Use this section to write about yourself - don't be shy - Why should a buyer or seller want to work with you? Do you have any certifications and qualifications? What sets you apart from other agents/loan officers?

Bob Lilley has been selling Real Estate since 1985 and been a Real Estate Broker since 1993.

In addition to receiving numerous sales awards, he has been a featured speaker describing issues facing buyers and sellers in the modern Real Estate marketplace.

He has held National Association of Securities Dealers Series 6 and 63 licenses, a California Department of Insurance license, and has taught and attended numerous classes, seminars, and workshops dealing with consumer protection, appraisal, investment, and legal issues concerning the Real Estate and securities industries.

Bob is past Chair of the Pleasant Hill Education Advisory Commission and currently serves as a Commissioner, a liaison to the Mt. Diablo Unified School District, and Chair of the Hospice Foundation "Tree of Lights" Committee for the Pleasant Hill area.

He began his Real Estate career as an investor at the ripe old age of 25 after purchasing his own home three years prior.  After seeing first-hand the incredible tax advantages to owning Real Estate and the power of leveraging, he decided that homes were much more than just a place to live. 

However, the subsequent down-turn market of 1981 showed him in a sobering way that it wasn't just "free money" - Real Estate investments must be scrutinized and managed like any other type of investment.

After assembling a substantial portfolio of rental properties, Bob decided that, if he could do it for himself, he could do it for others, too.  He became a licensed Salesperson in 1985 and, by 1988 was the Top Producer in the largest selling Real Estate company in Walnut Creek.  He continued as the Top Salesperson at that firm for the next five years.

In 1993, Bob founded Arelle Financial Corporation, a mortgage origination firm, growing it into a successful enterprise doing with business throughout California. 

In 1996, he was given an opportunity to join the securities industry as Western Regional Sales Manager of a large Mutual Fund. Soon, he was promoted to National Outside Sales Manager, traveling as far a Florida, New York, New Hampshire, and Chicago meeting with Registered Representatives and Certified Financial Planners and introducing them to the benefits of investing in his firm's fund.

In 2000, he received his Life and Health Insurance license, adding another facet to his financial education.

In 2001, the mutual fund company was purchased by Wells Fargo Bank.  Bob was asked to move to the new company, but declined.

This was not an end, however.  It was more like a beginning.  His tenure in the securities and insurance industry had opened a whole new was of thinking for him.  Whereas in Real Estate you are often dealing with the emotion of color choices and curb appeal, investment strategies must include concern for suitability, time horizons, diversification, exit strategies, and tax consequences. 

His return to the Real Estate industry added this investment perspective.  

He also realized that Real Estate is unlike other investments.  It is really two entities; one you live in, the other you invest in. 

As a home it requires maintenance and stands as a visible reflection of your lifestyle, providing shelter, access to schools and work, and granting you membership in a community.  

As an investment, it must be approached as any other, with an eye to possible down markets, debt service, appreciation, and return on equity.

Whereas one adds to your life, the other may insure your future.

Today, Bob Lilley has investments in Real Estate, stock equities, and Mutual Funds.  Unusual for a Realtor, he believes that diversification is important not only within a discipline, but across all investment disciplines as well.

"One of the many things I have learned from my time in these investments fields is that you should never put all your money in any one vehicle, no matter how well it is performing today.  If an investment appreciates, it can depreciate.  Stocks don't just "go up" on their own.  They are driven by economic forces.  The same thing is true with Real Estate."

If you choose your investment wisely, and dispose of it with the same diligence, you can reasonably expect a good return.  If you have many investments working for you that are more than simply mirror images of each other, the returns can actually be compounded " 

"The key is to amass wealth, but not necessarily to become wealthy.  As we get older, wealth may very well mean survival.  No one ever came to me and asked me to help them from becoming homeless or to prepare for a costly long-term illness.  They wanted to make a good investment and enjoy as many personal amenities as possible.  But sometimes, by choosing our Real Estate carefully, we can enjoy our life and our family today while we build the kind of wealth that can allow us to enjoy tomorrow as well -  and still leave enough for future generations."   

Today, Bob is a proud member of the Alain Pinel sales team in Walnut Creek.  He currently owns and manages several income properties as well as a like-sized portfolio of funds and individual equities.

"I pride myself on providing honest and accurate information to my clients and the best possible service, whether they are selling, purchasing, or exchanging Real Estate.

 Although Real Estate is often our largest single investment, it is much more than that.  It is where we live.  It should be entrusted to a person of high professional and ethical standards as well as experience in the industry.  I promise to do all I can to be that person."