made it a breeze to cut through the legal and bureaucratic jungle

There are few things more daunting than taking on a new and challenging job, moving to a new city and buying your first house. Now try doing all that within about three months. The new job is to be dealt with by oneself, there are moving services for moving, and, thankfully, for buying the house, I had Mark. I will be forever grateful for his assistance with navigating the quiet neighborhoods around Central Austin in the quest for the perfect place. Once said place was found, Mark made it a breeze to cut through the legal and bureaucratic jungle required to take ownership of it.  Hyperbola aside, Mark was punctual, a great communicator, had fantastic attention to detail, old-world manners and possessed a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the city. Our dialogue was open from the start and I quickly arrived to rely on and trust his judgment. These are, of course, all the traits that one would look for in an excellent real-estate business partner. However, there were a few things that, in my mind, truly set Mark apart from other (admittedly few) real estate professionals that I have worked with in the past: 

1) An uncanny ability to LISTEN (versus TALK): he has helped me articulate my preferences and my needs, and was quickly able channel our efforts from what initially seemed like a wild goose chase to a focused and meaningful search. He did this in very few iterations with minimal waste of time. 

2) Balance: he has always pointed out both the advantages and the flaws of all the properties we have seen, without ever trying to conceal the bad or overemphasize the good. In this sense, he has been, as pointed out above, a trusted business partner rather than a sales agent. 

3) Patience: one of my favorite Mark quotes is "don't worry, we will find it."

4) Finally -and most importantly - vision and perspective: Mark has been in this business for a long time. Long enough to observe, absorb and understand trends, rather than try to glean them (or pretend to do so) from sales data. He has a deep understanding of the evolution of the city's neighborhoods and of their future prospects (whether bright or less so), which means that the perspective that he provides will help you make a good home investment rather than a simple home purchase. 

In summary, Mark has elevated the notion of service to an almost telepathic connection with the customer. I am glad I did business with him, I am glad to refer to him my friends and professional acquaintances who are considering a home purchase, and will gladly ask for his help in the future. He receives my highest possible recommendation.

— Michael Baldea, Buyer