We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lily Ly a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Lily, thanks for joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you got your first non-friend, non-family client. Paint the picture for us so we can feel the same excitement you felt on that day.

I started real estate in 2008 when short sale and bankruptcy was the norm. A short sale transaction is when the value of the house is less than the loan amount or debt that is owed. A short sale is usually a sign of a financially distressed homeowner who needs to sell the property before the lender seizes it in foreclosure. These transactions at the time would take minimum 4-6 months to complete.

My client had a complicated file because there were three liens on her condo: first mortgage, HELOC, and HOA. I spent countless hours on the phone negotiating with her lenders. I was able to settle the first mortgage at 60%, HELOC at 20% and HOA fee at 50%. Even the short sale negotiator was impressed with my negotiation skills. Because there were three liens to negotiate and each were difficult, her file was one of the longest files the escrow company has ever seen at 12 months. I had multiple buyers and each one of them would drop out due to the wait time. I finally found buyers at last and convinced them to see through the completion of this process. It was a very stressful situation and being put on phone for hours at a time with each lender. Eventually all of her loans and debt were settled without a penny from her own pocket. Both loans were “Settled in Full”.   The paycheck was very little given the time it took, but it was a great experience of hard work and dedication.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

After many years of working in Corporate America, I decided to pursue my dream job in Real Estate in 2008 and have not looked back since. Having worked in Corporate Finance, I developed the essential skills to be organized, detail-oriented, and analytical. I bring the same attributes to my clients while delivering excellent customer service based on respect, integrity, and hard work. Real Estate is not just a job to me, it is my passion and something that I absolutely love! I take pride and joy in each transaction and your satisfaction is my number one priority.

What sets me apart from others is that I take a proactive approach with clients, lead generation, networking, doing extensive research, finding off market or upcoming properties, client first philosophy and professionalism. When it comes to real estate, time is of essence. Sometimes getting a contract signed is time sensitive and you could lose the deal within hours.

I am most proud that I conduct my business honestly, ethically and with my client’s best interest in mind. In my most recent transaction, my client was in escrow on a house that has many potential issues. Being a first-time homebuyer, I helped navigate my client from the substantial repair pitfalls and questionable seller’s disclosure. In the end, I convinced my client not to go through with the house. My client respect that I speak and fight for their interest. I may not get paid right away and this house hunting can take much longer but I always believe in due time my effort will be rewarded.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

I think what helped me build my reputation in this industry are two folds. First is the hard skill which includes professionalism, real estate knowledge and experience. Second is the soft skill which is being honest and truthful, excellent communication with follow through, having different perspectives, exceptional negotiation skill, and successfully delivering results. Ultimately by doing the right thing with client’s best interests in mind is what my reputation is based on.

What’s been the best source of new clients for you?

The best source of new clients is referral from past clients. However, that has limited reach. I am still working on expanding social media outreach to capture more audiences and hence more clients.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.polarislane.com
• Instagram: Lily_Ly_orange_county_realtor
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/lily-lin-ly-realty-one-group-irvine-3