house we had multiple meetings with the clients and artist to discuss scale, color, movement, transparency, and the importance of the piece given its highly visible location,” says Shepela. For a contemporary oceanfront home in Malibu — its very form was inspired by the sweeping sculptures of Richard Serra — LDG created a beachy retreat that doubled as a museum featuring masterpieces by Roy Lichtenstein, Joan Miró, Andy Warhol, and Alexander Calder.
The Wiseman Group, founded in San Francisco more than 40 years ago by Paul Vincent Wiseman, regularly accommodates existing collections or newly curated art into the firm’s diverse designs, which are admired for being appropriate to their underlying architecture and local environments. Suggesting that art is an incredibly important vehicle for reinforcing aesthetics, design director James Hunter says, “When the art goes up on the walls is when the home really comes together.” He adds, “It not only personalizes the residence but provides scale and perspective to spaces.”
partners with trusted galleries around clients who acquire museum-quality showcase them in the most prominent sometimes need to counsel against. suited for a powder room, and there it it never could sitting above the mantel,”
Chandra Cerrito/Art Advisors, based in in the selection of art for multifamily places. “Art is really what humanizes Chandra Cerrito, who adds, “When you the art, more than anything else, that been touched by human hands.” At San Cerrito and the development team Volta” by Lawrence Argent, a multi-element focal point is a 92-foot polished stainless-steel inspired sculpture. At Vespr in Oakland, massive art pieces to distinguish the Sculptor Ray King’s “Golden Wave” suspended glass elements that extend entrance into the lobby.
Mia Jung, director of interiors at Kligerman Architecture & Design — single-family residences inspired by updated for contemporary lifestyles — a consideration. She notes, however, percentage of projects require large existing accommodated. “In nearly three decades, to design interiors around an existing who adds, “In a new residence, even prefer to source new pieces rather than
“Years ago, we would refer clients to art advisors, but now our firm has designers, including myself, with the depth of knowledge required to work directly with the clients,” says Hunter, who
“For many clients, art is often an afterthought,” acknowledges it is critical to successful bring in art,” says the designer, who maintains, art to really complete a project.” For a Jung kept the location's exposure to when selecting art. For a project in Cabos art in Mexico City in consultation with works with art advisors or galleries, it which the interior designer reviews all
around the world. He notes that pieces are often inclined to prominent spots, which designers
“The piece might be better it will really sing in a way that mantel,” observes Hunter.
in Napa, California, engages multifamily developments and public humanizes a space,” says principal you walk into a building, it’s that tells you the space has San Francisco’s Trinity Place, commissioned “C’era Una multi-element installation whose stainless-steel Venus de MiloOakland, Cerrito curated two the residential development. Wave” consists of thousands of extend from outside the main
New York-headquartered — known for its distinctive traditional design but deftly — reports that art is frequently however, that a surprisingly small existing art collections to be decades, I’ve rarely been asked existing collection,” reports Jung, even serious collectors typically than display existing art.”
afterthought,” notes Jung, but successful interior design. “I love to maintains, “You need to add a beach house in Nantucket, to salt and humidity in mind Cabos San Lucas, she acquired with a local dealer. When Jung is a collaborative process in selections for compatibility.
Sculpture by Brad Howe | Architecture by Landry Design Group
Art by Julian Meredith | Interior design by The Wiseman Group
Painting by Alexandria Hilfiger | Project curated by Kipton Cronkite
Often referred to as the gastronomic capital of the world, Lyon has an incredibly rich history and culture for you to take part in, whether you are planning on a brief visit or perhaps working on a retirement plan.
As the third most populous city in France, there is an incredible amount to see and do... but you might want to begin with exploring the history of Lyon, which was the capital of the Gauls during the Roman Empire. Rich with historical sites and museums, you also won’t want to miss its abundance of parks, fine culinary experiences, and beautiful landscapes. Did we mention it’s also home to one of the newest Coldwell Banker offices in France?
If you find yourself looking for your next destination to explore, we recommend
visiting Christophe Rigal and his business partner, Lionel Bartette, in Lyon. As Rigal proclaims, “I am passionate about real estate, and I’ve been looking for a network that gives me the opportunity to show all of the architectural treasures of our region and offer our clients from all over the world exceptional properties.” Bartette adds: “If Paris is the capital of France, Lyon is the capital of the provinces!”
What foods is your area known for?
Our vast region is known for its gastronomy. Some typical dishes: the brioche sausage and the praline pie of Lyon, the frog legs of Dombes, the chicken of Bresse, plus Nantua quenelle sauce, savoyarde fondue, and a very large selection of cheeses.
What are the specialties of your region?
The Auvergne Rhône-Alpes region is known for its production of cheese, particularly goat cheese from the Forez region, Saint Marcellin, Saint Félicien, Tome de Bauges, Bleu du Vercors-Sassenage, and of course, the famous Comté. The region is also known for its wines, including the wines of the Rhône Valley, as well as for its production of high-quality chocolate throughout Lyon.
Territory Summary:
The Auvergne Rhône Alpes region is and is composed of twelve departments, 69,711 square kilometers and a population inhabitants. The region has a rich has been inhabited since prehistoric the numerous archaeological sites been the birthplace of many civilizations, Roman, and medieval. Over the centuries, experienced conflicts and war but has many cultural and economic developments.
The economy of the Auvergne Rhône diversified; it’s composed of many companies as industry, services, agriculture, energy, The region is also known for its such as chemistry, metallurgy, aerospace, information technologies, Tourism is of the regional economy, with many cultural sites attracting visitors.
is in central-eastern France departments, with an area of population of around 8 million and diverse history — it prehistoric times, as evidenced by in the region. It has also civilizations, including the Celtic, centuries, the region has has also been the scene of developments.
Rhône Alpes region is very companies in sectors such energy, tourism, and research. its cutting-edge industries, aerospace, automotive, and is also an important sector many historical, natural, and
https://blog.coldwellbanker.com/coldwell-banker-around-the-world-april-2023
POPULATION: 8 million people
LANGUAGE(S) SPOKEN: French
CLIMATE: Temperate
CURRENCY: Euro
AVERAGE SALE PRICE: €450,000
AVERAGE PRICE PER SQUARE METER: €4,000
AVERAGE YEARS IN HOUSE/APT: 7 years
