Rob Hanson

About Us:The Hanson Team Online

Long ago, in a time when Real Estate was not considered academically worthy of study, much less a degree, I - Rob Hanson -found a college that offered a Business Administration Program with an Associate's Degree in Real Estate. I took it, loved it , and built a career around it.

The best training program in Real Estata at that time was the appraisal department at Home Savings. They had an in house appraisal force that was the envy of the industry. I quickly negotiated the training program and worked my way up the ranks to Chief Appraiser. During those years, the appraisal industry bloomed and new classes started cropping up at several Southern California Colleges. I tried to take them all. So, when it came time for licensure in real estate appraising, I was already ahead of the game.

As an appraiser I worked every neighborhood between the San Fernando Valley and the border with Mexico and the entire San Francisco Bay area. I specialized in the difficult properties: one of a kind properties, the upper end, serious fixers, neighborhoods with crime problems, agricultural property, new construction, tract homes, historic properties, high end custom homes, large properties, superadequacies, properties with natural hazards or near superfund sites... I learned a lot.

After 10 years of appraising I took a stab at property management. I liked it, but no pangs or great affection grew in my heart.. In 2002 I braved the real estate sales licensing exam to test the azure waters of real estate sales - I tempered my expectations. Much to my own surprise, I scratched a vein of passion. I still love it.

Since that time I've committed myself helping as many clients as possible. I've worked heavily with investors, flippers, historical preservationists, first time buyers, fledgeling investors, developers, artists of all stripes, and many people looking to build a happy home on their budget. I've challenged myself to learn new property types and hone my skills in negotiation and research. I joined the one on one real estate coaching system of Mike Ferry in 2003 and drank robustly of the kool-aid (some Realtors think its a cult). I met many truly visionary people in the real estate industry and set about learning anything I could with their guidance and mentorship. I like to flatter myself that I gave back as much as I got.

Areas of Expertise

Working with investors over the past few years I naturally gravitated to where the city - Los Angeles - was experiencing the most dramatic changes - NorthEast Los Angeles. With the renaissance downtown and the resultant shift of center from the West Side to downtown, I predicted that the hilly areas around downtown would attract some long overdue attention. I started setting my clients up in the hilltop homes that were relatively reasonably priced (sometimes a flat out screaming deal) and set them about restoration. With so many of them doing work to their homes or investments, I had a steady stream of referrals for contractors that lived up to expectations with quality time management and finishing skills. I spread my referrals far and wide (losing some contractors to lucrative permanent jobs in the process).

Highland Park, Echo Park, Silver Lake, Mount Washington, Montecito Heights, Glassell Park, Garvanza, Hermon, El Sereno, and Eagle Rock all seemed like a veritable bargain in terms of quality of life, affordability, and neighborhood amenities compared to areas further west. Better yet, they often came with a strong sense of community very hard to find in other Los Angeles Neighborhoods. Soon Highland Park became the standout. With a thriving artists community, the largest historically designated area in the city of Los Angeles, ample parks, ease of access to and from points of interest, relatively low crime, a metro stop and a history of welcoming diversity, I staked a claim and urged anyone who would listen to do the same. Few have been disappointed.

The surrounding areas above also had a lot to offer. Creative architects want land to build their visions, restorationists want to own their own piece of history, investors wanted in on the rapidly rising rental market to create positive cash flow, and regular people wanted a nice home in which to sink some roots.

We love handling historic homes, artists with home based businesses (live work space), fixers, investors looking for the next best thing, and anyone else who's pleasant and keeps an open mind to their many options.