It is hard to state how amazing it has been (and continue to be) working with Azusa Realty has…read morebeen. It has really exceeded my expectation. This review will be broken into two areas: Buying Real Estate & Property Management.
(Part 1) Buying Real Estate:
Hiroko Asano, the Owner, is an amazing straight shooter. She is so dedicated in her work, her clients would randomly stop by to just chit chat with her. She makes you feel at home and treats you like family... in a way, we've all become a big family.
Hiroko had to put up with my craziness for 3 years, while looking all over the South Bay. I finally made my first purchase in 2014 (in Torrance) and I have NEVER regretted it. During the process, I had to fly in and out of the country and Hiroko took care of EVERYTHING. All the paperwork was taken care of and explained. She aggressively negotiated an amazing deal, and contract with the Seller side.
When It came time to sign all the paperwork, she was there with me, every single step of the way. She even helped make sure my finance was accurate and called forth colleagues in other sections (Financials - Thank you Nicole Takeda) to be in her office when I arrived. This wasn't a team; Hiroko became Family to me.
My property has already accrued greater than 18% in less than 2 years! Her advice on location and what small to larger remodels that could and should be done was spot on! She may be small in size, but Hiroko's heart and passion for Real Estate can NOT be beat.
(Part 2) Property Management:
After buying my first property, work had me overseas for a bit, and during this time, I was really stressed about the property. Hiroko went out of her way to help me find my first set of tenants, who were simply AMAZING!
Azusa Realty now also has Mark Tanaka as part of the family and he has helped continue to grow and build relationship with my new tenants. I am sad to have lost my old tenants (due to career relocation for them), but the new set that Mark found was also just as amazing.
This tag-team duo is fearless, friendly, and simply fantastic to have on your side. If I had to do it all over again, I would have bought MORE property earlier from Azusa Realty.
Please feel free to PM me for details or questions if you like. I honestly could not have been happier with such an amazing company and team.
OVERALL GRADING (From a first time buyer and landlord):
Patience: 5/5 - Supported me over 3 years and through TONS and TONS of Open Houses (advise: don't be as picky as I was, I would have built more equity through Hiroko's advise earlier on).
Network: 5/5 - The name of the company may be small, but the level of her clientele is simply high class and very professional. It isn't the quantity (although her list is huge); it is the quality (I haven't heard anyone ever complain about working with Hiroko, she is classy!).
Buying (Ease): 5/5 - Closed in less than 30 days. It helps to have great credit of course, but Hiroko takes care of a lot of the legwork for you. Learn and work with her. Be open and honest on what you are comfortable with and she will help you out.
Property Mgmt: 5/5 - Can't find fault here because having tenants will always be random, but the ones I've gotten so far is Amazing! The first group, Hiroko helped get into a Rental bidding war for me. The second group, Mark had lots of people lined up to view.
Conclusion: 5/5 - I wouldn't change a thing. Actually, I would have bought earlier, the first year I met her, I should have bought a few earlier properties. She is very knowledgeable of the area, market, and value. No rush, no pressure. All happiness and comfort.
THANK YOU AZUSA REALTY for helping make me a homeowner and a landlord (with positive cash flow)!!!