John Fong – Landmark Real Estate

Not only did we find an awesome realtor who only had nothing but our best interest at heart, we also found an amazing friend for life! We enlisted John’s help in the latter part of 2015 to find a suitable home for our growing family. After visiting countless homes we had finally found the one for us. John provided his advice and guidance and even went through the numbers with us to ensure that the home was in fact in our budget. This is quite different than others we’ve dealt with, who only wanted us to buy the most expensive home our income and credit would allow and not worry about future consequences. Anyway, we put our offer in and didn’t get the home (lost by $ 2k WTH!!!) and were so put off by the experience (we had written an awesome letter to the seller, but money talks, BS walks I guess) that we went into a dark place. Through this time, John checked in on us to make sure that we were doing ok and not to sell us a home. When we finally felt that we were able to walk again from the low blow for that $^&$^Q seller (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE)…John was there for us. He helped us to realize that there’s more to a home than all the bells and whistles, well placed furniture, etc., that it can be found with an open mind and a vision for our own home (on a budget of course). We believed in him and after much searching, we found our home (yes happy ending story of course)…something that if we had never realized the «vision» part… we wouldn’t have ever considered (my wife has a lot to do with the vision part as well as she picked out everything to make it happen while i just had scotch and make rude comments). Once we put in our offer, it was anything but smooth sailing… why? Because if $#!t can happen, it will happen to us… because the Lord knows that we can handle it. Anyway, John was there for us all the way through those issues as well. From the initial search, the late nights number crunching, the laughs (you may not have laughs because my wife and I are just funny people), the support, the advice, etc… John provides all that. But above most realtors out there, John provides the skinny (not South OC definition)…as in he tells you the truth… we all know he answers to not only his wife, but the Great Lord Almighty. In John, we not only gained a home, but we also gained a family to walk life with. Not saying that you will gain friendship if you use this guy, we only did because we are a cool family (you may not be so cool, regardless of what your friends and parents have been telling you), but I am 100% sure that you will gain a piece of mind knowing that you actually have someone who has your best interest at heart. Thank you John… for helping us find the home and making everything come true (regarding the house that is… there are other wishes and fantasies I have that John didn’t make come true… and geez I really hope he doesn’t try either… oh my eyes… my eyes. they are burning just thinking about it…). Anyway, all joking aside, reality of the situation is… we all need someone who looks out for us.

John has helped us sell our condo before and most recently he helped us purchase our new home in Laguna Niguel. We had our odds against us with this home purchase but John worked extremely hard for us and thinking out of the box to close the deal. We’re so grateful to have John as our realtor and our personal friend. I would definitely recommend his services!

John is an exceptional Reator, he went above and beyond to help us with our new home. We just moved here to california 8 months ago, because of my husband’s job relocation. We were so happy to have found him, He made us feel comfortable from the first moment we met him. He was very kind and understanding of our situation. John took his time to explain the whole process to us. John personalitiy is great and he is a very easy person to get along with, he has alot of patience and is very knowledgeable of Orange County and supported us during the mortgage loan process to the very end. He was also there for us when we had a question or needed help. He always responded to our emails right away. With John you always felt his legit concerns for us and he was always there to make sure that we got the home we wanted and that we were comfortable with our decision. He is a keeper for us and we will definitely use him again and will recommend to others.
Thank you so much John, for being not just a Realtor, but a good friend to us.
Angel & Yvonne

John is very helpful, professional, down to earth person. Being a first time home buyer I had no knowledge of reality, he helped me in every step. He always gave me best advise and also explained everything in detail like material used in kitchen counters and restroom to compare what they worth. I would definitely recommend him to others.

I’ve known John for many years, well before he was in the real estate business. I am grateful that he has find his true calling, since he has been able to help me and my family purchased our first house five years ago and most recently, our second home.
John has always been a very thoughtful and patient man, he took his time understanding what we are looking for, evaluate our budget, and able to find houses that my wife likes, which is no easy task in itself. Now I am planning to have John’s help in renting out our 1^st home. In many ways, John has become our cornerstone in all housing discussion in the Lei family.
100% recommended

This man is FANTASTIC! John Fong helped me and my husband purchase our first home. He walked us through the entire process and made it seem so easy.
His Patience, Loyalty and Integrity is why we only trust him and will always be coming back when we purchase more property in the future.
Thank you John for not just treating us like clients but we have become part of your realty family as well.
I recommend John Fong for all us!

John is a great realtor. Provides a Very good and diligent service… He is focused on finding exactly what we as a customer are looking for. Overall very satisfied with his service.100% recommended!

This is my 3^rd time using John as my agent and I look forward to the 4^th! He recently helped with the sale of my last home in Orange and was instrumental in helping get multiple offers and a great sale price. We had a difficult window for the sale, with a requested 20 day escrow. Despite the aggressive timelines and interesting buyer-​side requests, everything closed well and I was extremely happy with the process. John was always on top of everything and all of his professional referrals, from the termite inspector to cleaning services, were all top notch. He has been the most responsive and thorough agent I have ever used. Thanks John for all your hard work!

John is a very honest and down-​to-​earth real estate agent! During the whole process of finding our first home, my husband and I felt John was more like our friend than an agent. His response to us was always honest and nice, and he’s always smiling. I think it is really important to have an agent that make you feel comfortable and trusted. The people that work with him, like our mortgage broker Ivan, another real estate agent Eric who substituted his position for one day, and our inspector Johnny, are all very professional and trustworthy. Our case was not an easy one because we needed a home before we left to travel. John and his partners did their best to help us get it all down within our time frame. And, now we are happy home owners and we love our place :)

This guy is amazing, and goes way beyond expectations. I couldn’t imagine a better Realtor. I was a first time buyer, and knew the areas I liked and sq footage needed. John met with me and I described my ideal home in the price range. Then 2 days later he called and said I’m going to show you ten houses of what you described. All the houses were amazing. He could sense what I was looking for and then went out and found it. John also helped me along the way by reassuring me because I was a first time buyer, I was nervous. John gave me real data with detailed explanations of where I was in the process. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. He was available to me to answer all of my questions. If you need a Realtor who will earn your business 100 times over then John Fong should be your Realtor.

FIRST TIME HOMEBUYERS REVIEW
Working with John was truly a blessing for my wife and I. We were first time homebuyers; and John took the time to explain each stage in the process clearly, quickly, and effectively.
I am going to take the time to write a comprehensive review because these reviews were very helpful for us when we started looking for agents.
A close friend referred John to us. She constantly would smile ear to ear whenever she talked about her home buying experience. We gave John a call. The real differentiating factor with working with John is that he takes the time to get to know you as people. He really wants to understand your current situation, future aspirations, and goals first. He wants to know about your family, interests, dislikes, must haves, nice to haves, etc. He then takes all that information and using his resources available and showcases homes and locations right for you and your specific needs. He is not set on doing things the same each time, he understands that every home buyer is different and has different needs. Getting to know you as people lends itself throughout the entire process.
John mentioned that we were going to feel a lot of different emotions throughout the process. As we got to each of the different stages in the home buying journey, he would reassure us that our feelings are normal and gave us advice and steps to help alleviate and understand. This was critical in the process. I remember specifically when we had an accepted offer and were drawing closer and closer to our 17 day contingency period expiring. We were stressed and were second-​guessing our decision. John picked up his phone at 10 PM (he has a young daughter BTW) and ran through our concerns and stresses. We talked through them together. We ran the numbers again and ultimately proceeded in the process.
John was always kept us well informed with constant communication channels (email, phone calls, text, in-​person meetings. He was always willing to pick up our calls. He worked long hours when needed during loan review and approval, home tours, inspection, escrow close, etc. He truly cares about his clients and their well-​being. A perfect examples of this, is when we had to move out of our current residence the same day escrow was scheduled to close. It was the holiday season so there were some delays due to government holidays. We had moved everything out of our old residence and were literally in the moving truck (BTW — it was pouring rain that day) waiting for John’s call confirming the recording office completed the transfer. He kept calling and texting throughout the day and as soon as we got the confirmation he drove in over an hour of California traffic in the rain to drop off our keys so we can have a place to sleep that night. We joked that if we didn’t close we were going to bunk at John’s house. It all worked out.
We started the home buying process not knowing or having a specific area, pre-​approval, must haves, nice to haves, and very little understanding of the loan and home buying process in general. In the end, we researched areas, income levels, took into account current jobs and potential future career changes, family changes, layout, our home essentials became clear, and we became very educated on loans & terms, pre approval, interest rates, escrow process, and moving out and moving tips and tricks. John has a wealth of knowledge. We asked a lot of questions and were very thorough. Even if you aren’t as thorough as we were, you are in good hands with John and his team. He will teach you.
A few recommendations to potential homebuyers:
— Save, save, save — put as much $ away as possible now
— Get pre-​approved first (look to Landmark and Abe for lending options)
— Determine your location or area next (look at trends, work locations, schools, income level, comparable home prices, etc.)
— Determine a rough budget for home (ideal & max amounts)
Note — include Property tax, HOA, Mello Roos, PMI (if your not putting 20%), Home Insurance, etc.
— Determine must haves and layout preference (levels, open concept, etc.)
— Use search sites to narrow list (Listingbook, Redfin, Zillow, etc.)
— Favorite your tops homes and send John MLS #
— Go and visit — fun part (let John ask the questions — trust us)
In summary, John is a professional with vast knowledge and experience. He has a great network and team to help in other areas as well. Most importantly his is an awesome person that cares deeply about what he does and his client’s well-​being. He goes above and beyond what is required to help you and your family find a home that works for your specific needs. We found a great agent and mostly importantly a friend for life.

John is an exceptional person and real estate agent. When we relocated cross country from Florida he made us feel so welcomed when we knew no one here in California. He always kept us in the loop, had great knowledge of the area, and really listened to our needs. He went above and beyond when we had only a few short weeks to find the right place. Above and beyond included working showings around our busy schedules and understanding when we had to bring our 1 and 3 yr old to most of them! Far and away the best experience we had with a real estate agent. Again, exceptional all around!

We started working with John Fong on the recommendation of a friend and we could not have been any more pleased with our decision to do so. As first time buyers we had been looking for a very long time, and John helped us focus on what would work for us.
When it came time to put in an offer and start down the path to ownership he helped at every step of the way to make sure everything went smoothly. All the nightmare and stressful situations we have heard from other buyers, first time or not, never happened to us. We closed on our first home with John and it was smooth and fast thanks to his efforts in communicating to all parties and working with them to address all questions, concerns, and information requests.
To John’s credit, he continues to work with us, even after closing, on questions we have had.
We can not thank him enough for making our home buying experience and fun and positive experience.

If you are a first time home buyer like me, John is the best secret weapon you can have!
Back in May, I was extremely interested in a banked owned property that just came on the market. When we went to view the property, John already ran the comps of area sales so we were able to pick a best number to put in the offer. He worked till very late the same day to help submit my offer online. And his strategy worked. My offer was accepted and I got the key to my home within 5 weeks!!!
Being the first time home buyer, John did A LOT of hand holding, and consultations for me. I’ve been on home hunting for over a year and he was never pushy. He respected my opinion and criteria, and always have a great positive attitude that reminds me to have hope and not to give up. His sincere heart, patience and expertise are the key to this successful transaction.
My lender had put me through some serious dilemmas and John always jump in right on time to save the day. I’m very amazed by his problem solving skills. Like many other reviewers mentioned, he goes extra mile to make home buying process smoother and more convenient for me. He was very understanding of my high demanding work schedule and even made extra efforts to ensure the process was not delayed since it was only a 30 days escrow period. Many times he helped me communicate to the lender, the HOA, and even my future neighbors to help streamline the process and obtain firsthand information. Btw the neighbors really liked him!
He is incredibly resourceful. Not only he gave me really good investment advices and has recommended me some great industry partners– home inspector, termite inspector and home insurance agent– that work just as hard as he does. I was very pleased with their services as well. He saved me a lot of time to research and go through referrals to find credible ones to hire.
It’s beyond an occupation, John truly finds joy in helping people getting their dream home. He is highly motivated and dedicated. I can’t say enough «Thank You» to him. You really don’t want to miss out on this guy.

John is a very nice, friendly and professional. He helped us to buy our investment properties. He is very knowledgeable about real estate. One of our investment property was brought in the lowest price in the community til now. He knows to find good deal! He’s very detail and take care every step during the process. I highly recommend John F for your real estate agent!

As a first-​time seller, the whole process to sell a home was a daunting task. Having gone to John F. to list our house and sell it for us, he made every effort to make us as comfortable and knowledgable as possible. Even before we were ready to list our home, he came to us to give us knowledge of where the market and value of the home would be at. From the first to the last step, he was always there to answer any questions and advise us of every aspect of the sale. His consistent hard work and diligence allowed us to sell our home, even through this difficult housing market time. We highly recommend John Fong Homes to those who are looking to buy or sell!

We actually found John on Unilocal and decided to give him a try since he received 5 stars straight on all the reviews. It turned out to be an excellent decision. John is very dedicated, polite, honest, professional, and the best agent we could ever ask for. We got our first home, and a lot of credit should go to John as he made the process very easy for us. He listened to our needs, explained everything in detail, told us ahead of time what we should prepare, and followed up things for us very closely. If you have him, you will have peace of mind, as he is always on top of things. John also helped us find a reliable mortgage banker, helped follow up with the bank, communicated with the sellers about our concerns, located a reliable inspector, offered suggestions for the homeowner insurance, and even offered some suggestions for our remodeling! We literally can’t ask anybody better than him. We highly recommend him for anyone who is looking for a home. Get John as your agent!!!

We were referred by our friend who had bought two properties with John’s help. We were looking to to buy an investment property in the Chino, Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario areas. We are not very familiar with those areas, so we asked John to come up with a list of properties to see on a Saturday. Almost at the end of that Saturday, John spotted an open house condo which wasn’t on our list. Out of curiosity, we went inside and checked it out. It turned out this condo was a very nice place with decent size and condition, spacious and open concept floor plan, and a lot of recent kitchen upgrades!!! Very minimal fixup is required. We eventually bought that condo.
John is very knowledgeable and has helped us through every aspect of the buying process… from getting an understanding of what we were looking for to taking us to see houses, from offer to financing, from inspection to appraisal, getting quotes on handyman, and finally, tips & techniques on renting it out. In addition, John is very familiar with the market. After our offer was accepted, we were concerned that we offered too much and the chance of renting it. John was very patient in explaining to us and answering the questions. That made us feel comfortable we made a wise and sound investment decision. He helped me offer the price that was right on the appraised value. John was so resourceful that he saved me from making a trip to deliver myself on a weekday an HOA questionnaires to HOA to get it filled out. He always thought of a backup plan. He was always very responsive. He followed through on every key aspect (eg. appraisal, loan approval) to make sure they were done timely. He truly looked out in our best interest.
My overall impression of John is that he is a genuine, practical, resourceful real estate professional. If you want to buy/​sell a house, he is the man!!!

First of all, I’m not the easiest client to deal with. I’m skeptical and demanding. John is reliable, not only he patiently responds and follows up on all the questions I have and issues we discussed, he provides honest opinion based on his experience and knowledge. John is very professional.
What touched me the most was that a structure issue discovered on the home in escrow. The issue was a big one where the deal can be put back on the negotiation table (i.e. negotiate with the seller to lower the price. In this case, the higher the repair the cost, the more power for me to negotiate with the seller.) or break the deal.
Knowing my busy work schedule I was not able to arrange a contractor to go out quote this structure repair in the limited escrow time. John took care of it for me. He had a contractor go out to the house and quote the repair. He was present throughout while contractor inspect/​quote the repair. He went through each item listed on the 3^rd party Inspector Report with the contractor and made sure contractor included every repair needed. I didn’t have to sweat and worry about a thing. Everything was taken care for me!!!
He’s like a real estate angel descended from the sky! :D
John went an extra mile to service his buyer. Because of his diligent help I was able to close my house in a timely manner.
I had referred him to several of my friends. JOHN IS AWESOME!!!

John was our real estate agent for our first home which just closed escrow today. It was a difficult process to purchase our home prior to meeting John because we were outbid on other homes about 4 times!
It was such a blessing to have him as our agent. We were impressed with John’s wealth of experience, quick response to all questions asked, and thoroughness from beginning to end. Above all he is a genuine caring guy who wants to help you get the home that you deserve! Thank you, John!