b'Ending With aBeginningWorking with Pollock Properties GroupBY ELLEN DONKERD I N G H ON MIF EI ts been 18 years since Rita and Stewartinterested in this kind of house, so lets stage Orrell first moved into their stunningthe house for that. Youve got your style, but Victorian home on Warwick Avenue inyoure not the ones buying the house. He the Montrose section of South Orange.says, Its that mix of creativity and profes-Nowwithtwodaughters,aneighthsionalism and practicality.graderandahighschoolsophomore,Thrilled that the home sold in one week-theyre ready for a new chapter as theyend to a growing family, the Orrells plan on move to the Catskills.closing in late April and then staying in the Wekindofreevaluatedlifealittlebit,home for 60 days until their daughters are Stewartsays.Werebothworkingremotefinished with school.now, so that kind of physical reason to be hereThe Orrells look forward to making the isnt there anymorewere not into the 9-to- transition from a large old home in a subur-5 routine.Frankly, we dont really want to goThe Orrell family gathers on the porch of their beloved home. ban town to a smaller new house in a rural back to that.setting. Rita says, The hardest thing for me was When it came to choosing a real estate agent,Stewart says. It reflects a lot of her ethos and hergetting the kids happy with the move. But the the couple says there was no decision about whomvalues. Its been really great working with that ex- couple is convinced theyve made the right decision. to call. It would be Vanessa Pollock. She sold themtended team as well. We just want to do some things a little differently. theirhomein2006whentheymovedfromJer- In October, the Orrells decided it was time toLike I want to have bees, and I may get ducks, Rita sey City. Just the way that she talks to you is verymake their move and contacted Pollock to get thesays. With five acres I could shoot my bow outside. straightforward, yet optimistic, Rita says. ball rolling. Rita mentioned that her house had beenI can do some target practice with my BB gun. I Stewart adds, Shes also very practical and downa finishing school for young girls in the early 1900sdont have to worry about encroaching on anyones to earth and will tell you what you need to hear, notand that Herman Melvilles granddaughter had pos- safety or privacy.just what you want to hear. Thats something thatssibly attended there. That tidbit became the inspi- Reflecting on their time spent in South Orange, always resonated with us. Its that mix of the sizzleration for a short film that the Pollock PropertiesRita says, We just find it kind of poetic that we but also the practicality and honesty and straightfor- Group made to market the house, imagining it as abeganthisjourney wardness. writers home.with [Vanessa] and The Orrells also recall how Pollock came to theirPollocks team took the Orrells through the sell- thatwereableto aid when they feared theyd have to sell their homeing process and described how they envisioned stag- complete this jour-after Stewart lost his job during the financial down- ing it. Although Rita says she leaned into the Victo- neyinSouthOr-turn in 2008. The thing that impressed us is, Van- rian design of the house during their years of owningange with her. She essa was there when we needed her, when we wereit, she trusted the team to appeal to a modern buyer.watchedourfam-in a bad situation, Stewart says. When we came toYouve got to detach yourself from the process. Youily grow up. Weve choose, it wasnt a discussion item. Its like, its goingcant take it personally, she says. You have to un- watched her family to be Vanessa.derstand that this is a clean slate. You cant have yourgrowup,andits Of course, things have changed since 2006 whenpersonality present. They talk you through all that. been nice. In a way, Stewart says the team coached them by reason- Vanessa Pollock helped the Pollock was a solo realtor. Now shes built this or- shewasourfirstOrrells buy and then sell their ganization, which kind of is an extension of herself,ing: This is the profile of a buyer thats going to befriend.home 18 years later.28/ matters magazine / hearth + home 2024'