Our Highland Premiere Story

Most of you already know us as your real estate brokers, and we thought you might be interested in learning more about our back story, and how our separate career paths intersected and led to the launch of Highland Premiere.

Vivian Yoon

As a lifelong resident of Los Angeles, I know this city and our community like the back of my hand. My childhood was not only rooted in Koreatown on the Eastside, but also the Westside after my parents moved us to Beverly Hills to help me pursue a better education. My passion for this city and the deep understanding of what makes up LA’s fabric is how I know every pocket. I’ve witnessed changing neighborhoods and understand what Angelinos care about. These experiences have molded me into the person I am today and allows me to understand my clients’ core needs. This is what I feel makes me unique amongst agents — plus, being a native Angelino is quite rare for LA!  

My interest in real estate began when I was a child. My mother was both an interior designer and a lighting architect, and she would often bring me to work with her! I’d hang around these beautiful properties, some of which were celebrity homes and mega projects, while she connected with her clients. I’m so fortunate to have gotten my first glimpse of the real estate business by shadowing her and picking up on her impeccable attention to detail.

Out of college, I went straight to work for a prominent commercial real estate investment firm that managed a couple of billion dollars in assets throughout Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area.

My next opportunity was doing real estate marketing for Christies, an art auction house.  I worked within their luxury property division, primarily focusing on trophy bespoke properties that were being auctioned off. Christies was my entrée into the luxury property market.  

After Christies, I joined a boutique real estate investment company where I was the broker of record for their residential arm — and that’s where I met Dennis! The trajectory of my entire career has somehow been linked to real estate. I love taking care of our clients and consider it an absolute privilege to play a role in what is often one of the biggest purchases in someone’s life!

Dennis Hsii

Although I consider myself a full-fledged Californian, I was actually born in Virginia and lived in Maryland for the first half of my life. Upon graduating from college, I was offered a three-month contract to work as a software consultant in Orange County. It was supposed to be a short stint, but the contract kept getting extended and I never went back to the East Coast! 

I’ve always had a passion for real estate. As a child, I’d spend every weekend following my mom to open houses. My family was interested in buying and managing rental properties, and I was lucky to learn about real estate investments at an early age. Having experience with real estate sales and management ultimately led to me becoming a broker in LA.

After earning my MBA, I made a full career shift from information technology to real estate, which better suits my personality, work ethic, and entrepreneurial spirit.  

When we decided to start our own company, we wanted to focus more on residential properties and supporting buyers who were either getting into their first home or moving up into a larger one. Buying a home is so personal, and it brings me a lot of much joy to help our clients find wonderful places where they can make new memories with their family and friends.

From Our Family to Yours

Both of us grew up listening to our moms harp about real estate. Being exposed to this business our entire lives has been an absolute blessing. It’s a gift our families gave us, so that we could pursue our dreams. At Highland Premiere, we pride ourselves on treating our clients like our family. We can’t thank you enough for the love and trust you place in us. 

Be well, stay safe and we’ll see you here next month!