Testimonials/Reviews

Dear Bobby,

How would I describe our experience with Bobby Lawrence as our agent in the sale of our Norfolk home?  Absolutely magnificent! Would I recommend you to a friend, a colleague, a family member considering selling a treasured home?  Whole heartedly, yes, I would!

I admit to being nervous about selecting an agent to sell our home of almost 28 years. I was worried about the clearing out a lifetime of possessions, of getting the house ready to show, of moving through all the mysterious steps that make a sale happen. I admit that, as one who likes to be in control, I was a little nervous about the idea of working with an agent, particularly a highly successful one, a go-getter.

By reputation, I knew you were very good at getting a house sold. But from the first day we sat down to talk and right through closing I learned that you also work as a personal partner, a guide, through the whole process. You listened carefully to our concerns, our ideas and our needs and always responded with excellent advice grounded in years of experience! When a problem or need arose, you immediately found a practical, cost-saving solution. You handled everything to make the process of selling our house as easy and comfortable as possible. Most important, you were always impeccably honest and pleasant.

I don’t think we could have had a better experience, Bobby.  I would say you are the James Bond of residential real estate in Hampton Roads…super-knowledgeable, trustworthy, competent and effective...but a lot nicer.  In you we found a great agent and gained a great friend!  Thank you!

With all best wishes,

Jane Goldman

"Simply put...the only realtor I will ever use in the Hampton Roads Area. I have recommended Bobby to all my friends who are either selling or buying property."

- Myron Chism


"Best agent we will ever use."

- John Wills 

"Bobby has handled my last 4 real estate transactions...he is nothing short of amazing."

- Mike Samuels

Dear Bobby,

Errol and I were blessed to have you as our Realtor! Your knowledge and patience with us was outstanding and made the process go much easier. Thank you for all your positive wisdom! Harbor's Edge is still not home yet but hopefully will in the future. Thanks so much for the Taste gift certificate. This was so delightful."

- With Graditude, Linda Lewis

Bobby is a true professional. His thirty plus years of experience shows. I would highly recommend him to anyone that I meet looking to buy and/or sell a home.

- Evan Stallings

Bobby is professional personified!The best there is in the business.He goes over and above what you expect from an agent.

- Joyce Legum

My husband and I have recently worked with Bobby Lawrence, listing and selling our home of twenty-three years.  Our first appointment with Booby was most impressive.  Bobby had prepared a book of market analytics and comparable homes for sale in our neighborhood, he explained the good and the not so good with our home and advised us what a realistic asking price would be. Due to his impeccable reputation and being the foremost expert in his field, we agreed with all of his recommendations.  Our home was shown six times the first day on the market and we received and offer, above asking that same day.

Bobby was attentive, detailed oriented and treated us with the utmost professionalism. Bobby was always available to answer all of our questions and made selling our home extremely easy.  My husband and I absolutely recommend Bobby Lawrence and would work with him again.

 
- Kevin & Ann Hupp
  Former Larchmont Residents

The purpose of this letter is to provide a reference for Mr. Bobby Lawrence. I have known Mr. Lawrence since 2013 but had my most recent interactions with him in spring 2020 when I selected him as the listing agent to sell my home in Norfolk, VA. Mr. Lawrence is a highly recognized agent working with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. One needs only to peruse the web site to find that Mr. Lawrence has been selected to receive many outstanding awards in his field and from his colleagues and he is lauded for his expertise in the real estate business. There are many good reasons in my opinion that he is deserving of the recognition and awards he has received. However, the three main qualities that I observed when working with Mr. Lawrence are (1) his open style of communication, (2) his extensive knowledge of the real estate market along with his understanding of what sells and what does not sell, and (3) his innate ability to work with multiple personalities.

The three qualities listed above were critical in helping me to achieve the sale of our property in less than three months. I received one offer for the full price of my home and I credit Mr. Lawrence solely for the offer we received and the subsequent successful navigation of getting to the final sale and closing on the home. Mr. Lawrence has deep connections within the industry and managed to get my home listed as the feature in a prominent real estate publication. He continually kept me informed of every step in the process from the lay out design to the final printing. Mr. Lawrence has a sense of style and is an expert in knowing what will appeal to a buyer and conversely, what might be detrimental to the sale of a home. If one chooses to focus on additional attributes, Mr. Lawrence has them all. His is punctual, organized, does extensive background work in order to sell your home, and he is highly interactive and able to engage in a positive manner with potential buyers and other agents.

Mr. Lawrence was aggressive on my behalf in alerting interested parties to the sale of my home. He continually kept me informed of inquires and showings with data that was automatically generated but I appreciated his more personal touch of texting and calling me directly. Due to the situation of my employment during the pandemic, I was not able to be in the home on a regular basis. Mr. Lawrence was a tremendous support to me by unlocking doors for workers and cleaning agents who needed access to my home. He picked up mail at times and often offered to help in so many other ways. I felt supported on a personal and a professional level with Mr. Lawrence. I must admit to being surprised by the personal support and encouraged that Mr. Lawrence had such an understanding of the needs of his client.

I cannot speak highly enough about Mr. Lawrence. He is the ultimate professional in his field and after working with him on this most successful home sale, it is so very evident why he is on top of his profession. My advice to those who may be considering Mr. Lawrence would be twofold. First, I would not hesitate in the least to sign on for him to serve as your agent whether you are buying or selling a home. He will be forthright about his services and his fees and his personal support for you will truly be a bonus. Second, I would not hesitate to follow every piece of advice and guidance given to you by Mr. Lawrence during the process. He literally engineered the sale of my home by navigating the desires and the concerns of the buyers while working closely with the buyer’s agent. It was Mr. Lawrence who truly crafted the details of my home sale and so I would say, sit back and watch Mr. Lawrence go to work. You will not regret that decision and you will achieve the ultimate goal of selling your home or buying a new home

- Dr. Jane S. Bray

Bobby came to my husband and me highly recommended and he certainly lived up to his stellar reputation and truly deserves all those real estate awards he has received. He worked diligently on our behalf from initially showing us properties, helping us to determine the best time to list our former home, quickly helping us find a buyer and then negotiating the sales on our new contract. Through the challenges from listing to completion of the two closings, Bobby was right there with us, providing guidance and direction and helping us unravel the inevitable complexities of closings. He always returns calls/emails promptly, even on the occasions when he was not in town. He answered questions clearly and thoughtfully. We highly recommend him and have confidence in his expertise. He's a realtor who can get the job done from initial listing through closings! And he does!!

- Satisfied Client
When we knew we would be selling our home in Ghent, we started to pay attention around the neighborhood with what realtor was selling. Between the weekly "JUST SOLD" postcards and what appeared to be the only name on "For Sale" signs while walking around Ghent, Bobby Lawrence seemed to be the go-to realtor in Norfolk. We interviewed multiple realtors to figure out who would be the right person to help us sell our largest asset in the timeframe we needed and at the price point we desired. While other realtors urged us that we needed to be on ht emarket earlier and we'd likely get a lower price, we were put at ease with Bobby. When he came over, he asked us about our priorities for selling the home and got to know us as well as our house. He gave honest opinions and recommendations as well.

Bobby came prepared with knowledge of our house, the market in th earea, comparable homes in the area, as well as the target dates for putting the house on the market. He approached hte entire process with professionalism, knowledge, and sincerity. After letting Bobby know that we wanted him to list our home, we were excited to finish the process of getting our home on the market. In that time, we dealt with a couple family emergencies that pushed our timeline back a week later than we were hoping.

Bobby was very understanding and comforting by letting us know that a week was not going to have a major impact. When listing day came around, he made sure we knew what to do prior to showings, always let us know as soon as possible when showings were scheduled, and quickly updated us after showings on how they went. Bobby also answered all of the questions we had, provided reassurance, and took care of any issues that popped up. After having our home on the market for two days and a handful of showings, Bobby called us and said the words we were hoping: "WE HAVE A FULL PRICE OFFER!"

Bobby continued helping us through the inspections and appraisals, once again remaining in contact with us and walking us through the entire process. When people ask us about what it was like selling our home, we usually tell them not to ask us because what we went through does not seem to be the typical path for many sellers. We wouldn't go as far as saying that selling a home is easy, but we would say that Bobby made the process easier than we could have ever imagined. His experience and professionalism is second to none. You should feel confident and comfortable in choosing Bobby to sell your home. We can say without a doubt, it was the best choice we made.

- Bryan G.
Bobby Lawrence is a superb realtor. He is experienced, knowledgeable, and professional. It was a pleasure to work with him.

Our home was unique: a lovingly restored and renovated house built in 1895. In 2000-2002, we had "modernized" the home, while taking great care not to destroy or change any of the significant architectural features of the home.

Given the unique nature of our home, we knew that the pool of buyers would be relatively small. Our house was on the market for some time and we were on our 3rd realtor when it became clear to us that that realtor did not know how to properly market our home in our neighborhood. We had gotten good reports and recommendations from several sources about Bobby and we decided to move our listing to him. We are not sorry we did. With Bobby's help and guidance, we were able to sell our home relatively quickly.

Bobby has worked in Ghent for many years and fully understands and appreciates the uniqueness of the neighborhood and of the homes which contribute to its special character. He knows how to capitalize on the "drawbacks" of the neighborhood, such as limited parking in some areas (no attached modern 2-car garages) and present those "drawbacks" in a positive light, i.e., stressing the historic charm of the area and pointing out that there actually is ample parking on the street.

Bobby made several suggestions relative to staging our home. Following his suggestions, the home appeared larger and brighter. For example, without our oriental carpets down, the hardwood floors were highlighted and became a feature which potential buyers could see rather than just imagine. By minimizing our possessions, potential buyers could more easily see the home's potential for their purposes. 

Bobby was also present at every showing and actually "showed" and promoted the house, offering information and pointing out details and things of interest. He did not just sit downstairs and allow the potential buyers to wander through the house alone.
Bobby also had a cadre of associates to assist with the many tasks related to a home sale, i.e., electrician, handyman, etc..

Throughout the process, Bobby was available and responsive, promptly answering or returning our calls and texts. He was available to respond to our concerns and answer our questions on an almost 24/7 basis.

Selling a home can be a stressful experience. That stress was significantly lessened by working with Bobby and he was able to negotiate the sale of our home at a reasonable price. Our only regret is that we did not use Bobby from the very beginning.

- Roger and Paula
If we could create the ideal real estate agent it would be Bobby Lawrence. Bobby recently helped us both sell our large waterfront property in Norfolk and downsize with the purchase of a townhouse in Ghent Square. He took all of the stress out of both transactions and represented us well. We were  most impressed with his negotiating skills in both the sale and purchase agreements. I would not hesitate to recommend him to anyone who needs a real estate agent for either a sale or purchase.

-Neil

Bobby is a joy to work with, he is the consummate professional. Bobby helped us stay true to what our goals were when we wavered and helped us stay on the right path. We would recommend Bobby Lawrence to anyone that is looking to get results and have a voice of reason by their side.

-Satisfied Client

We’ve worked with several realtors over the years and Bobby is head and shoulders above the rest. His exceptional knowledge of the market, astute advice, strong negotiation skills, countless connections with inspectors and contractors and “Don’t worry, I’ve got this” attitude all amounted to a  seamless and worry free sale of a rather challenging property. This property we had difficulty selling a year prior and ultimately had to take off the market after getting nowhere with another realtor. Back then several of our neighbors looked at us in astonishment and asked us why we hadn’t hired Bobby. Now we understand.

-George

Bobby exceeded his reputation in every aspect and it's easy to understand why he's the top agent in Norfolk/Hampton Roads. He provided great advice from remodel plans with an eye towards selling in the near future, multiple market analysis of our home that we were listing to sell. In regards to our  search for our home, he was great. Having 2 little kids made our schedule tough but he was able to arrange home tours on our crazy schedule without any issues. It's clear his knowledge, experience and reputation are an asset in any negotiation. When it came time to sell our house and buy a new one, things could not of been more stressful for us. Bobby made everything seamless and our home went under contract in 6 days. We will never do another real estate transaction without Bobby on our team.

-Jeremy

Bobby is a joy to work with, he is the consummate professional.

Bobby helped us stay true to what our goals were when we wavered and helped us stay on the right path. We would recommend Bobby Lawrence to anyone that is looking to get results and have a voice of reason by their side.

-Sara

When my husband and I decided to sell our home just over a year ago, a home that was built by my family, we chose to go with an agent with whom we had no acquaintance. Having only seen Bobby Lawrence's name (and face) in advertisements, we set up an appointment to meet with him. Bobby arrived fully prepared with a presentation of comparable properties and willingness to answer any questions posed to him. He is professional, thorough and mild mannered. He possesses a keen sense of style. Bobby is a good listener.

In addition, and perhaps more important, Bobby is a good communicator. From the very beginning, he educated us about showing our home. We incorporated all of his suggestions. We followed his instructions--when to hold a broker's open house and when to have an open house for the public. He talked to us in length before and after showings. We tweaked things all along the way. When the time came to negotiate the final contract, he offered his advice and answered our every concern.

Bobby was not only attentive on the selling end but also on the buying end. Over the course of the months we worked with him, he learned about the type of property we wanted to purchase - its size, location and layout. Because Bobby is incredibly knowledgeable about the current real estate market - what's listed, coming up, selling, or being delisted, he managed to find us the perfect home in no time.

In short, there is only one agent to use and that is Bobby Lawrence.

Sincerely,

-Aline Landy

Dear Prospective Home Seller

We highly recommend Bobby Lawrence as your "go-to" home selling agent. Our recent experience with Bobby was exceptional. We had our property on the market several times over the past few years with other agents. Bobby is a consummate professional, ranking head and shoulders above them all.

He was very prepared for our initial interview with extensive comps and various property assessments, all prepared in advance of a signed agreement. His recommendation on pricing was well supported and realistic. His advice on timing of the listing (mid-December) was spot-on resulting in multiple showings during the first 2 weeks and an offer in early January, a time frame we thought would be a poor time to market the property.

During the contracting phase of the sale, he prepared us for each step in the process, guiding us through options and alternatives, was firm and held accountable the buyer's agent to keep the process moving forward. Bobby provided great direction and helped us navigate through the home inspection process to our advantage. His knowledge of various professional contractors helped immensely. Closing proceeded without an issue and he actually arranged for the buyers to refund us for some repairs we completed inadvertently.

Overall, our home sale experience with Bobby was simple, easy, low-stress, and painless. If not for the fact we relocated out of the area, we would engage Bobby, without a second thought, in any future home sale needs.

Sincerely,

-Tony and Debra

"We have known Bobby Lawrence for approximately 30 years and know him to be an outstanding individual and personal friend.

Bobby has assisted us with 11 Residential Real Estate transactions. With each transaction Bobby has thoroughly researched current market conditions and advised us on expectations for purchase or listing price. His guidance through the process has been exceptional, and each transaction has been concluded to meet out expectations.

We can highly recommend Bobby as your Buyer's or Seller's Agent.

Sincerely yours,

-Claus and Robert

Good Afternoon, Mr. Vohar, (Managing Broker, Towne Realty Norfolk Office)

My name is Manisha Sharma and I recently worked with your realtor, Bobby Lawrence, to purchase my first home.  I would like to share with you my experience in working with Bobby.  From my very first interaction with him and up until this morning (when he checked in with me on how I am adjusting to my new home) I have been impressed with his professionalism, expertise and attention to detail.  Whenever we hit a bump in the road, Bobby would ease my concerns, answer my MANY questions, answer my parent's MANY, MANY questions and remain confident that everything would work out.  Most of the time he would not just make me smile but make me literally laugh out loud.  For someone going through this process for the first time, he made it fun and I never doubted that he was looking out for my best interest.  Bobby was incredibly patient, thorough and knowledgeable about the entire process.  I never felt pressured or rushed - he made sure everything was on my timeline and that I found the perfect place.  And although I know he was working with several other clients during the same time, I never felt that way.  He always made me feel like I was his top priority and the most important person he was working with.

I am so incredibly grateful that I was able to work with Bobby.  I will happily recommend him and Berkshire Hathaway to anyone that I know that is looking to buy or sell a home.  I have no doubt that Bobby is the best person for the job. I would love to provide a formal reference for Bobby, please let me know if there is a form or anything I would need to complete to do so.  Thank you for your time and have a great day.

Sincerely,

-Manisha

Bought and sold a Single Family home in Colonial Place, Norfolk, VA.

Bobby has helped me with the purchase of my home and is in the midst of closing a deal for us on the sale of said-home. No relator is more knowledgable, has better work ethic, or is a better ally to have on your side than Bobby! His success in Norfolk speaks for itself. He will work tirelessly, 7  days a week, to get you into the home you want or out of a home you are trying to sell. As someone who has known him for 3 years from both the buying and selling standpoint, I can wholeheartedly endorse Bobby and recommend him to anyone in need to an agent!

-Caaskin
Sold a Single Family home in Belvedere, Norfolk, VA.

Bobby is the best! There is a reason he is the #1 agent in Norfolk year after year. Couldn't recommend him any more. Has all the answers and knows the market better then anyone. Also very well connected and knows how to get it done. Tells you the truth about pricing and expectations not necessarily  what you may want to hear but the truth....

-Satisfied Client
Showed home in Norfolk, VA.

Fun to work with and yet very professional and efficient. He has made the process easier every step of the way. When there were questions or estimates on proposed updates needed, he was there with answers, telephone numbers and any help needed. Enjoyed working with him. Would definitely recommend him.

-Kidner