Meet TERRI KERWIN: Kerwin & Associates | Atherton, CA

LeverageRE

Get to know Terri Kerwin, Owner of Kerwin & Associates, the exclusive Leverage Partner in Atherton, Palo Alto, Menlo Park, and Woodside CA, USA.

Describe a significant turning point in your career.

A significant turn began when I helped a leading Silicon Valley executive and his wife find their dream home. We built a great rapport and they connected us to other prominent executives. That gave us the opportunity to build Kerwin & Associates into the go-to firm for high-end buyers-and some of the most well-known people in Silicon Valley. Their extremely high expectations of service, market insight and discretion keeps the entire office sharp and focused.

Kerwin & Associates is also the first female-owned development company in the area. We saw a significant gap between our clients' expectations of the perfect new home and what developers in the area were building. I knew we could do better, and so we did. Today, we have designed and built 10 custom homes. Each has been completely unique and extremely well received.

What do you love most about working and living in Atherton, CA?

This is where I grew up and went to school, so it has always felt like home. It's a neighborhood where the sense of community is very strong. It's also centrally located in the heart of Silicon Valley, between San Francisco and San Jose and close to Napa, Carmel and Tahoe. The entire Bay Area is remarkably dynamic-some of the smartest, most innovative and interesting people live and work here.

Fall is the prettiest time of year because trees line every street and their leaves turn rich colors. I also like how it stays sunny, but cools down enough to wear jackets, boots and scarves.

What is your daily "must-do"?

I have two: first, I start my day drinking coffee in bed and reading the Skimm to get a quick synopsis on global happenings-all snuggled up with my kitten; second is working out, because exercise keeps my mind fresh and body energized.

Name one thing we might not know about you.

If I weren't in real estate, I would be in fashion. I love clothes and dressing up. In fact, I've instructed my family to put "well dressed" on my gravestone.