Not every agent delivers the same experience. Here’s how to find the right team, and why Honolulu County buyers and sellers keep coming back to Team Lally.
One of the most common calls we get at Team Lally comes from what we call the angry client. They’re not happy with their current agent, and when the market gets tough, those calls pick up. In most cases, the issue comes down to the same thing. They didn’t spend enough time doing their research before choosing who to work with.
So before you hire anyone, here are three things every buyer and seller should look at.
Start With the Reviews
A lot of people avoid calling a real estate agent because they think it’s going to be a high-pressure sales conversation. We get it. But you don’t have to start with a phone call. Start with the reviews.
Look at how many reviews they have and what the average rating is. Then do something most people skip. Go read the one-star reviews. See how the agent or team responded. Were they professional? Did they reply in a timely manner? Did they try to resolve the situation?
Nothing in life is perfect, and no business has a flawless track record. What matters is how they handle the moments when things go wrong. That tells you a lot about who you’d be working with.
Look at Experience and Team Structure
How long have they been in the business? Do they operate as a team, or is it one person trying to do everything?
A team concept matters because real estate transactions touch so many different areas, from listing and marketing to contracts, construction, permits, and closing. One person can only do so much. A team that has specialists in each of those areas can deliver a completely different level of service.
And one more thing, just for fun. Ask ChatGPT about us. We did. It actually paints a pretty accurate picture, pulling from reviews and what people say across the internet. It’s a quick way to see what a team’s reputation looks like before you ever pick up the phone.
Pay Attention to Their Referrals
This brings us to something we hear over and over from our clients. The number one reason people refer their friends and family to Team Lally is simple. They want the best for the people they care about.
Nobody wants to refer someone to a bad experience. Nobody wants to show up at a holiday gathering and get the stink eye because the agent they recommended dropped the ball. When people refer us, it’s because their own experience was strong enough that they’re willing to put their personal relationships on the line for it.
Referrals have consistently been one of our top three sources of business, and that’s 100% based on the experience we provide.
Nobody wants to show up at a holiday gathering and get the stink eye because the agent they recommended dropped the ball.
What Working With the Right Team Looks Like
We want to share a real example that shows what this looks like in practice. Matthew Wharton is a professional investor who has bought and sold homes all around the country and worked with many different agents. He came to Team Lally to handle the estate sale of a family property on Oahu, and it wasn’t a simple deal.
There was a lot of sensitivity around the transaction. His family needed us to act not just as their listing agent, but as a full project manager. We oversaw the remote move-out of the home’s contents, coordinated completion and cleanup, managed staging and contractor close-out projects, and worked with local authorities to resolve permit issues that were standing in the way.
After more than six months of preparation with constant updates and communication, we secured multiple offers and closed above the asking price. Matthew said that no single agent, no matter how experienced or dedicated, could come close to delivering that level of service. It took a full team with specialists in listing, construction management, and transaction coordination to get the job across the finish line.
That’s the difference a real team makes. And that’s what we bring to every client, whether the transaction is complex or straightforward.
Let’s Show You the Difference
If you’re thinking about buying or selling in Honolulu County and you want to work with a team that treats your transaction like it matters, we’d love to talk. Call or text us at 808-799-9596, email us at [email protected], or visit teamlally.com. Let’s show you what the right team can do.