We met Chris while viewing one of his listings and, prior to that, had not committed ourselves to a realtor. We were new to Florida and had been relying upon Zillow and Realtor in order to search for homes. We had interviewed a few realtors and found that we could get more timely and accurate info via the internet so were reluctant to move forward with anyone we had worked with before meeting Chris. When we met Chris he assured us that he would be able to do better. We quickly found that he was able to find more listings than we could find online, had a better understanding of each property's history than previous realtors, and was genuinely interested in showing us properties that would meet our needs regardless of price point. He was always willing to give us his opinion whenever we asked for it and was able to see the potential in each home both positive and negative. This was of great value to us in being new to Florida and not knowing what to expect in terms of how homes can age in this environment versus homes in the NE U.S. which, to me, spoke to his flexibility in working with an "out-of-town" buyer. Working with Chris gave us peace of mind that he was looking out for our interests. I highly recommend him to anyone in search of a realtor in the Tampa Bay area.

With the complexities of buying and selling a home, you need someone who is not just a realtor - you need someone who is also a consultant, a guide, an advocate and a partner. That's what Christopher Lai brought to her our home purchasing journey, and that's what makes him stand head and shoulders above the pack. My wife and I were expecting our second child, and looking to upgrade from our townhome for something with a little more space. Chris generously gave so much of his time helping us look for the right fit, and was never pushy or aggressive. In fact, he often would look out for us - noting things that maybe we wouldn't be happy with, or pointing out features we hadn't thought of yet. Working with Chris was like working with a knowledgeable expert whose main goal wasn't to sell us a home - it was to get us in the RIGHT home (something he would tell us himself, and lived up to). There was no question too small or dumb for Chris to answer, and believe me, we asked. Better, we never felt like we were going to end up with something we'd be unhappy with. In the end, thanks to the patience Chris displayed, my wife and I found our dream forever home. We have worked with realtors before and the entire relationship has felt very transactional or money-driven. The fact that Chris seemed personally invested in getting us the right deal and the right home took a lot of pressure and stress out of the equation, since we knew we'd have someone we could trust and who was looking out for us. Chris is certainly someone we will gladly refer to others, and would happily use again someday.