Molly Hobin Williams: A Century of Real Estate Legacy

At The Helm Of Boutique Brokerage, The Hobin Company, Molly Hobin-Williams Builds On Her Family’s Legacy.

Real estate is in Molly Hobin Williams’ DNA. Born into the business, she is continuing her family legacy as President and CEO of The Hobin Company, which was founded a century ago by her great-grandfather and has offices in both Manhattan Beach, which specializes in high-end residential real estate in the South Bay, and Palm Desert, predominantly focused on golf communities.

“It’s pretty unique to have a fourth-generation female running a family business that just turned 100,” Molly concedes.

But, as she was highly motivated from the start, not surprising. At 17, Molly began her real estate career with ambition. Licensed on her 18th birthday, she closed her first sale while still just a senior in high school. She went on to UCLA, got her degree, and then spent 24 years in commercial real estate. Later, she took a hiatus to travel and returned to revive the family firm in 2010.

An astute strategist and nimble in business, “In 2020, I saw the writing on the wall,” Molly says. “Things were changing so quickly—the marketing, the technology, everything.”

So, she did too, partnering with Bayside Real Estate Company and aligning with Side, a San Francisco-based platform that provides an infrastructure of support to boutique brokerages like The Hobin Company.

“It was a game-changer for our business,” Molly says of the move. “Now we have a big support system and a big referral network.” 

Molly leverages that network to circumvent market challenges. Right now, that means maneuvering in a high-demand, low inventory environment with lots of cash buyers and homes that hit the market and sell quickly. Of current market trends, she notes that buyers are seeking homes that are updated and ready to go. She’s also seeing lots of off-market sales.

“There’s a lot of movement,” Molly says, “but you have to be creative and really know the market.” 

Few know it better than Molly. She is deeply woven into the fabric of Manhattan Beach, both personally, as a resident of the community for over 40 years, and professionally, as president of the Board of the Downtown Manhattan Beach Business and Professional Association and a member of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce. She is also a founding member of Realm Global, a luxury real estate network that connects buyers based on passions and lifestyle.

Connection is the cornerstone of Molly’s approach, which she bases in building generational client relationships, collaborating with community partners, and sharing information with like-minded agents. She hosts an array of client events, from wine nights and holiday lunches to twilight open houses with local artists, publishes a bi-monthly magazine, and shares her curated local lifestyle picks on her popular digital platform Just Ask Molly. 

But for Molly, success is a team effort. Along with her husband and partner Tom, who helps with construction and development, she praises her firm’s full-time team members in both offices.

“They make it all possible,” she says.

Photography Courtesy Of The Hobin Company

The 95-Year Mark: Cultivating Connection and Digital Influence (2020 Archive)

In the midst of the Roaring Twenties, a man named William Henry Hobin incorporated his real estate firm, The Hobin Company. For decades, his heirs—first his son, then grandson—ran the Stockton, California, agency. Now Molly Hobin-Williams.

Written by Constance Dunn
Photography Courtesy Of The Hobin Company

Editor’s Note: This profile was originally published in Feb 2020 as The Hobin Company celebrated its 95th anniversary.

In 2010 his great-granddaughter Molly Hobin-Williams took the helm, relocating the firm to Manhattan Beach. At the same time, her mother started a Palm Desert office.

“It wasn’t even a question,” says The Hobin Company’s fourth-generation scion of her career choice. She sat for her real estate license at age 17, and had it activated as soon as possible, on her 18th birthday.

Hobin-Williams spent high school summers working at the family office, and after obtaining a degree from UCLA, she invested 24 years in L.A.’s commercial real estate world. First came more than a decade at Grubb & Ellis, followed by years at Arden Realty, where she was vice president of marketing. Family legacy aside, what personally drew Hobin-Williams to the business and keeps her there, much like it did her father, was the thrill of the deal.

“I love when I meet with a client, and they tell me ideally what they’re looking for,” she says, “and then I go find it, and put the deal together—and they’re ecstatic.”

“I always knew I was going to be in real estate. I was born into it.”

For nearly 40 years, Hobin-Williams has lived in Manhattan Beach, which is also her firm’s main geographic focus. Her clients, however, all referrals from friends, family and her commercial real estate days, have her involved in deals stretching from Palos Verdes to Pacific Palisades.

“Keeping it small and boutique is really important to us,” she says of her firm’s high-touch style, a deliberate counter to the dispassionate, numbers-only nature of commercial real estate.“

It’s much more of an emotional buy when it’s your home,” Hobin-Williams points out. Also in the Manhattan Avenue office is Hobin-Williams’s husband Tom Williams, who manages the firm’s Development Services; essentially, end-to-end management of residential and commercial projects.

Rolling with the evolution of real estate has been key to keeping The Hobin Company alive for decades, something Hobin-Williams acknowledges.

“Our business is changing,” she notes.

Therefore, she’s recently joined forces with Side, a brokerage that offers boutique agencies like The Hobin Company a complete back-end support infrastructure—everything from legal and compliance to marketing—along with an advanced tech platform.

“It will now allow us to be selling, and not sitting at our computers,” remarks Hobin-Williams.

Furthermore, the support of the brokerage will enable her to grow her firm while remaining hands-off when it comes to dictating her brand. Locally, The Hobin Company will be part of Bayside Real Estate Partners, Side’s South Bay division that was founded by local agents and her longtime friends Bryn and Robb Stroyke.

“Partnering with Bayside will allow us the opportunity to focus on running our business and expanding our team, as opposed to the day-to-day operations,” says Hobin-Williams of the move.

“It will take us to the next level and free up a lot of my time. And it’s going to be fun.”

In April, Hobin-Williams and her husband will have a party to celebrate The Hobin Company’s 95 years in real estate. “It’s pretty special,” she says of the milestone. Even more so with the passing of her father, William Knight Hobin, who ran the firm until her stewardship of the business began in 2010.

“He was happy and proud that his daughter took over the company, and that we were very successful right off the bat,” she reflects.

“More than ever I want to expand our team and keep it going.” Here’s to another 100.

A Decade of Growth: Honoring the 90-Year Family Tradition (2015 Archive)

President & CEO of The Hobin Company, Molly Hobin-Williams, helms a thriving office in Manhattan Beach, where she dedicates her time to providing the best possible client service. 

Written by Danielle Accovelli
Photography by Andrew Kraus

Editor’s Note: Our first deep dive into Molly’s career, published in 2015 for the firm’s 90th anniversary.

While still in high school, Molly Hobin-Williams had already decided on real estate as a career, earning her license at age 18. After spending some time in commercial real estate, she re-launched The Hobin Company, which her great-grandfather founded, with her mother, Joan Hobin. 

Now president & CEO of the company, Hobin-Williams helms a thriving office in Manhattan Beach, where she dedicates her time to providing the best possible client service. Here, the real estate expert shares with DIGS her secrets for industry success.

How did you get your start in real estate?

I grew up in real estate and got my real estate license when I was a junior in high school; I worked on and off at The Hobin Company and Jon Douglas Residential during summers in high school, and while I was attending the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Upon graduating from UCLA, I spent 24 years in commercial real estate in Beverly Hills and West LA.

The Hobin Company has always been a family-run business. What can you tell us about its history?

We just celebrated The Hobin Company’s 90th anniversary. My great-grandfather founded the company in Northern California in 1925, and five years ago, I took over as its fourth-generation president and CEO, opening the Manhattan Beach office and the Palm Desert office.

What sets your firm apart from others in the same industry?

We are a full-service boutique Real Estate Brokerage Company specializing in residential and commercial sales and leasing, as well as construction management services. We pride ourselves in providing over-the-top service and making the entire process fun and enjoyable for our clients. Most of our business comes from referrals from past clients and our extensive network of friends and family.

You work with your mother, Joan Hobin, as the company’s first mother-daughter team. Will you tell a little more about that?

My mother, Joan, runs our Palm Desert office and I run the Manhattan Beach office, however we work closely together, as many of our clients have homes in the desert as well as at the beach. We also have a great team that helps us provide the very best service for our clients.

Will you tell me about your website JustAskMolly.com?

JustAskMolly.com is a fun website and blog that I started a few years ago for my clients and friends and family of The Hobin Company. It provides them with news about fun events going on in the South Bay, as well as the latest restaurant and store openings. It also includes a directory of my favorite local resources, from plumbers and painters to interior designers and restaurants, boutiques, and fitness facilities. It has become a very valuable resource for my clients who are new to the South Bay and some of them use it on a daily basis.

What current trends do you see in the Manhattan Beach market?

There is still a huge demand for people wanting to buy and lease in Manhattan Beach. We are definitely in one of the hottest markets in the country, and I do not see the demand slowing down anytime soon. Hopefully, interest rates will remain low and more inventory will come on the market now that summer is over.

What is your ultimate goal when working with clients?

My ultimate goal is to find them exactly what they are looking for and to make the process an enjoyable experience where both sides are thrilled once the deal closes. There is nothing better than happy clients who, in turn, end up referring me to one of their friends or family members.

What do you love most about Manhattan Beach?

I have been a Manhattan Beach resident for the last 30 years and cannot imagine living anywhere else. Of course, we have our amazing beaches as well as all of our fabulous restaurants and shops and incredible school system, but it truly is our sense of community and all the wonderful people who live here that makes Manhattan Beach so special.

Can you talk a bit about your community and charity involvements?

I started a group 13 years ago with two girlfriends called “The Irish Girls.” We put on networking happy hours and parties for several local charities, including Children’s Hospital LA, Walk with Sally, Westside Children’s Center, and Para Los Niños, to name a few. I am also involved with the Ziman Center for Real Estate at UCLA and have been a longtime member of the Junior League of Los Angeles.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not selling real estate?

My husband Tom and I love to ski and are both avid golfers. We are also die-hard UCLA Bruin football and basketball fans.

Molly Hobin-Williams | DRE #00819814
President, The Hobin Company
molly@thehobincompany.com
310.925.2529 | thehobincompany.com