Douglas Lee

Douglas Lee

REALTOR® | DRE# 01463907

Specialties

Buyer's Agent, Listing Agent, Relocation, Appraisal, Property Management, Fix and Flip, Land, Probate

Languages: English, Mandarin, Spanish

Education

Carnegie Mellon University - Bachelor of Science, Business Administration, Finance

Charity

Mentor - Dragon Kim Foundation
Mentor & Board Member - I Have A Dream Foundation (IHAD LA)

Client Testimonials

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★★★★★
"A good friend of mine from the Bay Area referred Douglas to me. I wanted to sell my home in Lancaster, but I am located in Israel. Douglas sent me data to support a sales price of $245k. After one weekend of open houses, we got three offers and the top offer came in at $260,000. $60,000 more than what the management company I was partnered up with was encouraging me to sell it for. I have no doubt in my mind that I got the best price. Douglas made things easy. He made simple cost effective suggestions to improve the look of the home and it worked! I really appreciate him taking the reins and coordinating with the contractor to make sure the repairs were being made. What was especially nice is how sharp the place looked after the photos! Bear in mind, I had a section 8 tenant in the property and the place needed work, but that didn't stop Doug from getting the job done. My only tip to those selling internationally is to make sure you get the paperwork planned ahead of time. Sometimes, it takes two weeks to lock in an appointment with the consulate or embassy to get the paperwork signed. I had to get an apostle to translate everything from Hebrew to English in order for the document to be acceptable to use to transfer title in the US. You will not go wrong with Douglas if you want to sell."

★★★★★
"I met Doug a year ago. He was the very first realtor I met with and I’m glad that I didn’t even bother looking for anyone else because without Doug, I would not have found my dream starter home :) Being a first time homebuyer comes with a lot of anxiety, questions, and a ton of house tours, but Doug’s expertise in this arena made it seem so easy and stress free. He’s up front about everything and was able to get us everything we wanted. He is an AWESOME negotiator and we were able to get a great deal on our home in my dream location. One moment that really stood out to me was when we were starting the escrow process. I literally decided to pull my offer the day before it would be too late to get my Earnest Money Deposit back. Doug didn’t bat an eye and there was zero judgment. He kept reassuring me that he really cares about his clients and wants the best for them. Trust me when I say it’s true! Doug is a hard worker, personable, and can be aggressive when it matters during the negotiation process. I have so many friends who have shared horror stories about their real estate agents. I’m just blessed that the first realtor I met was just the right guy for the job :)"

★★★★★
"My husband and I both met Douglas a while back at an open house in 2014 and we I kept his business card. We loved his attitude, definitely a get it done kind of guy! So, this past year (2016), my husband and I decided to sell our home in July, and we reached out to Douglas and one other agent. Initially, I did not want to pay anything over 5% for the sale, but agreed to Doug's 6% commission fixed rate, I knew he was worth it. What really set him apart from the other agent was that he was the one that was going to host the open house(s); we felt confident that he could sell our home for a bit more than the asking price. Douglas was very professional and he had a pricing strategy plan for our home, I knew what I would net at different sales prices and he really spent the time to get us comfortable with his marketing plan and pricing strategy. We got 300 people to come to the open house the first weekend, and that was the only open house that we had before accepting the top offer of $20,000 ABOVE the appraised value. Doug stuck to his strategy plan and countered all the offers and he kept us informed at all times of all offers etc., It only took Doug one weekend of open house to sell our place and it became the new top comp in the area. I recommend Douglas if you need to sell fast and for the highest price. He will get it done. Thanks again, Douglas! (Ryan & Maria)"

★★★★★
"Douglas Lee is authentic, friendly and extremely professional. We met when Douglas cold called me a couple months ago about my probate case in Desert Hot Springs. He has done a wonderful job helping me during a difficult time. My mother had passed and left two properties in the area. Initially, we spoke over the phone and and he was very informative about the Probate process. We met a couple days later and I signed the contract immediately. My situation was a bit complicated. My mother had signed a lease option to purchase to the current tenant. After discussions with Douglas, we decided that the best thing to do was to honor the original agreement and sell it to the tenant. Challenge is that the tenant wanted to be reimbursed for lawyer fees. Douglas was great about explaining my options so I could make the best informed decision possible. Eventually, we settled it. The other property, we decided that the deferred maintenance was too high, so we let it go. During the Probate process, Douglas was an invaluable resource. He was on the ball and responsive. There were many days where Douglas was answering my questions and guiding me, when it should have been the attorney. If you are going through Probate and need help with your real estate; look no further. Douglas will take care of you!" - Charmaine

★★★★★
"We met Douglas by chance while browsing open houses in the Pasadena area. Unfortunately, the open house he was showing was out of our price range. Luckily for us, that didn't stop him from offering his assistance in helping my family find a house that was right for us (and the right price). He took us to see houses the same week we met him and we fell in love. The process just took off from there. He made everything so easy and talked us through it all step by step. This time next month my family and I will be moving into the house of our dreams and if we wouldn't have met Douglas we would probably still be looking. So thankful to have met such a great agent!" - Cassandra


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About Douglas
Three words to describe Douglas as an agent are honest, transparent, and responsive.  He has been a residential agent for over 15 years and grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, so Los Angeles is his home.  He recently joined Compass in 2021 from Berkshire Hathaway.  Over the years, Douglas has developed an expertise in expired listings, for sale by owner (FSBO), Foreclosure, Tenant in Common (TIC) and probate transactions.  There is no deal that is too complicated for him to handle.  One of his most difficult expired cases was in Monrovia, where the subject property was listed seven times over a five year period with five different listing agents.  After 100 days, he sold the property for $1.27 MM, which was the highest amount the seller had ever received for the property to that point.  Not to mention handling the sale when the seller was in South America.   

At the beginning of his residential real estate career, Doug earned his stripes working in Highland Park and the surrounding north east Los Angeles integrating neighborhoods.  His mentor used to be the chief appraisal officer and had incredible design insights.  Doug learned how to stylishly update many homes, so that the client can sell for the top comparable in the most competitive market environments.  From start to finish, every step of the way, he will hold your hand throughout the entire process.  

Prior to residential real estate, Douglas worked as a commercial real estate agent for six years selling retail strip malls and apartment complexes.  Most notably at Investment Real Estate Associates (IREA), where he sold a large shopping center in Pomona for over $8.3 MM that earned him Rookie of the year honors.    

Douglas started his career on wall street in New York at Credit Suisse First Boston as an Analyst in the fixed income division doing structured finance.  He was part of the Real Estate Finance and Securitization Group, focused on securitized products (Commercial Mortgage Backed Securities - CMBS). After that, he worked as an Investment Analyst at Divco West Properties in their acquisitions and asset management group to help deploy a $255 MM opportunistic private equity fund; focusing on class-A office properties. 

Douglas graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance in 2000.

He is also a graduate of the Webb Schools of California. 

Outside of work, he may pour himself a small glass of quality whiskey while watching NBA highlights, preferably the Lakers, on YouTube.  He is also getting interested in Formula 1 racing and an avid sports card collector.  

He is currently on the leadership committee for Carnegie Mellon Alumni in Los Angeles and does fundraising for Rancho La Hermosa mexican orphanage in Baja, Mexico.  In the past, he served as a mentor in the Dragon Kim Foundation, the Los Angeles I Have a Dream Foundation, and Asian Professional Exchange.  

Doug is a Certified Probate Specialist and Certified Distressed Property Expert (CDPE)

Douglas Lee’s Listings

1/57
Listed By CompassPending

$599,950

Bedrooms
2
Bathrooms
1.5
Square Feet
910
Acres
Unavailable
a view of road yard
Listed By CompassPending

$599,950

Bedrooms
3
Bathrooms
1
Square Feet
1,320
Acres
0.15
1/37
Listed By CompassOpen: 11/24 12:00PM - 02:00PM

$510,000

Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
2
Square Feet
1,757
Acres
0.15
a front view of a house with swimming pool having outdoor seating
Listed By CompassPending

$499,950

Bedrooms
4
Bathrooms
2
Square Feet
1,717
Acres
0.23
a picture of a door of a house
Listed By Compass

$9,950

Bedrooms
Unavailable
Bathrooms
Unavailable
Square Feet
Unavailable
Acres
2.84