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March 2021 by Jennie Figueroa
It's always a pleasure working with Tom. He is experienced, quick to respond, and very down to earth.
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March 2020 by Maria Vuelba
As a first time buyer, I needed a lot of guidance. I am very fortunate to have known Tom. He represented me well - from the moment I decided to put offers and landed a property. He negotiated everything and reflected it in the contract accurately. I do not even know what items are customary that buyers and seller covers in a real estate transaction and with Tom's expertise, we were able to get my offer accepted. He gave his opinion on what is a reasonable offer knowing the area that we were putting offers on and the budget I have. He respected my limits in terms of budget and never pushed me into something just for the sake of buying.He is a trustworthy, intelligent, and really knows what it takes to be able to close on a property. I was really nervous the whole time, and because of Tom, I felt very secure that he did put my interest first. I had too many questions, concerns every step in the buying process . Tom addressed each concern directly, and always respectful. He responds quickly, in a matter of I'd say the most an hour whenever I need some clarifications. Fast and efficient communication method counts because you can lose out on the property that you like especially with all the documentation that is required. He kept appointments and he showed up on time.The critical part for me is when Tom and I began looking at financial documents and looking into the inspection report. He analyzed all financial documents (HOA budget, special assessments, reserve study, income statement, minutes, disclosures), and carefully looked at data and what possible outcome given the data we were disclosed. He provided his feedback and that definitely made it smoother, easier for me to make decisions. He also helped me evaluate the inspection report and contacted a handyman so we can get an estimate of the minor items that will require attention later. He would always check If I have any concerns and addressed my questions satisfactorily.Do you want rebates? Tom also provides rebates. He tells you straight forward, the rebate amount at the on-set and you can openly ask him about it as well.Thank you Tom and more success to New Hope Realty. Definitely please contact him.
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March 2019 by Cora Lee
Tom helped us sell a property recently and we are so thankful that he was our agent. Tom is intelligent, patient and professional and a pleasure to work with. He answered all of our questions thoroughly and promptly via text, email or phone - your choice! He was professional and responsive to our many, many questions for many months, even when he did not know if we were really going to sell or use him as our agent. You will not experience any attitude from Tom. He speaks thoughtfully and calmly.Tom is the best and truly a 5-Star agent. We highly recommend Tom!
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February 2019 by Monica P.
Tom helped us sell a property recently and we are so thankful that he was our agent. Tom is intelligent, patient and professional and a pleasure to work with. He answered all of our questions thoroughly and promptly via text, email or phone - your choice! He was professional and responsive to our many, many questions for many months, even when he did not know if we were really going to sell or use him as our agent. You will not experience any attitude from Tom. He speaks thoughtfully and calmly. Tom is the best and truly a 5-Star agent. We highly recommend Tom!
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July 2018 by NoTrouble T.
We spent months preparing our house for sale and once we felt ready, we contacted Tom Hallen to help us with our strategy and timing in order to sell at an optimum price. Tom was very knowledgeable and worked diligently with us to bring it to market. He was very responsive to our questions and expertly guided us through the sale process. As sellers, Tom's unique approach enabled us to receive a quantifiable $16,000 increase in revenues from our sale. He's an industry disruptor and is definitely ahead of the curve regarding the future of the Real Estate business. We recommend him fully
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February 2018 by Karen L.
We used Tom to help us buy a condo in West LA. It was really excellent to work with him. He was so meticulous about everything. There are so many complexities in buying a home - preparing the purchase agreement, going through the inspections, working with the lender and negotiating repairs and concessions with the seller. With Tom we felt we had a real professional with us every step of the way. Every time we needed something he responded almost immediately. On top of the great service he is a discount real estate broker and rebated part of his commission to us. We will definitely use him again if we sell or if we can afford another home in the future.
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July 2017 by Ella C.
I recently sold my condo in playa del Rey , it sold $50 k above recent appraised value , Tom found a cash buyer that closed quickly and paid above market . I will work with Tom again on purchasing my replacement property
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July 2017 by Robert M.
We worked with Tom in purchasing a single family home in Westchester , Tom is the best negotiator because he knows the perfect timing when to strike and we got the perfect property for the best price
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January 2016 by Joseph C.
When we decided to sell our rental house we knew the importance of getting on the MLS We interviewed many listing brokers. They were high pressure and seemed desperate to get a big commission. They all wanted a 6% commission to list us on the MLS. After figuring the 6% for a full-service realtor I realize that this is a lot of money for a few weeks work, more like winning the lottery than a commission. So we researched discount brokers and found Tom. The name of his company is New Hope Reality. We want to thank Tom for his excellence in representing us as our real estate broker. They don't come any better than Tom. We appreciated so many things about his work for us. We admire the integrity and honesty he showed to us at all times. He is a professional and was honest and respectful about the property. He truly represented us throughout the sale and we appreciated his loyalty to us. His daily attention to the details of our sale was exceptional. He is very timely in attending to every detail such as lockbox, etc. He showed up on site on time and well prepared whenever we needed to meet the client at the property. During the sale process he assisted very well with the paperwork part of the sale and helped us close escrow in a timely manner that benefitted both us and the buyer. Selling a house in the late fall & winter can take some time and possibly be a difficult time to sell. However, with Tom the sale and closing went very fast. We think Tom is exceptional. We highly recommend him as a real estate broker. Thank you Tom. You are the BEST! Tom is a discount broker with 5 STAR SERVICE!
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November 2015 by Shanon P.
Just bought my first house and used Tom as my realtor. I could not say enough good things about Tom and his company, New Hope. He's the perfect buyer's realtor for the modern age. He's full service (and really knows his way around contracts, negotiating, inspections, etc)... But half price. You do most of the background research on Redfin, Zillow, MLS and open house visits... Which if you're like me, you'd be doing anyway. And he does an excellent job at all the transactional parts of a (very complex!) transaction! He's easy going, not that typical brash salesman realtor personality. He's very responsive- always answers calls/texts within 10 minutes. Of which there were MANY as a first time buyer. And he's very bright. Unlike discount-offering Redfin realtors, one of whom I had a mixed experience with earlier, he really is FULL service... Just not the "taxi driver from house to house" part which most of us don't need or want anyway. Wait, what did you say? That the buyer doesn't pay commission in the first place, so why would a buyer care about a half-price or discount realtor? That a buyer's realtor is "free"? Think about it a little deeper: the overall 5% realtor's fees are built into the final price of the sale. Thus, Toms 1.25% standard rebate to you, the buyer, basically gives you 1.25% more leeway with your offer price/negotiation price. And it comes at closing, when you can really use the cash to cover most if not all closing fees. (Just make sure this is fully disclosed and documented by your mortgage bank from the very beginning, so there are no hiccups for approving the loan.) Let me just put it this way: his $10k (non-taxed) refund to me at closing 3 weeks ago was MUCH more appreciated than any lame flower bouquet or gift basket that your typical realtor might leave!
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July 2015 by Melanie D.
I had bought and sold a couple of houses by the time I was introduced to Tom and New Hope Realty. Let's face it: You get a lot of hacks in his line of work. That's why I was so blown away. Tom is WAY overqualified, IMO. (He's got an MBA from Duke!! He used to be a financial advisor!!) He was so knowledgeable, helpful, patient and just all-around great that the only regret I have about choosing him to represent me is that I don't have 10 more houses to sell. So grateful to the Yelping community for sending me his way.
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April 2015 by D J.
Tom is a savvy, personable realtor with a groundbreaking outlook on the future of real estate brokerage. We found New Hope Realty after doing an Internet search on low-commission real estate agents. We are thoughtful buyers who put a lot of research into our purchase and its associated decisions prior to hiring Tom. We needed an agent who would provide us with the wisdom of experience, as we had never purchased a home before. We needed someone who would be our tireless advocate, always searching for ways to maximize our purchase and to protect our interests. And we wanted someone who would charge a reasonable fee. We got all those things with Tom. Further, he provided us with those intangibles that made the process go so much more smoothly: He was always calm, proactive and involved. He's an incredibly friendly and thoughtful person, and we were always delighted to deal with him. One of the enduring memories of our positive purchasing experience was when Tom accompanied us for an inspection of our newly built house with our builder. He could have just stood idly by and basically breezed through the inspection. Instead, he was literally on his hands and knees with us checking for nicks, scrapes and any other installation problems. Very hands-on! Tom's integrity, thoughtfulness and wisdom inform his revolutionary philosophy on the evolving buyer/realtor relationship. He understands that technology and the growing availability of MLS search sites make for a more informed consumer. With that in mind, he's very sensitive to what he brings to the arrangement and what he can do to help. And you get a great value with him -- he's an accomplished guy with an impressive pedigree and great insight into the complexities of real estate and changing property trends. We brought him into the process when we were fairly sure on the exact property we were buying. His philosophy and fee structure were perfect for our needs. We bought from a builder at a non-negotiable price, and a buyer's agent was optional. But we were aided greatly at every step of the way by Tom's knowledge, experience and proactivity. Though our need for an agent in this specific circumstance was somewhat limited, we are extremely pleased that we did choose one, and we're thrilled to have found Tom. Tom is absolutely a well-rounded, informed and stand-up guy. He helped us make many great decisions in our homebuying process. Hopefully we won't be needing his services again for a long time! However, we recommend him unreservedly to anyone who's in the market for an agent.
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September 2014 by Scott P.
Tom is a very nice guy. I have personally known him for 4 years now since we first met in Las Vegas on a real estate tour that my company MRREN was hosting. I noticed he had a ton of knowledge on real estate. He is not your average agent as he also owns several investment properties of his own and can help investors as well as homeowners. I find him to be a very patient, honest and straightforward professional. I would recommend him to friends and family and have enjoyed all of my interactions with Tom.
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April 2013 by CT T.
As first time home buyers in Los Angeles, my husband and I did substantial research before selecting an agent/broker to work with for our first home. Although we were technically new to the real estate market, we had been monitoring the market since 2005 so we had an idea in terms of locations and prices. Tom was referred to us through my friend due to his intelligence (former engineer and investment manager), honesty, strong ethical standards, and industry knowledge (he owns his real estate brokerage firm, invests in foreclosure auction properties, and does property appraisals for banks). In addition, we would receive a competitive amount of commission rebate from Tom at closing, which would be extremely helpful in affording closing costs and mortgage origination expenses. At first we were not sure if we could trust somebody from the financial industry and we also didn't want to be pushed into buying something just to close a deal. I looked up Tom's website and was surprised to see his marathon records which may not be great to some people, but I was amazed by how honest he was as a person, which also reflects the way he conducts business. We liked Tom from our first meeting and decided to work with him over other agents/brokers. Tom was not only nice, easy going, hardworking, but most importantly honest, resourceful, patient and responsive. We had submitted more than 10 offers prior to getting our dream home. Tom never pushed us into any deals, on the other hand, he always advised us to be truthful to ourselves to ensure that we were comfortable with the decisions we made every step of the way as this would be the biggest investment of our lives. After our offer was accepted the process became somewhat stressful as we requested a few concessions from the seller after our inspection, which was not well received in this seller's market. My husband and I considered accepting the seller's terms, but Tom remained calm, patient and stood firm during the entire process and delivered outstanding results. We are very grateful to Tom in helping and guiding us with our dream home purchase and will definitely recommend Tom to anyone looking to buy a home in this challenging real estate market for buyers. Less
