Everything about Malibu is now just one click away. Malibu Living founder Bill Chadwick came out of retirement to make this dream a reality. Chadwick, along with three partners Brenda Hayward, Meril May and Kristina Johnson, started MalibuLiving.org in October 2014. Today, in addition to their website, they also have a physical store at the Point Dume Plaza and a downloadable app.
“There is nothing like it anywhere,” Chadwick said. “We are a community servicing organization that offers very comprehensive information on everything that is available in Malibu to all residents and visitors, including a comprehensive real estate directory. We like to call it ‘special places and special spaces.’”
The Chamber of Commerce has designated Malibu Living as the official visitor information center of Malibu. The City of Malibu and Pepperdine University also link to Malibu Living on their websites.
“It’s very easy to search what you’re looking for,” Chadwick said. “You can search ‘I want to go see the sunset, where is the best place to go? Where can I go to hike, bike, horseback riding?’ It’s a tremendous resource to have. It’s everything about Malibu.”
Malibu Living blends community service with real estate, providing a complete list of information on any real estate property available in Malibu, regardless of who the agent or broker is.
“The general model for selling real estate puts the broker’s interest ahead of the client’s interest,” Chadwick said. “Whatever listing they get, they have to sell that. We have information on any real estate property available. If it’s listed, it can be found here. If it’s available, it’s available to everyone. I don’t care who’s listing it is. I care about you getting what you want.”
Malibu Living supports the local Malibu community as much as possible. They have a series of art shows throughout the year to support local artists at no charge or commission.
“I don’t care why you come to our store, we have something to offer you,” Chadwick said. “We don’t make 10 cents on anything. We don’t charge anybody anything. All the businesses are on there free of charge. Downloading the app is at no cost. The only profit we make is when people buy or sell real estate through our site.”
Always active in community service, Chadwick is the longest appointed official in the history of California. He’s been appointed five times by three different governors. He’s part of the Board of Exposition Park, the Board of Directors at California Science Center and a member of the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission.
“Most of my activity was in downtown Los Angeles,” Chadwick said. “So I decided to re-direct to Malibu.”
Chadwick has big plans for expansion. “By the end of the 2016, it will be in 60 cities, including Santa Barbara, Montecito, Laguna, Miami Beach, Manhattan Beach, Cuba, Caribbean and more. It’s all the same model and it works. I’ve spent my money on the infrastructure. Replicating it in another city is pretty inexpensive and can be done in a week.”
Chadwick graduated from Vanderbilt Law School and was chairman of the tax department at a 1,200-attorney law firm. He left law practice in 1985 and found an investment bank. He then sold that to his partners in 2007 and retired, only to come out of retirement a few years later to start Malibu Living.
His life motto is, “I do not believe that life is a dress rehearsal. I live everyday as if it’s my last. I try as best as I can to be nice to everybody no matter who they are or where they are in life. I have too much passion about too many things.”
He has lived in Malibu for 30 years and credits his father for his success. Chadwick was a competitive water skier, but ended that to spend time with his three daughters.
“Nothing is more important to me than my wife and my three daughters,” Chadwick said.
For more information about Malibu Living, visit malibuliving.org.