1% Broker, Realtors

Hugh and One Percent Broker were invaluable in helping us sell my Mother-In-Law's house (and then buy our new one - more on that later). With a smile and great, GREAT patience (first-time home-sellers here), he helped us every step of the way, walking us through the process, holding our hands when necessary (which was a LOT), keeping things moving, making sure all our bases were covered (and, man there are a LOT of bases in home selling/buying), helping us find the right people, and gifting us with his years of experience and knowledge. We ended up selling her house for more than we thought it was worth and over asking solely because of his experience and skill as a negotiator. He was so great that we used him again when we purchased our new home. Again, he walked with us, kept us calm and level-headed, helped us find the right inspectors (SO worth the time and expense), and nailed the negotiations, getting us the house we wanted for under asking, and credits on top - even though that hurt his bottom line. He never once complained about our incessant questions, nerves or neuroses - just gave us everything he had. Simply brilliant - I cannot recommend him highly enough.

INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCE!! My husband and I just purchased our dream home in the Hollywood Hills and had a truly remarkable experience with Hugh from 1% Broker. I have bought and sold several properties in Los Angeles over the years and my brother introduced us to Hugh who he highly recommended and said he had saved a fortune on his last home purchase. We spent a very challenging eighteen months finding our perfect home and Hugh was incredibly patient with us. We were looking for some very, very specific things and Hugh always answered our calls and never seemed annoyed or frustrated when we would pass on a house because it "just wasn't quite right." He was extremely knowledgeable about the entire process and guided us through several offers in this challenging market and never once gave us pressure to settle for anything less than what we were looking for. Happily, after an exhaustive search, we finally found our dream home and that's when Hugh's service truly kicked in to high gear. We saw the house on a Sunday afternoon and knew it was "the one." We called him from the car and he had the paperwork drawn up for us to sign THAT NIGHT which meant we were able to present our offer to the seller by Monday morning, long before they even had a chance to show the house to realtors on the Tuesday caravan. Our offer was accepted by Wednesday night and by Thursday we were in escrow! Remarkable! And even more incredible, within twenty-four hours, Hugh had arranged not only for a general house inspector, but also a geo inspector (it's a hillside property), pool inspector, termite inspector, and chimney inspector. He was physically present at the house with us for the entire six hours of inspections and when the sellers disclosed some maintenance issues involving the house, Hugh had an arsenal of specialty contractors for us to contact to get bids so we could properly request credits for repairs. He is also extremely thorough and when we learned of a permit issue with the house, he again came through with a permit facilitator and guided us through the process of going to the L.A. Department of Building and Safety so that we could do our due diligence and truly understand the issues that we were facing. Hugh is also an extremely skilled negotiator and at the end of the day, he was able to get us some SIGNIFICANT credits (high five figures). As you can see, we were truly blown away by the entire experience! We were expecting to save some money through 1% Broker, but we were delightfully surprised by the extraordinary and personal level of service Hugh provided. As I mentioned, I've bought and sold several properties in Los Angeles working with "full service" realtors and none of them ever came close to the kind of personal attention we received from Hugh. We highly, HIGHLY RECOMMEND 1% Broker, and Hugh Borax in particular.

We were referred to Hugh by several colleagues at my hospital who had used their company and raved about him. From the beginning of the process Hugh and John were very detailed oriented and professional. They guided my wife and I thru a very stressful process of a multiple bid situation and helped us get our house. John and Hugh were present for the entire process. I love their model of having the clients find the home they want and that's when they step in and take care of the rest. I did not need someone to look for homes for me, my wife and I could do that on our own and once we found the home we wanted to bid on, Hugh took over. Once we won the bid, John and Hugh were available 24/7 to us for any questions about the escrow process. From the inspection to even helping us find services providers to help with estimates for repairs. They are both very friendly and extremely knowledgable. I will gladly refer them to anyone looking for an honest realtor. I have even contacted them after we closed escrow and they continue to provide their expertise. All round was a great experience.

Hugh Borax is AMAZING. My husband and I cannot recommend him enough!!!! We just bought a beautiful house in Westchester a few weeks ago (Fall 2016) and are so grateful that Hugh was our broker. We were first-time homebuyers who suddenly found ourselves in a competitive bidding situation, which prompted us to agree to a 10-day escrow. As soon as our bid was accepted, we began to discover that the house was in need of extensive repairs. With the 10-day escrow clock ticking loudly in our ears, Hugh remained calm and focused, helping us line-up each round of electricians, termite inspectors, contractors, roofers, permit/building experts, etc. in a seamless, and accelerated contingency period that only lasted about week! Somewhat overwhelmed and sleep-deprived, my husband and I struggled to prioritize a wide range of repairs involving retrofitting, termites, faulty wiring, corroded pipes, etc. Hugh helped us navigate the ocean of information we found ourselves swimming in and brainstormed potential solutions day in and day out. Thankfully, each of the inspectors Hugh had recommended was professional, reasonably priced and organized. (Mike Okamura, the general house inspector was unbelievably thorough!!)The reports they each submitted were detailed and itemized which helped us assess the condition of the house quickly and proved to be invaluable in our credit negotiation with the Sellers. Hugh was by our side every step of the way - keeping us focused and on task throughout the entire process. He proved himself to be both a stellar realtor, and as a savvy negotiator (we received a substantial credit to pay for the repairs needed). And in the midst of our accelerated, (and at times harrowing) home-buying experience, Hugh’s calm confidence and dependable, ethical nature was truly invaluable. We cannot thank him enough – nor sing his praises more fully!

It's easy to see the name "1% Broker" and think "bargain price and cut-rate services." Well, you'd be right on the bargain price point but couldn't be further from the truth on the level of service. I have now worked with Hugh on multiple transactions, and with his partner Laurie on a recent transaction, and both are more knowledgeable, responsive, supportive, professional and...well...nicer...than any other real estate people I've met, and I've met a lot. I flat out would not buy or sell a property without 1% Broker in my corner, and frankly, you'd be wise not to as well.

It's easy to see the name "1% Broker" and think "bargain price and cut-rate services." Well, you'd be right on the bargain price point but couldn't be further from the truth on the level of service. I have now worked with Hugh on multiple transactions, and with his partner Laurie on a recent transaction, and both are more knowledgeable, responsive, supportive, professional and...well...nice...than any other real estate people I've met, and I've met a lot. I flat out would not buy or sell a property without 1% Broker in my corner, and frankly, you'd be wise not to as well.

I used 1% Broker to purchase a home in 2010. I really didn't know much about the procedure of buying property. I was nervous and needed a lot of help and explanation. I was so impressed how they handled helping me that I continue to use them when I need any info. Recently I started looking again and I email them and quickly hear back to get my questions answered. This company seems like the way of the future (or now) as all the info is available online. I did get a large rebate returned from them after they did the whole deal for me. Seems too good to be true. Great company I could not recommend more for people who want to be treated by an honest, reliable, and smart broker. A++

Hugh was by our side every step of the way - keeping us focused and on task throughout the entire process. He proved himself to be both a stellar realtor, and as a savvy negotiator (we received a substantial credit to pay for the repairs needed). And in the midst of our accelerated, (and at times harrowing) home-buying experience, Hugh’s calm confidence and dependable, ethical nature was truly invaluable. We cannot thank him enough – nor sing his praises more fully!

We worked directly with Hugh, who was the consummate professional every step of the way. The 1% model worked great for us, as we knew the area where we wanted to buy, found the houses we were interested in, and Hugh took over from there. He demonstrated excellent knowledge of the real estate market and gave us sound advice in making offers, moving through contingencies, including the home inspection process. In the end, we successfully closed escrow and have a great home - and extra money in the bank!

"As good as it gets!"  That pretty much sums it up for Hugh, Donald, and their colleagues at One Percent.  They are consummate professionals who understand in extraordinary detail, explain, and then patiently and steadfastly walk you through what is a complicated and often emotional process.  And they do it all at a deep discount!  I can't imagine it's possible to find better quality service for such a well-below market fee.  Thank you, Hugh and One Percent!

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST We called Hugh on a very competitive bid situation and he jumped right in and supported us from 7 am til late at night until we won this house. There were ten bidders and we would not have been able to stay in the numerous rounds and sort through the complexities of the property without him. He was not only responsive, he was so knowledgeable that he ennabed us to make hundreds of decisions quickly. I described him as a Deal Therapist because he did not push us to close in order for him to get to his commission - he always pushed us to think more deeply and carefully about all the factors. At different points in the process he calmed us down from a bidders frenzy to make sure we were not skipping over the very serious challenges of buying this house. It was extraordinary to have him always available to listen and understand our latest decision, and always able to give us the benefit of his knowledge or name some flaw in our thinking process in the most warm and related manner possible. Now if that sounds too soft and friendly for you - he is also a master poker player and he read the bidding process in a manner where we always had a sense of getting every advantage possible in the process. He is so knowledgeable, so articulate, so good at reading the tea leaves, and so ethically devoted to his clients that I am convinced we found the best broker in LA. My partner and I would never have been able to stay in the hunt against ten bidders on a complex property with a 10 day escrow without him. There just isnt enough good I can say. Only thing that needs to be fixed is his business model of rebateing 1% to his clients - I thought I was getting a lightly involved broker who was going to pay us to do some of the heavy lifting - get ready to feel guilty when he rebates you a large amount of money and you know you just got the best service you have ever received. Extra money should have been flowing to him not to us. Thank you Hugh.

Hugh and Kathleen were amazing and helped us navigate the whole process of purchasing our home, for less than the asking price. They were always available to us when we had questions and were strong advocates for our best interest. Plus, they did it all for far less commission than we would have paid a traditional broker. We would definitely use them again.

It went great!!  We got a house that we absolutely love, for a price we were very happy with!
In our case, the discounted realtor fee worked as a rebate.  The sellers paid Lauri their normal 2.5% agent fee, and then 1.5% of that went straight into our down payment.  I think exactly how this works varies on a case-by-case basis, but however it works it is a fantastic deal.  I would have been happy with Lauri's work at standard prices, so getting the rebate was icing on the cake.
I highly recommended Lauri Trapp and 1% Brokers!

Hugh was always available to speak and to help us with any question. He gave us wonderful recommendations for inspectors.

Hugh and his team were extremely professional providing just about all the services of a traditional broker without the high cost.  A traditional broker would have cost more than double!  Thank you 1%!!!
Ben Nichols

Hugh Borax at 1% Broker was incredible. Incredibly thorough, incredibly patient, incredibly helpful and incredibly kind. Our transaction was a little unusual and Hugh helped me and my husband navigate through the complicated process with knowledge and grace.
His words and advice made all the difference and we were able to buy what we wanted despite an extremely competitive market.
Hugh is extremely responsive, extremely reliable and extremely professional. Can't recommend him highly enough!

On a market that was on fire, they hung on there and patiently delivered for us. It's not about the $...it's about the representation and Hugh is tremendous!

I hired 1% Broker because of the rave reviews and truth be told, I wanted to save some money.  To my surprise, I would have paid more commission had I could predict the leaps and bounds Lauri went through.  She was absolutely professional, provided guidance, responsive and on top of things. She went on vacation a couple of times (overseas for one of them), but you wouldn't have known it.   I felt bad because she worked the entire time for me.  I'm not sure how she could have enjoyed her vacation.  Thank you, Lauri for all your hard work and effort!

John Huang helped us buy a house in Culver City in September
2014. We chose him after an excellent experience we had with him selling our
house in the South Bay earlier in 2014. After we found a house that we loved in
Culver City, John handled all the communication and negotiation flawlessly. He
is a man of his word and always follows up on his promises. He is courteous and
respectful of others. There was zero drama. He has a very calm personality that
was helpful in this exciting but stressful time.  He is up to date with technology and uses
DocuSign. Very Convenient! He advocated for us in the negotiation process and
paid attention to detail when it came to paperwork. We always felt like he had
our best interests in mind as his first priority. My wife and I highly recommend
him to buy (or sell) a home.

I am an active investor and was looking to purchase a new home.  Rather than rely on a real estate broker to tell me what I should spend on a house, I wanted to find my deal and be represented on the transaction by a professional.  1% Broker gave me all the tools to research the market (daily email notifications of homes that met my criteria) so I was always aware of new listings and would be the first to see them.
Once I found the home I wanted to purchase, 1% Broker handled everything like a traditional broker, but saved me $30,000!  I cannot recommend 1% Broker highly enough.  They are not only helpful, caring and professional, they will save you an enormous amount of money on your transaction costs.
Ben Nichols
Los Angeles, CA

Hugh is super responsive and proactive.  
I hired him based on word of mouth and I have down my best to tell anyone that will listen that he provides first rate service and delivers great value.  I actually didn't meet him face to face until we were in escrow, but his demeanor and professionalism kept me relaxed and positive throughout the negotiation.
Once I met him, i found him to be as earnest and easy going as he had been on the phone and in his emails.
He was able to get me the price and the terms that wanted almost perfectly, but to be fair, rarely does anyone get everything they want in a land deal.  
He maintained contact throughout the process and was invaluable in communicating with the seller's agent as a trudged through the financing.
I cannot recommend 1% Broker more highly.

It could not have gone better! We would never use any other realtors except for John and Hugh. They impressed us every step of the way, and that's not easy to do.

I sold my property in LA while living in London which can be a bit scary. I found the guys at One Percent to be extremely professional, efficient and diligent and all at a great price. It?s hard to ask for anything more.
They went above and beyond during the process and even made multiple trips to the property to help make sure things were done that I couldn't do while living overseas.
I highly recommend them.

We used One Percent Broker for both the purchase and then the sale of our house. We could not be happier with them.
Most recently, Hugh and John made it so easy to sell our place very quickly for well over asking price.  They walked us through the right time to list for maximum exposure, took great photos and wrote an attractive blurb for the listing, schedule and advertised the open house to attract interest, and then skillfully navigated through multiple offers, counter-offers, and finally accepting an offer and finalizing the sale quickly and smoothly. At all stages, the were available to answer questions and discuss strategy.
We received the highest level of personal service and the benefit of a seasoned agent who knows how to maximize the market. The result was we felt well taken care of and got a better price than we had hoped. In addition to the great price they negotiated for us, we also paid them less than we would have paid another agent. How's that for a great deal!  A+ service for the best price in town. 
Our only regret in selling our place and moving to another area is that we won't be able to use One Percent Broker for our next purchase!

John and Hugh?s business model is not the traditional one that you may be used to.  In order to keep their costs low and rebate part of the commission back to you, they will not take you on tours of homes unless a special appointment is required and with the technology access and sale lists they provide you this is not an issue.  Do you really need a broker with you when you look at a home during an open house?  We didn?t think so and still don?t.  We could visit homes on our schedule and pace and make a list of questions for the seller when we had them.  Outside of the home visits they provide every service a tradition broker would and they excel at it.

 

As for our search, we were looking for our house during a difficult market, where home inventory was extremely limited and remains so today.  While we had a list of wants for the house, in response to the market we?d kept our options wide open.  It took months to find our home, however throughout the process, John and Hugh?s knowledge of real estate values and demographics was invaluable.  If there was a property we were remotely curious about they seemed to drop everything and pull together a comprehensive report combined with their expert advice.  Their availability and response time was outstanding.  It was so comforting knowing we had agents that were looking out for us instead of commission check.

 

John?s professional, relaxed demeanor was a huge asset during negotiation though close.  He managed communications between brokers, banks, and escrow and kept us informed at every step.  He was also present at every appointment through close. They provided great advice and resources on inspections resulting in additional credits from the seller.

 

Even after close, they continued to follow up with us.  John and Hugh are both great guys and were a pleasure to work with.

 

One Percent Broker exceeded our expectations and we highly recommend them to you!