Lan was my selling agent in Palo Alto.  There are not enough accolades I can write about her and her team.  She is a true professional that sincerely cares for her client's best interest.  I originally listed my property through Deleon Realty which ended up being the worst mistake of my life.  Deleon realty made mistake after mistake with the listing and I ended up with an aging listing with a slower Summer season coming right along.  

After the listing agreement with Deleon realty lapsed; I researched all the agents in Palo alto and Lan came right on top of my list.  Lan was absolutely fabulous.  Her team was able to bring back the listing on a very short timeframe.  Lan was keen to take care of every detail and most importantly she was proactively following every lead and interest in the property.  The property sold shortly after she took over the listing.  

If you have Lan on you side; you will have the best representation you can find.  She knows the right things to say and knows her trade better than anyone else in her profession.  She is a true rock star.  I will definitely will be coming back to her and team the next time I have to buy or sell in Palo Alto.

Chung L

We recently closed our first home with the help of Lan and John. As a first time home buyer with limited budget, it is almost impossible to get a house in the crazy bay area. We felt grateful and lucky to have Lan with us through the process. 

Lan was introduced to us by a friend two years ago when we started thinking of buying a house. Over two years (I know, that's a LONG time!), she worked patiently with us: advise us on which houses to visit, which houses to consider / not to consider. Good agents are busy and so is Lan. But she responded to all of our emails and calls quickly and she drove far to see and screen houses we were interested in with us. Her knowledge and professionalism in the market impressed us. We trust her. 

Lan is not a pushy agent. If you always think an agent's interest is in urging you buy or sell a property so that they could earn the service fee, that's not Lan. During 2 year of searching, she's stopped us from buying properties where the location was not ideal, or not what we really want, when there were times when we gave up. She understands us and sees things from the client's perspective. She wanted us to be happy living in the future home. She once said "I'll be worried if you buy that house". That said, Lan recognized opportunities. When there came to the time that we wanted to pursue our current house, she worked so hard on the bid against a couple of strong offers. Even when we gave up and drove back home, she chose to be persistent and completed the impossible mission. 

I am thinking, if I ever need to buy another house, or sell our current house, Lan would be the one we would go again. That's a no brainer. 

Mingyu F

Buying a dream while affordable home sometimes can turn into a long and torturing journey especially in today's silicon valley. We are so thankful for Lan that she has made it such a happy ending to our almost impossible house-hunting journey.
Lan has earned our full trust that she is for our benefit. One time, we were looking at a Sunnyvale house whose price was very attractive. At that time we were so worried about not able to get a house that we decided to make an offer. But Lan, instead of pushing to offer, pointed to us that the house is pretty close to highway and the traffic noise might be annoying and might affect the future value of this house. She insisted that we took some time to think it though. The night before the offer due day, we stopped by the house and just noticed that how severe the noise is and we decided not to pursue. Thanks for Lan that even in this crazy market, we can still make a sound decision.
We are also impressed by her exceptional knowledge of the real estate world of bay area. Her sharp eyes for good opportunities have point us to the right directions of bidding. It is amazing to see how she can turn impossible into possible by using her exceptional negotiation skills and outstanding connections.
We are also grateful for John for all his great help in preparing all the documents and for his patience in answering our various questions regarding the house. We highly recommend Lan and John if you are looking for a future home in Palo Alto, Los Altos, Mountian view as well as Sunnyvale areas.

Xiang Z

We just closed our dream house at Palo Alto. My husband and I are so grateful we had Lan as our buying agent. In the past 3 months, we toured almost all open houses within our budget, and this one is the best. We never thought we were able to get it when we toured the house, because so many people came for open house and multiple offers came in. Lan and John made it happen for us.
A friend, the longtime Palo Alto resident, recommends Lan to us. Lan helped her get her house 10 years ago. Lan is absolutely the best among so many agents we interviewed. We checked the historic selling and buying records of Palo Alto. Lan is the top agent and very well-respected in Palo Alto area. When we started to offer, we realized how important it is to have a strong agent present your offer, especially in hot Palo Alto market. Lan almost knows every listing agent, worked with them before and kept a great reputation in Palo Alto area, it give us a huge advantage in offer presenting process. She is also very knowledgeable about the area, and the market trend. What amazed us is that her estimate of final sold price is so accurate.
We trust Lan not only as our buying agent, but also as a future neighbor/ friend and as an investment consultant. She is very honest about the pros and cons of each house, and gives us insights on which upcoming house we may like, which neighborhood is best for our life style, and which one the final price may out of budget. We feel like she knows us so well, even better than ourselves.
We know Lan has many clients, however we always feel we are the only one. She is so patient to answer questions, keep us posted on market change and help us follow up with all parties after the house closed. I highly recommend Lan if you are looking for a future home in Palo Alto area. The Palo Alto market is so hot, you don't have time waste on the wrong agent. She will make your dream come true.
Jjc

We were lucky to have Lan and John as our buying agent! Anyone looking into Palo Alto houses knows how difficult it is to get one these days. Unless you have extra deep pocket and are willing to overpay everything above and beyond market value and everyone else, then really you don't need agent as experienced, resourceful and hard working as Lan and John.
We were anticipating a very long process and potentially many months of multiple rejection offers but to our surprise, we only had to make two offers before we got one. Some may say luck but we know it was Lan and John's hard work that get us there. Lan is always professional and knows how to prepare offer such that it works to the best of our interest and at the same time strong but also not overkill. But, ultimately it's your decision. We know some agent out there would squeeze your pocket dry if it meant it could get you the house at any cost. John did a great job too. He always around to help with showing properties outside regular open house time so we could have a better feel of the house.
We would often receive advise from them if they think a property will end up outside our budget. We listened and were surprised to see every single one of them that we wanted to put an offer ended up being way higher than our budget can handle...
Lan and John have a very good reputation and are very well connected in Palo Alto network. Their insight and knowledge helps us understand what it takes to get the house. Every agent would have no problem working with them.
Stephen C

Lan and John helped us find our dream house recently. I remember vividly the first time when we met them and we had an immediate connection. Working with them is the best home purchase experience we've ever had. In our years of living in the Bay Area, we've met many good and competent agents. But in this super competitive market, you need the best of the best to buy you the place you call home that fits into your budget. Lan and John definitely deliver.
We are impressed with their knowledge, expertise, professionalism, diligence, integrity, and empathy. After we defined the criteria of the house we are looking for, we started receiving regular email updates from Lan. But beyond that, she was very proactive in sharing her points of views on different listings. We quickly found that she had incredible intuition and great tastes. We developed so much trust in Lan that we ended up only seeing the houses she recommended. For a working couple in the Bay Area, this saved us a lot of precious time to spend with family.
Once we found the right house, Lan took us through the overall pricing approach, bidding strategy, competitive dynamics, and market analysis. She really put our interest in front of everything else and recommended a strategy that maximized our chance of winning the house without overbidding. Lan is a great listener, constantly gathering our feedback while keeping us abreast of her engagements with the counterparty. What's amazing is that she was managing all of that tirelessly, while traveling in a different time zone. I noticed that her reputation, credibility, and work ethics allowed her to operate as effectively and build rapport with her counterparty. John did a fantastic job being on the ground and helping us put all the final touches to the offer package. Their seamless collaboration and flawless execution were the key to overcome the geographic / time hurdles. We can't imagine winning the house without Lan and John representing us.
After the sale was final, Lan and John again were with us every step of way, preparing / planning for the move-in. I'd recommend Lan and John to any of my friends and family members.
Jonathan W

Hi Lan,
Thank you so much for responding so quickly. Can't believe you contacted your office about it while on vacation and that you got to the rest as soon as you returned. You are amazing. We couldn't have chosen a better realtor. It is no wonder that you are a top seller. Hope you had a wonderful vacation! And again, thank you for everything.
Sincerely,
Colleen

We just sold our property in Sunnyvale with Lan and John helped.
From the moment we met both of them, we felt the connection immediately. They were the one that most stand out among the other agents we interviewed. FYI, the other agents were also from among the best agents in Palo Alto, just like Lan and John.
Lan and John are very approachable, responsive, honest, and professional. Even though they are one of the best agents in Palo Alto, they treat their clients with the same standard, passion and diligent.
You can read some other reviews in yelp (read also some that got filtered by imperfect yelp's filter) or you can research about their reputation and MLS records online.
The first step of selling the house is they came to our house and gave their recommendation based on their extensive backgrounds with house selling and buying to get the house ready. They have their own connections for handyman and painter to get things done quick with great quality and best price.
Lan and John are great partners. I.e. John was very helpful with documents preparation, open house, or communication with the handyman and painter. In the other hand, Lan was very helpful in term of time planning for when to have the house ready, brochures preparation, or bidding war.
We did not use any staging furnitures, but our own with their recommendation on how to stage it. They sent their professional photographer, prepared very professional brochures, local newspapers ads, and broker tours.
During open house, both of them were professionally representing us, a lot of traffics to the open house, and a lot of people love it.
We got multiple offers. Lan and John worked very hard to make sure we got the best price for our house. They were very well prepared, really know their business and gave their 200% to get the best deal.
In the end, we got more than 10% above the listing price and so far, it's the highest price among other houses sold recently in the neighborhood.
Lanny T

I had great experience buying a property with Lan as my agent. She is very knowledgeable about the real estate market . Her knowledge has enabled me to understand the market and my own needs more. She is always there to answer my questions. She makes great recommendation to tailor my requirements. I can totally trust her judgement and recommendation. She and her team have top experience in closing a deal very fast. After I bought the house, she and her team are still there to help me with housing issues. I would definitely recommend her to others.
Yuan Z

Lan Bowling is the best real estate agent my family and I have ever worked with (and we've worked with about 10 over the years). She is a real advocate for her clients, and really takes a personal interest in making sure that she matches the buyer with the right home. For her, it's not just about closing the deal. She wants to be sure that her clients are happy with their home purchase. And she really takes extra effort to go above and beyond to help her clients when it comes time to negotiate the price. My family are so happy and blessed that Lan was our real estate agent. We would have never gotten this good a deal with anyone else as our agent. I recommend her to all of my family and friends who are looking for real estate along the Peninsula.
Gordon L

We would never bought our home without Lan. Thanks to her broad networks, we were introduced lenders, painters, and flooring installers. ( it saves our time and efforts a lot.)
Lan and her co-worker John Chung are very responsible. They answered our email promptly even at midnight. And they also with us to every single house on the market we were interested.
Based on her extensive experience in the real estate market, she detected important matters in the house which we couldn't figure out.
Finally! She brought us a property we didn't even consider because of the price and made it fit into our budget! We love our first home and very thank to Lan. You are the BEST!
Jin Y

Do you look for a real estate agent who will help you sell your house at the highest price and buy a house at the lowest price? Lan is the one! In a short three-month period from when I first met her to the time I bought a property through her, I witnessed this. I met Lan in one of her open houses (through a friend’s referral). She eventually sold that house at the highest market price on the street at that time. Through her strong network and excellent reputation, I soon found a potential property with a decent price. I was quite happy with paying the asking price, but she went ahead and negotiated with the listing agent and further lowered down the price by 20k. This is not all! At the time of escrow, I went to the escrow office alone, as my husband was out of town. I was surprised to find Lan at the escrow office waiting for me. She truly cares about her clients and is the best agent in town.
Tamas and Sherry

I recently bought a house in Palo Alto and within the time that it took for the transaction to close, I was able to sell my old condo. This was a challenging process, but I was gifted to have Lan and John as my agents. They got me an excellent deal on my new house, and at the same time, they settled my old house at a price beyond my expectations even though they had to deal with an extremely picky buyer and his inexperienced agent.
I highly recommend Lan and John to any home buyers or sellers who want to make their dream come true to own a house in Palo Alto and Silicon Valley.
I started my house hunting with another well-known agent in Palo Alto when I was a fresh house buyer with near zero experience in the Palo Alto housing market. So I was hoping to get help from this well-known agent who I thought would give me honest advice and guide me through both the purchasing and selling transactions I needed to do. Unfortunately, I didn't get honest advice. Instead, I was given a lot of tricks with a Listing agreement of 9 months duration; the idea that, "if I sell your house above this price, I want be awarded 6% commission"; that Barron Park is the #2 or #3 best location in Palo Alto; to make an offer on a property that had a bankruptcy lien against it with only a 1 day contingency (because the seller would only need one day to clear the lien); that I should remove a contingency on an offer even before the seller had a court settlement of the bankruptcy. In the meantime, that I should put house that I was living in on the market with only a few days preparation time.
After some struggle, I managed to terminate my contract with this agent. By the time we terminated the contract a large portion of our day to day things were all boxed and sent to storage. My whole family was exhausted by this process and we started to think about giving up on getting a new house in Palo Alto ...
In our family's difficult time, Lan was recommended to us by a good friend. We had been hurt from working with the previous agent, so with doubts about Lan was really going to be able to help us to get a house in Palo Alto, whether she would be honest with us, we went ahead. Then Lan started helping us in a very professional way. She gave me the basic and factual information about Palo Alto's different areas. She set up automatic email updates for properties that came onto the market, and she sat down/or talk on the phone with me on Thursdays and/or Fridays to go over which new properties on the market would fit my needs and budget. John too was helping me to prepare all the documents for purchasing and for listing. Both Lan and John never asked me to sign any listing agreement as they were focusing on getting me a new house and they wanted to make sure my family and I felt comfortable before we put our condo on the market.
Lan was trying her best to get us the right house through open market listings, off market properties, and through her many connections. On the day we made our offer on our new house, Lan was running at full speed. She was using phone calls, text messages and emails to keep us up on the latest progress regardless of the time of day. She understood our comfort level as to price and she made great suggestions to help make our offer the most attractive one, but she never pushed us to go out of our comfort zone.
Once I was under contract to purchase my new house, Lan and John, in only 3 days, arranged great teams of workers to clean, paint and stage my old house. Lan was using her reputation to save every penny for me. Our staging alone saved me more that $1000 compared to what my previous agent quoted me. Lan and John promoted my house with premium quality flyers, full page ads in the local newspaper, emails and phone calls to in-region and out-of-region agents. They were trying everything possible to bring in potential buyers. Lan and John took care of every detail to make sure our sale transaction flew along smoothly. Lan always stays calm. She really took the pressure off of us during the transaction at the critical points. She said "Don't worry," and then followed up with actions that relieved me of any need to worry. I think of Lan as not running a business, but instead, of making a sincere and effective effort to help us to a joyful end. My family and I are very happy to begin living in our new house, and we all know it won't have happened without Lan's help. Lan is a great real estate agent, and now she is a true friend of my family. I highly recommend Lan and John.
Sean B.

Lan Bowling and John Chung served as my agents in my recent home purchase, and they exceeded my expectations throughout the entire process. As a first time homebuyer, I started working with them in 2011, and they were instrumental in helping me narrow down neighborhoods to search in. They presented several options that were great fits for my style and price range. They were never pushy in getting me to make a decision, and were happy to help me understand the real estate market in the area, answering all of my questions promptly.
Three years later when I was finally ready to buy, the dynamics of the market had shifted heavily in favor of sellers. Lan and John were still willing to work tirelessly in this environment to help me purchase a home with the results that I wanted. They provided helpful information and made it easy for me to review disclosures and sign documents electronically. John even took the time to walk through dense legal documents with me, which was extremely helpful because it was my first time going through the process.
When it came to making offers, Lan’s expertise truly shined. Lan is an extremely skilled negotiator who knows what is important to all parties, and will truly fight for her clients. John and Lan thoroughly researched and priced the neighborhood and advised me on a reasonable price for the offer, and then communicated closely with the sellers’ agents to make sure that I would get a fair shot at the home in a sellers market without drastically overpaying. When my offer also had 7 other competing offers, John and Lan advised me against overpaying for the home, but still worked closely with the sellers’ agents until the last minute to made sure that I could still land the property if I truly wanted it.
In the end, I was able to land a home at asking price in a sellers market. I would have not been able to achieve those results if it weren’t for the skills, patience, and reputation of Lan and John. Throughout the closing process, they continued to work closely with the sellers’ agents, my lender, and the title company, pushing everyone to ensure that the transaction would close on time.
I would come back to Lan and John in a heartbeat for my next real estate transaction, and would recommend them to anyone who wants to work with a highly knowledgeable, professional, and results-oriented real estate team.
- Yun Wu - First time homebuyer

My name is Xiaoyong L. We got to know Mrs. Lan Liu Bowling in September 2014 when we were just about to give up the idea of buying a home in Palo Alto after months of exhausted house-hunting. One day a friend of my wife dropped us an email and strongly recommended Lan as an excellent realtor. My wife would never forget her phone call to Lan on 09/18/2014, which started a highly efficient house-hunting with full of fun and pleasure. After one week we got our dream house in Palo Alto!
In my point of view, Lan is an exceptional realtor agent. She knows exactly what to do and how to execute well. She works closely with all parties involved and delivers everything in a timely manner, which makes the very stressful process much easier. Her strategic planning and diligence make the whole transaction very successful. Most importantly, she cares for and represents the clients’ interests beyond everything. Our successful home searching in Palo Alto can never be true without Lan’s professional advice. John, Lan’s team member, helped to smooth out the hassle in the process of document preparation and offer presenting with his great professionalism.
We are also impressed by the consistent support provided by Lan’s team even after the close of escrow. The recommendations from Lan’s team for reliable service such as flooring, painting, termite made the whole relocation process trouble-free. It is absolutely our pleasure to work with Lan’s team.
I am pleased to recommend Mrs. Lan Liu Bowling as realtor agent with my strongest support.
Yours Sincerely,
Professor Xiaoyong L. Shanghai Jiao Tong Unversity Shanghai, China

I picked Lan Bowling to be my agent because she seemed to be the best. It turned out that I made the best choice, because she was wonderful. She quickly sold my house for a price much higher than I had dared to hope for, and it was all cash, with a short closing time. She is a very skilled negotiator, both in English and in Chinese.
She is also a pleasure to work with. She communicates well, returns phone calls promptly, and doesn’t leave anything or anybody hanging. As a person, she is truly a nice person, and she cares about her clients and their needs. She isn’t just out for herself and commissions.
She gave very good advice about what needed to be fixed up in my house and didn’t push to fix up anything which wouldn’t add to the selling price. All the workers she recommended did a beautiful job, and she negotiated good prices with them to save me money.
John Chung was wonderful too. He helped me with everything, and he and Lan are a great team. John is a very nice and smart person, he is very helpful, he returns phone calls promptly, and he was very important in making the whole process go smoothly. It is a pleasure to work with him.
I would recommend Lan and John to everybody.
Marjorie W.

I have recently bought and sold homes with Lan. I had also used her in 2008 to sell our home in Palo Alto. Very simply, Lan is the best real estate professional I have ever worked with (and we have gone through many homes).
Besides being extremely responsive and knowledgeable, I can truthfully say that through her negotiation skills, we are $70,000 richer. She is driven by the need to do well for her clients, and works tirelessly to ensure she goes beyond your expectations.
Without reserve, I highly, highly recommend Lan.
Eric S.

We are so glad to have found Lan as our agent. Her profound knowledge of the
housing market in the Palo Alto/Los Altos area helped us choose our dream
home without any doubts or hesitation. From the day we decided to look for a
house, to the day we got the keys to our new home, she was there every step
of the way, making sure that our requirements were met, and helping us
for our perfect house. We were able to reach her whenever we
required, and she always made us feel like we were her only client. We can
never find a more ideal agent than Lan.
Jun W.

I would recommend Lan Bowling for any real estate transaction. Our extended family has relied on Lan for several Palo Alto real estate transactions and we are thrilled with the results. Several transactions would not have happened without Lan working her magic. In short, Lan is a miracle worker. She delivers value, closes the deal, and throughout the process makes you feel like you are her only client.
She epitomizes professionalism... not one question unanswered, not one request unfulfilled; she "pounds the pavement" on your behalf.
She has deep knowledge... her extensive decades-long experience means she will know not just micro-neighborhoods, but exact homes for comparison and their transaction history.
She cares utmost about value for her clients and delivers it... she will not allow you to pay a dollar more than necessary and yet consistently submits winning offers
Her reputation proceeds her (and therefore you as her client)... her thoroughness and integrity means that when you submit an offer, it comes with a special seal of approval.
She thrives under pressure (to your benefit)... we have been through several white-knuckle negotiations, and each time, her grace, resourcefulness, and judgement is what carried us across the finish line.
She strives to know her clients to ensure the best outcome for them... her patient and listening approach means she will help you better understand what you want.
In the high-pressure, high-stakes, highly personal world of Palo Alto residential real estate, we have benefited enormously by working with Lan; we feel very fortunate to have worked with her.
Lydia C.

I completely agree with Jackie L., who described Lan's exceptional market knowledge, responsiveness, and helpful, frank feedback. In our case, we were the sellers of a high-end property in Palo Alto. When you are in that position, it is imperative that you have proper guidance. Lan's expertise and diligence made this a very successful sale. She worked closely and consistently with all parties involved and went above and beyond to make sure all details were worked out to ensure a smooth transaction with our overseas buyers. Thanks to Lan, both sellers and buyers are happy with the results! She is a credit to her profession.
Miriam B.

We recently bought a place in Palo Alto with Lan. If you're buying (or selling) a house in Palo Alto, you need Lan Liu Bowling! She's amazing. Here's why:
1) Lan knows the Palo Alto market like the back of her hand and knows what it takes to win an offer (beyond just throwing more money at it :) )
2) She's super responsive, she works at the speed and with the technology we're used to, responding to calls, text messages, emails at all hours. E-signing of documents sure beats printing/signing/scanning!
3) She works with an 'A' team and all people she works with or recommends deliver!
4) She's not pushy, but provides very thoughtful, honest advice. We really felt like she had our best interests in mind. For example, when we started to get frustrated / distracted and stray from our original goal, she led us back on track and advised us to wait for something that would better meet our needs.
We've tried other agents before and even started to wonder why we need an agent at all in this age of Redfin listings that you can see yourself. But once we went with Lan, we could see the difference and value-add with a true professional.
On the day of the offer, Lan called me constantly with updates and to strategize so that we wouldn't overpay given the situation (which is a sellers' market).
Now that we're doing some renovating in getting ready to move in, we're even using many of the vendors she recommended.
She really has her stuff together!
Jackie L

A true All-Star and record-setter that you must have for immediate and tangible results. We have known Lan for more than 12 years and are so happy to have someone like her selling our first town home, buying, building and selling our second home, and buying our third home in Palo Alto. With 20+ years in the business and a local Palo Altan, she knows every little aspect of what makes a deal in one of the most competitive markets, and is extremely resourceful with her own and unparalleled network ranging from fellow agents to buyers/sellers living as far as in China. The sale of our two homes both received multiple offers within days of the open house AND with prices well above our expectation. Most importantly, she is a great individual that is trustworthy, and cares for her clients' interests above everything. Without her, we would not have lived in our current home in Palo Alto, and she is simply the best!
YD L.

This is an updated review on Lan Bowling, who had helped us to purchase our current house in San Carlos last fall. This time around, she has helped us to sell our old house. The result: our house has been sold at a price way beyond our wildest expectation! Yes, the market is very hot now, but without Lan’s perfect presentation of our house, we wouldn’t get as much as we got.
When I look back and think about what made Lan Bowling so different and far superior than other real estate agents are her total dedication and commitment to the work she truly enjoys; her vast knowledge and exquisite good taste on what needs to be done to make a selling house outstanding; and above all, her competence and professionalism, as I mentioned in my earlier review. After experiencing both buying and selling houses with Lan, I felt like I have the right to say that Lan Bowling is the best!
When it was time to sell our old house, we naturally called Lan again, even though the location is way out of her way and she was extremely busy (no surprise). However, she didn’t hesitate to agree to help us to sell. Once Lan was committed, we felt relaxed, as we could trust her totally with our beloved old house. There were so much work and so many details to get a house ready for the market. Lan is very detail-oriented and checked every corner of the house and took time to evaluate and estimate what needed to be done and what fixes were not worth it. Nothing escaped her. For example, we had very personalized wall paint in each room inside the house, but Lan helped us to re-paint them all with more neutral yet appealing colors. We were not sure in the beginning, but it turned out to be the right choice. After a lot of hard work and back and forth communications, we saw with our own eyes that our house has transformed magically into a true dream house. Lan also took time to choose each word and each picture carefully and spent time “thinking” about the listing price. We felt like Lan never takes anything for granted and she worked so hard on every nitty-gritty detail. The final presentation of the house on the market was truly stunning and perfect! It has gotten so many “Ohs” and “Ahs” from near and far and a lot of people asked us who did it. We had only Lan to thank for.
The days leading up to the big day of taking offers, Lan had worked non-stop with other potential buyers and the buying agents. She didn’t wait for offers to come in just because it’s a hot market. She has a way of talking to and convincing people in a very easy and calm manner. Yet, you can feel her passion. We knew that because we were in close contact with her multiple times every day in the past months. Finally came the big day of taking offers. We went to her office and witnessed a remarkable, highly intensive process of selling a house. By then, all the hard work had been done and we were there to make a decision. We were not used to this, but Lan handled everything so masterfully: she’s at her best at the negotiation table and, we believe, she enjoys it. In the end, we were extremely happy about the result, as it had exceeded our wildest expectation. Lan is a true master of her profession. We have witnessed this twice.
One more thing I want to mention is that Lan has good moral, which I value highly. When it came down to two equal offers, Lan asked us to make a decision. When I asked her opinion, she mentioned about being fair. In the end, we preferred one offer than the other for a different reason, but Lan’s being fair stayed well with us.
We were very fortunate to have Lan Bowling as our buying and selling agent. Both experiences were extremely positive. First, she beat all other offers and got us the house we wanted and secondly, she sold our old house at a price way exceeding our expectation! In the end, Lan became a very dear friend to us not because of her competence and her professionalism, but because of her human warmth and her good characters as a wonderful human being. I believe she treats all her clients very well. We are honored to be her friends too.
Bing Y

Lan was our buyer agent when we bought our house in Palo Alto early this year. We would highly recommend her to anyone for the following reasons. First, Lan is highly competent. She knows the housing market and the negotiation strategies in Palo Alto in and out. We met her at an open house she ran for one of her seller clients. We were immediately impressed by her knowledge, her attention to detail, and her friendliness. Even the advertisement brochures she prepared for her company appeared to be more elegant and contained more information than those we saw from other agents. When we were looking for an agent, she easily stood out. We chose her with no hesitation and never regretted our choice. During our house hunting and purchase process, Lan offered much valuable advice and feedback. We've been watching the market from Redfin for a while, and when we discussed the past sales with her, she knew every house we talked about and offered many insights. When we talked about houses on sale, she predicted the final sale prices accurately. This ability is non trivial, and protected us from overbidding for a house.
Second, Lan is honest and has good work ethics. She never rushed us to make a purchase decision and geared us away from overpriced houses. She always returned our phone calls and emails promptly. Every week she went to visit the new open houses diligently and gave us a list of potential fit before the weekend. This has saved us much time.
Third, Lan is resourceful. She is deeply connected with other Palo Alto agents. She informed us at the first time when an off-market property was available. We also found the loan agents and other support people she recommended competent and easy to work with.
Fourth, Lan is confident. She knows she's the best. She told us up front there is no need to sign an exclusive contract. If we didn't like her, we could go with another agent any time.
Finally, Lan is warm, friendly, and optimistic. House hunting in Palo Alto can be a stressful experience. The norm is dozens of buyers competing for the same house and only one of them wins. We found Lan's humors and optimism a great help.
Again, if you are looking to buy or sell a house in Palo Alto, we'd recommend Lan with no reservation.
Alice, Y



We recently sold our home with Lan as our representative. She is the ultimate professional. Every step of the way, Lan was there to guide us through the process. She made the process as easy as possible. She really shines during the offer negotiations. It is clear that Lan has been in this field for decades, and truly understands how these transactions work. What amazed me was that she is not only considers the "best deal," but more importantly, the "best fit." She looks beyond the papers and the numbers, and thinks about what is right, and what works for everyone. I was really impressed with her depth and her insight. Lan is amazing, and I feel lucky that we found her. Lan, thank you so much for guiding us through this.
Jennifer and Michael

I have bought and sold many homes with Lan Bowling. She is the most knowledgeable and professional agent I have ever worked with. She is incredibly diligent and responsive when it comes to navigating this ever changing market.
I feel incredibly lucky to have met Lan, she has helped my family and I through so many job changes and moves, always creating a very positive result and impact on our lives.
Chris P.

I was a buyer of a Palo Alto house, and she was the seller's agent. After some fierce competition, I lost the deal, but was amazed how elegant the seller agent handle the deal. That was how I got to know her, Lan Liu Bowling, in 1999.
In the down time after the tech bubble burst in 2001, I was in a panic and talked to Lan about selling my home. She said to me, firmly, "Don't sell. Wait till the price comes back". "How do you know it'll be back"? I questioned. "I just know. Trust me." She said reassuredly. Years passed, my home became a big win financially. I was so glad that I listened to Lan. Unlike many agents who just want to get deals, she does things for the best interest for her clients.
Last year, I had a house to sell, and it's a no brainer for me to find Lan as my agent. I watched how she paid attention to all the details of making the deal fly - from preparing, marketing, showing, and negotiating. She's an expert in negotiation and getting the best price for her sellers.
I'll have another house to sell, and I know who should be the seller's agent...
Jennifer L.

We decided to work with Lan in selling our house in Palo Alto after interviewing 3 other agents. Lan simply gave us the sense of confidence and yet very personally approachable feeling.
Lan's knowledge and expertise in the local market is unparalleled. And her sense of the market and her assessment of what type of buyers might be attracted to our house is right on. Our house went on the market at the same time tons of other houses were listed in Palo Alto and surrounding areas (the day Facebook went public). Despite overwhelming positive feedback from open house goers, we honestly started to worry after 5 weeks on the market and started to urge Lan to consider lowering the price. It would be an obvious and easy choice for any agent. But Lan repeatedly assured us that we don't need to undersell and the right buyer will appear. Surely enough offers started to come in soon after. Lan was very professional and a true master in negotiation. She handled all the details in closing smoothly and both the buyer and seller were pleased with the transaction.
Throughout the 7+ weeks we worked with Lan in selling our house, Lan gave us the feeling she truly understand the emotion we have for the house and wanted to find a nice new owner to the house as much as we do. She's also super responsive and made us feel we are the only client she's work for at the moment. And last but not least, we know she's always putting our interest first, never rush to close a deal in order to make a quick buck.
We highly recommend Lan Bowling!
Helen K
San Mateo, Ca

I recently bought a home with Lan Bowling's help in the Palo Alto area. She was referred to me by a very close friend who also purchased a home with Lan's assistance. My friend shares my needs for working with a realtor who is an intelligent and proactive individual, professional, easily accessible by email and phone, and personable. Lan exceeded all my expectations when I first called her. She immediately displayed curiosity and interest in getting to know me. She was a great listener who immediately wanted to understand our needs before making any suggestions. In fact, after my first contact with Lan, I decided that it was too early to buy a home for us (partly with her advice) and instead continued to rent for about a year and a half before getting in touch with her again.
My husband and I were first time home buyers, full time working parents of 3 kids under 5 years old when we decided to seriously look for a home and contacted Lan again. We were somewhat anxious to find the right home and didn't have much time to spend on this very important process. Lan was absolutely wonderful in helping us look at options, both accompanying us to open houses that we were interested in looking at and also suggesting many homes on the market that she thought would be of interest to us. After each visit, we would discuss by phone or in person what we liked about it, what we didn't like about it, and how many of the things we didn't like could be addressed with her high level estimate of how much it would cost us to address these issues. She was always so sensitive to our time and schedule with work and child care, and was always accessible by phone or email even off business hours.
When we found the home that we wanted, Lan helped us with the inspections, the negotiations, and final transactions. She addressed every detail and went above and beyond to help us with some of the updates we made to the home both indoors and outdoors. She has wonderful taste and has seen so many homes that I was grateful that she was willing to give her opinion on everything at all hours of the day! Even after buying the home, she periodically continues to check in and has also been available when we have had home maintenance issues or questions that we depend on her expertise for advice. Over the time we have known Lan, she has become a friend of ours as well and we would trust her again fully if we were to buy or sell a home in this area.
Carole H.
Palo Alto, CA

I am a home owner in the mid-Peninsula. I have been living in the SF bay area for many years and had many chances talking to many real estate agents over past years. I can say without any hesitation that Lan is the one I respect the most. Smart, professional, knowledgeable, diligent, and friendly, I indeed made the right choice choosing her as my agent when I bought my houses. I truly appreciate all the hard work she put in to help us research and purchase our properties. The exceptional personal service provided by her and her team member John certainly should be commended. When Lan represents the buyer, just like she did this for us twice, she would try to find all related information about the house and do all of the home work for us. She analyzes the data and discusses it with us openly. She is not the "I let you make all the decisions, it's your choice, I just present the offer for you" type. Instead, she recommends a house when she thinks it's a great choice and reasonably priced. She never pushes us to bid beyond a reasonable price just to win the bid. She would also give her opinions frankly when she feels the house is priced too high or simply not a good choice. At the same time, she also gives her client a lot of respect, and tries her best to help out even if her clients decide not to follow her opinion. When she represents the seller, from my observation, she has very good strategies when pricing and marketing the house. She would do open house every week and stick with that. At the end she can always sell houses for very good prices even when the house market was not good. I recommend her to anyone who wants to buy or sell a house in Palo Alto and surrounding cities.
Caren W.
Palo Alto, CA

We became to know Lan Bowling through a friend referral. We feel so blessed to get to know Lan and have such a wonderful opportunity to work with her on buying our dream home in Palo Alto.
Before we knew Lan, we tried quite some time to buy a home in Palo Alto, but we found it very hard to get a good property due to the very competitive market. However since we started working with Lan, things had changed dramatically. Lan is so knowledgeable, passionate, and results oriented. She made tremendous efforts to understand exactly what we wanted, and then searched appropriate properties for us to consider. During the process, we felt we were the only customer to her because she always gave her 100% attention to us. Even with time differences as we lived overseas, Lan always worked around the clock and communicated updated information with us on daily basis.
We were so impressed by her professionalism and wisdom. We totally trusted her and made our bid on the house even without seeing the property. With Lan's great expertise and reputation, we successfully bought our dream home in October 2012.
We enjoy our home so much, and we are so grateful to Lan. If you want to buy your dream home, I would highly recommend that you talk to Lan as she would help you realize your dream for sure.....
William D

We have been working with Lan Bowling for three transactions over the past eight years. Looking back we truly feel so lucky to get to know her both professionally and as a person.
We met Lan at an open house in PA back in 2005. She was referred by our colleagues. Immediately we were so impressed by her passion, knowledge and great care toward her clients. The housing market was very competitive that year. However, we were able to get our dream house with only a little over the asking price. I still vividly remembered the day we presented our offer to seller's office. Lan did all the homework as well as possible. Meanwhile, she also asked us to bring our son along to show them what kind of family we were. Indeed, this is a very unique way of thinking at her end. We loved the house so much which sits on a beautifully tree-lined neighborhood and we lived there for an entire 7 years until kid graduated from college.
Last year, we worked with Lan again on both selling the house in PA and buying a house outside PA. Lan took good care of us from remodeling, new landscape planning, staging to final transactions. It was a seamless process! We can tell that she paid a great attention to each little detail and treat each step as of her own. For example, when we consulted her about the remodeling part, she helped us to identify the best work team, to carefully think about what the best material and design would be, while keeping the budget reasonable. We listened to many of her wonderful suggestions and turned our house into any buyer's dream. At the end we sold the house in a matter of days with multiple offers.
Although her majority business is in PA, her expertise evidently extends beyond that area. The new house we bought last year was put on market for less than 10 days before closing with multiple cash offers. Again at the end we got it with a very reasonable price. We are so glad that we still had her as our real estate agent when we considered a house somewhere else. It turned out that Lan had a very good relationship with many realtors around the Bay Area, with her good reputation and integrity. Even after we moved in, Lan still tried to help us with electric problems left undone by seller's agent. We felt she and team truly put their hearts into each of their client and make sure they were not alone to deal with any issues and they would always feel entirely comfortable with money they spent. Many times this means to sacrifice her time, energy and benefit.
For each transaction, Lan always did her part so well that we've never run into problem with our own mortgages, hidden house issues with the seller or a failed offer from the potential buyer. In conclusion, Lan is the person you can definitely trust for your future real estate needs. So far I have referred her to several friends who wanted to buy house in PA. All they said to me was how lucky they were to find Lan.
Lan, thank you so much for everything you have done for us!!
Linda Z.
Redwood City, CA

After several times of failure in the bidding war to get a dream house in Palo Alto, I was very disappointed. At that time, I had two friends reffered the same realtor to me: Lan Bowling.
She is very professional, hard working and honest. She helped us won the biding out of 7 offers to the house and 5 of them were all cash offer while we needed a big mortgage in order to afford the house. It was amazing how she made this happen! She definitely does some thing beyond to make magic happen. After we won the bid, she also helped us got a mortgage funded within 10 days. And the industry average is about 30 days. So many thanks to Lan for helped us got our beatiful house in Palo Alto! I would recomand to everyone who want to buy a new house.
Joey G.
Palo Alto, CA

We met Lan through a friend's referral while looking for a house in Palo Alto. She is absolutely a amazing realtor: very professional, extremely pleasant to deal with, and always thinks for her clients. She introduced us to Palo Alto neighborhood, and found our dream house in the heart of old Palo Alto. The house was found off the market and Lan negotiated for the best of our interest. The escrow went very smoothly thanks to Lan's great knowledge. She also offered valuable advices and recommendation to help us settle down in the new house and new neighborhood.
I referred Lan to several of my friends. They all love working with Lan, who also helped them find their dream houses in Palo Alto.
Simply put, if you are looking for a great realtor in Palo Alto, Lan is your best bet.
Hong L.
Palo Alto, CA

If you are looking for a first-class real estate broker on the hot Peninsula housing market, look no further: pick up the phone and book a session with Lan Bowling! She is simply the BEST: she will help you to get your dream house, while making sure that the process is a smooth and pleasant one. Lan is very professional and hard-working, but the most valuable about her is that she treat her clients and her cases very "personal", which is a rarity in the realtor market.
We were referred by a friend to the Deleon Realty when we started looking for a new house in PA. We selected Lan based on the guts feeling and met her in her office for the initial consultation. As others mentioned, Lan is very professional: she presented the PA market, our preferences and the budgets. She knows the market very well and we had a very good feeling about her.
Though Lan specializes in Palo Alto area, we ended up buying our new home in San Carlos, where we have been living for more than 10 years. It was late summer in 2012 and housing market was still crazy on the Peninsula: limited inventory and more buyers. A typical case with multiple strong offers: it seemed to us that we would not likely to get the house. This is where Lan truly stands out from other real estate brokers. Lan has her magic: she beat other potential offers (even a higher bid) and got our offer accepted. During the process, she seemed to work 24/7, regardless where she was. We knew for sure that we would not have gotten the house if it were not for Lan. As a very experienced top-selling realtor who has seen so much, we were impressed by her "personal involvement", as she treated the case as her own. Lan always says that she treasures her reputation and her clients, so do we believe.
Lan didn't stop there. She followed us through the whole process of closing the house deal (unfortunately a very painful and most difficult one). She was patient, detail-oriented, communicative and very supportive. She's on top of everything and always available for us. We had bought houses before and all we can say is that we were very impressed not only by Lan's professionalism and competence, but also by her human warmth.
We highly, highly recommend Lan Bowling!
Bing Y.
San Carlos, CA

Over the years, we dealt with realtors on the east coast, San Francisco and overseas, most of them are hard working good person. But when you come to Palo Alto for house buying, you need a great realtor that can bring you some luck. That's what Lan has done for our new home in Midtown Palo Alto. She showed us a "pocket-list" house and negotiated a deal within six hours. With her strong team (kudos to John) and extensive network of service providers, we sailed through the closing, remodeling and move-in smoothly. The best part is this choice meets and exceeds all of our requirements.
Here are what a great Palo Alto realtor like Lan can deliver beyond the hard working and nice person:
"Best with the numbers" : This is not only just about the price negotiation, but also the micro market statistics, financing loan composition and personal financial analysis. Lan has a special instinct and sharp memory with the numbers. She negotiated a good deal below our walking price.
"Knowing your peers and be respected": In the hyper competitive Palo Alto bidding wars, it's important to know the traits of other great realtors and plan your chess strategy before the show-down. In our only bidding war experience (lost to an all-cash offer), Lan laid out her mind game on bidding strategy based on the remaining realtors. At the end, they all came over to greet and catch up like old colleagues.
"Character counts": A great realtor is more than a nice person. Lan is a genuine and professional person, but more so, she's a great inspiration for what she has done for her family and her mom. Such characters won trust and lasting friendship and new business, of course.
Last but not least, luck always helps, and it will spread among the people who are prepared with diligence.
Thank you very much, Lan!!
David Z.
San Francisco, CA

We've known Lan since 2004. At that time we just moved from Texas to Palo Alto, and knew nothing of the PA market, and chanced upon Lan. She immediately won us over, not only by her acute market sense, but most importantly by her high ethic and professionalism: she always puts her client's long term interest at the top.
In our first bid, Lan accurately predicted that our offer would get into the 2nd round, and it did. But we were reluctant to go over a certain limit, and did not win in the final round, just as Lan predicted. We finally bought our home in PA, after numerous attempts, all under her caring guidance. In all cases Lan was very professional, laying out pros and cons, options and choices, guiding us through every step of the way, yet in no sense pushy. We were very comfortable with her, and were extremely happy with the process and outcome.
In 2012 we had to leave PA, once again we comfortably and confidently put our interest in Lan's capable and professional hands, leaving many a decision up to her. Long story short, we were once again extremely happy with the process and outcome.
If you believe you understand the market, you should work with Lan because of her market expertise that will surely surpass that of yours, and her excellence in services. If you are new to the market, you definitely should work with her, most importantly because she always has your ultimate interest in her heart! We can't recommend her enough, you will be handsomely rewarded by exceptional returns.
Alex H.
San Antonio, TX

Finding a realtor who is honest, ethical, and patient can be a daunting task. After several months of house hunting in the very competitive market of Palo Alto, both my husband and I were exhausted and frustrated. Lan, however, really captured our hearts. Her professional skill, friendliness, and- most important- dedication to her clients stood out among a sea of agents. She was sincere and understood our interests, and thus provided information on housing accordingly.
When we found the home we wanted, Lan played a huge role in helping us achieve our goal and ultimately purchase the house. The house had multiple offers, but ours was- miraculously- accepted, thanks to Lan's knowledge, reputation, and commitment. Though the house had come out at midnight, she had emailed me by 2 a.m. and had previewed the house and called me by 8am the next morning. She provided solid advice on what we needed to prepare for betting and presenting our offer, as well as staying by our sides for the entirety of the journey. During the closing of the house and the document signing, Lan and her team were present to answer any questions we might have had, to make sure that we got the maximum coverage agreed upon in the original contract, and to make sure everything was in order. Even after the closing, Lan was still present in advising us on how to remodel, suggesting contractors, and checking up on us periodically to see how everything was proceeding.
Lan definitely meant it when she said that she would be there every step of the way. We have truly appreciated what Lan has done for us and believe we will stay with her for life. We have been extremely satisfied with both our purchase and our overall experience with Lan and would highly recommend her.
Thank you, Lan!
Rurong X.
Palo Alto, CA

Lan helped us find and buy our house in 2010, and we thank her every day for helping us get the house of our dreams! Lan has so much knowledge and expertise, particularly in a crazy market like Palo Alto and its surrounding areas. We felt completely taken care of by her and her team. She showed us several properties and told us honestly what she thought about them. My husband is very picky, and she immediately knew what properties he would like (and those he would not). She has a wealth of experience, knows everyone in the business, and is well-respected by all of them. She helped us through the paperwork and financing, and helped us think through the remodeling that we wanted to do in an affordable way. We continue to consider her a valuable resource (she just helped us refinance our mortgage), and recommend her to all of our friends (she has helped them find homes, too). She is simply amazing---honest, knowledgeable, intelligent, friendly---you could not ask for a better realtor. Thank you, Lan!!!
Jeanne T.
Stanford, CA

When we decided to buy a home in Palo Alto early this year (2012), we decided that we needed a great realtor - not just a good one - who knows the market very well and has the capability to get the property we want. We have lived in Palo Alto for quite a few years, and we know it's not easy to get a property here.
So I started by asking for friends' referrals first and then interviewing (literally) them one by one. Lan was strongly referred by a long-time friend. They bought their dream home in Old Palo Alto neighborhood thanks to Lan's services. So I set up a time with Lan to talk in her office. It was quite early in the morning (8 am), yet Lan showed up on time and we went over the market, our preferences, the budget, etc. She was very confident, knowledgeable, patient, professional and attentive. My first impression for her was really great. I left with the sense that she is THE agent that we needed.
And boy, am I glad that we had Lan as our buyer agent. In the next month, Lan and her team showed us quite a few listings and we got to know each other better. Finally, on a Friday morning, we visited a place that would eventually be our new home. We decided to submit our offer - the first one. In the next 72 hours, Lan worked very closely with us to compile the package, communicated with the seller and their agent, counseled us for the bidding strategy and presented the offer to the seller on the following Monday afternoon. There were eight offers - not uncommon for Palo Alto - and our offer might not be the highest. We prayed... The seller accepted our offer.
It sounds unbelievable but we had our first and only bid accepted in the white-hot housing market in Palo Alto, where reportedly one property received 38 offers this year - there's only one new owner in the end - and you would wish you were the lucky one. Lan seems to master the skills to win the deal for her clients in such a super competitive and nerve-wrecking market as Palo Alto.
But she's not done yet. She followed up with us meticulously to make sure that our financing would be closed on time. We didn't exactly sail through as expected but in the end, we were able to close the home a couple of days ahead of time. She was always available - via emails or over the phone - whenever we needed her. And she was always there for us. I can't say that for everyone ( and I have worked with a lot of professional service providers at work and for personal purposes ) - and we had bought a home before - but Lan is simply the best, the most competent, the most professional realtor/agent that I have ever met and dealt with.
One last note: I don't keep her as a secret. After our purchase, I recommended her to another long-time friend, and they also happily bought their home with help from Lan, and they said the same thing about Lan. Way to go, Lan!
ND W.
Palo Alto, CA