skip the 'interviewing a bunch of agents' ...Just hire Mark

If you're like me and a little uncertain about how this whole house-buying thing works, let alone how to survive this insane market, let me save you a step. You can skip the 'interviewing a bunch of agents to be sure you're finding the best representative' part. You can probably also skip the 'home buying for dummies' books, unless you're the curious sort. Just hire Mark and know you've made a genius decision. We had a very specific dream house - one that's extremely hard to find in Austin in our budget range (Craftsman bungalow, original built-ins, great lot, great neighborhood, etc.). So when our house came on the market, Mark had us in to view it in, like, an hour. He submitted an offer for us within the next ~3 hours. Over the fraught bidding war days, he built a good relationship with the seller's agent. So while our best and final offer was pretty awesome, it is Mark's work with the sellers that set us up as the obvious choice. BTW, there were ten offers. 10! Madness! This is why you hire Mark - he not only helps you navigate a really intense process, he helps the sellers *know* that selecting your offer is right for them. We actually met the seller's agent a few weeks after buying our home, and he specifically mentioned how impressed he had been with Mark!

So it's probably enough to know that Mark is the guy to find and get you that one-and-only dream house despite a crazy housing market. But I also need to mention that Mark has great contacts and recommendations across all remodeling trades, advice when you ask for it, an unflappable and friendly demeanor, deep knowledge about Central Austin neighborhoods, a stellar reputation, and in general is just a great person.

If we ever get the bar unpacked, we're going to invent a cocktail called the "überSTRUB" in his honor. It will taste like triumph.

— Penelope Hyslop, Buyer