buying your first house in a new city is a really big deal.

"Buying a house is kinda a big deal. Buying your first house in a new city is a really big deal. 
From the start, Mark was helpful, informative and relaxed even switching from showing us houses to driving us to different apartments to find our temporary landing spot in Austin on our first meeting with him. From then on, we decided to stick with Mark throughout the process of finding our first home together. Throughout, Mark was patient and observant helping us hone in on our ideal location and eventual home. After we pulled the trigger he has continued to be helpful in recommending contractors for remodeling projects, advising us when we considering renting and just overall continuing to happily provide assistance long after we purchased the home.
Mark truly understands how important building and maintaining relationship are to running a successful business. Because of this he helps take some of the stress out of buying and even owning a home."
- Ananda Christopher, Buyer

Mark is a one-of-a-kind realtor, the only one you should consider

I'm not generally a fan of realtors.  In the past, I've lumped them in the same bucket as the worst of the worst of used car salesmen.  I can genuinely say that Mark completely changed my opinion and showed my husband and I just how valuable an excellent real estate agent can be.  

Mark took the time to help us figure out exactly what we were looking for.  He was patient with us and provided helpful insight as we worked through our different ideas of our 'dream home.'  Beyond that, he was always available to show us new listings; and the few times that he wasn't, he found another colleague who was.  We always felt like we were a priority for him.  He was so accommodating to our many questions and went above and beyond to do analysis and pull reports of different areas.  After months of looking, he knew exactly what we wanted.  So, when the right house came on the market, he helped us jump on it and get our offer in first. Within 24 hours, there were seven other offers.  He came up with a great strategy to ensure our offer was chosen and thoroughly outlined all of our bargaining options. 

He didn't stop there, though.  Mark was a great asset throughout the buying process and even after.  He has continued to provide support even after we moved in and got settled -- from finding a painter to plumbers to electricians, he has a network of solid people with excellent references to call on.

In my opinion, Mark is a one-of-a-kind realtor and the only one you should consider working with if you're buying in the Austin area.

Kara Norwood - Buyer

a ton of knowledge of the city

Mark did an awesome job for us. We had limited time to find a home in Austin and Mark went above and beyond to find us exactly what we were looking for. In less than a week he showed us many homes throughout Austin and honed in quickly on the areas and homes that we really liked. He spent time after hours (and before hours) to accommodate our limited timeline. We have now lived in our home for a year and couldn't be happier with it. Mark approached our search with professionalism, a ton of knowledge of the city and with impressive efficiency. After our purchase Mark has been a great resource for any questions we have had and has done a great job following up with us to be sure we are happy with our new home. Also, Mark has been very helpful in helping us locate possible investment opportunities in the form of rental properties. Our experience with Mark was fantastic and we would highly recommend him to anyone looking to buy or sell homes or properties in Austin.

— Anonymous, Buyer - Seller - Investor

got what I needed/wanted immediately

Fabulous!. Christy was my real estate agent when I moved to Austin, TX. She was fabulous to work with, got what I needed/wanted immediately and went the extra mile(s) to find it for me. She was personable, very well-informed and excellent at her job. I love the house she found and she made the entire transaction smooth and pleasant.

— Marjory Hawkins

went WAY above and beyond

Unfortunately, Yelp doesn't allow 6-star reviews. 

My wife and I are relocating in Austin so I can attend the business school at UT. Mark spent several days with us in the competitive central Austin housing market and we found a wonderful house. 

We had an absolutely awful time with our lender, but Mark was with us every step of the way and went WAY above and beyond the call of duty to get us into our house. 

If you're looking for an agent who is kind, courteous, professional, unbelievably helpful, tenacious, and willing to do whatever it takes to make your deal work for you, Mark Strub is your man. Honestly, I can't recommend him highly enough. He is a WONDERFUL agent and he, no doubt, will be our agent for any deal we ever make in Austin.

— Ryan Talbot, Buyer

a gift for knowing how to find the perfect home for his clients

If you are looking for a real estate agent in Austin, TX, Mark is the best! Not only does he work hard but he has a gift for knowing how to find the perfect home for his clients. I was also impressed with Mark's local charity work and his committment to improving the quality of life in the Austin community. 
- Bianca Bentzin, Buyer

he stuck with us and found us a great house

Wohoo is right. I've dealt with other Realtors and he is the best. He is extremely professional and goes the extra mile. Even through a failed house search the first time, he stuck with us and found us a great house. He was patient and we never felt pressured through our decision making process.

— Jen Sims, Buyer

straight, fast and honest answers

My husband and I found Mark through yelp and chose him because of the great reviews he has. (Thanks by the way to all the reviewers, your feedbacks were very helpful to us.) After working with Mark for a couple of weeks, without any hesitation, we subscribe to every single positive review posted below and to more. He is very professional, organized, well-informed, very efficient, patient and friendly. Only after a couple of days from our initial meeting, we managed to get pre-approved for a loan and started our search. His guidance and recommendations (e.g., mortgage lender, potential renovation costs, location, resale value, schools, etc.) were extremely valuable. We appreciated very much his straight, fast and honest answers and are grateful for everything Mark taught us along the way. We absolutely enjoyed working with him and if we had to grade him on my favorite 1-10 scale, we would have definitely given him a 10+. There is no doubt that Mark will be our agent for any real estate deal here in Austin and we highly recommend him to anyone looking for an excellent realtor.

Thank you Mark so much for everything!

— Noemi Petra, Buyer

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

really gets people and helps them find THE ONE

My husband and I have used Strub Residental to purchase a primary home and investment property.

Over the past two years Strub Residential has help my husband and me find our home and our first investment property. We first dealt with Mark. We moved to Austin from Iowa and not only did Mark find us our eventual home, but he also took the time to look at apartments and helped us find temporary housing while we were house hunting. Mark is unassuming and laid back, but really gets people and helps them find THE ONE. Mark really made the process painless and demonstrated an immense amount of patience, knowledge of Austin and the different neighborhoods and ability to be upfront while dealing with two newbies who were nervous and distrustful of the whole process. He never made us feel ridiculous or stupid, even with our numerous questions and requests. My husband is somewhat of a demanding type, and Mark handled him with ease. When we decided to enter the investment property arena we of course knew we would use Strub Residential again. Christy worked us and at first we were nervous because a) we had already built a working relationship with Mark and b) we knew she was newly minted realtor. She proved our fears unfounded, helping us to find the perfect rental property and going above and beyond to set up inspections, meet with inspectors and get the property on listed for rent before we even closed. Christy is detailed, eager and really seems to enjoy what she does. Both Mark and Christy have the ability to make a business relationship feel like you're working with friends. They also really get that the key to a successful business is service and that service doesn't end when you sign on the dotted line. We plan on purchasing many more properties with Strub Residential.

— Ananda Christopher, Buyer - Investor

Impressive customer service and great communication

Worked with Mark on too many transactions to count. He's really organized and dedicated to his clients. Makes for a smooth real estate process every time. Impressive customer service and great communication. Doesn't leave anyone hanging. Highly recommended.

— Dana Price-Leaman, Mortgage Professional

made it happen within my budget, on schedule, and with style

The people at Strub Residential consistently went above and beyond the call of duty to make my home purchase possible. My situation was an especially difficult one; with a less competent realtor, I couldn't have done it. Mark and his team made it happen within my budget, on schedule, and with style. As a foreigner unfamiliar with local neighborhoods, and with little credit history, many realtors would have told me that buying a home during my first year in Austin was impossible, but not Mark. He was up for the challenge, and succeeded with flying colors. Mark and his team have always been quick to respond to even the most unorthodox of questions, and cheerful in the face of my thirst for knowledge about the process of buying a home, financing my purchase, different neighborhoods, house construction, and anything else that came to mind. Whenever I called to check on progress, they were already on to the next issue. Strub Residential is especially attuned to the needs of young home-buyers, such as budget and location specifications. They also use technology very effectively to keep the lines of communication open. The Strub Residential team is truly concerned with providing a quality real estate experience. They followed through with me even beyond closing to make sure that I was fully satisfied. I would not hesitate for a moment to recommend Mark and the Strub Residential team to my closest friends, and to any homebuyer or seller who enjoys working with competent, intelligent people. I look forward to working with them again when it comes time to sell my home.

— Jenn Nielson, Buyer

very professional and knowledgeable

We moved to the Austin area from out of state, and Mark was very professional and knowledgeable of the area and found us the perfect house. I would use his services again and recommend him highly.

— Barbara Scott, Buyer

close ties with several good lenders and titles companies

Mark helped my wife and I look at a multitude of houses. We were looking for something near to downtown. He helped us narrow down what and where we were looking and showed us a lot of very interesting and unexpected options. Mark has close ties with several good lenders and titles companies providing options and finding you the best option for your needs.

— Shaun Cassells, Buyer

he was willing to give us the time we needed

“I've worked with many realtors and often felt who's interest is this person after? Not so with Mark. I always felt like he was willing to give us the time we needed to make the right decision and though I am sure we tested his patience, it NEVER showed. He always found time for us. Even after we bought our house, we still feel we can call with related questions and we hope to see him out on the town.”
- Jen Sims, Buyer

we knew nothing about the city

"We were referred to Mark by our relocation company. What we are most impressed about Mark was his ability to understand our preferences, even very early on in the process of helping us find a house. Mindful that we knew nothing about the city, or the States for that matter, he'd take the time to help us figure out which area we'd like to live in, and what kind of feature in a house would we like and not like. Because of how well Mark was able to understand our needs and preferences, he was able to recommend houses that matched our need. Many a times as we reviewed the list of houses Mark recommended, we were impressed at how he totally "knew" what we were looking for and would respect that. He was also honest in giving us feedback on criteria we've overlooked. We're truly happy to be able to find just the right house with Mark's help."

— C.K., Buyer

isn't looking to make the biggest commission

"I really enjoyed working with Mark-- This is not my first time buying a home and this is not my first Realtor experience; Mark was GREAT.
I am new to Austin, so at first he took me around the 'areas' just to get a feel for what I would like... He doesn't provide any 'used-car salesman' pressure, he truly listens to what you like and I was also impressed that he suggested properties that were lower in price than the ones I had suggested to him-- He isn't looking to make the biggest commission, but more so, to make sure you are happy with your purchase.
After looking at several places, we put an offer on one and Mark was very hands-on, with suggesting good mortgage brokers, inspectors etc., Once again no pressure to use any of his people; just suggestions.
Long story, short... We ended up using his inspector and he was great. Maybe too good. He found multiple flaws in our potential property and at the last minute I decided not to buy it. Mark was understanding and I truly believe he would much rather have you be completely happy with your purchase than to just 'make a sale'.
With everything coming so close to my existing move-out date, I have decided to rent for another year... But when I go to make a purchase I will most certainly be working with Mark!"  [read follow-up review]
— Dustin Sandoval, Buyer

always there for us, even from across the country

"My family moved across country this summer, from Wisconsin to Austin. We were in the market for our first home and were fortunate enough to land Mark as our Realtor. In short, Mark was the brightest ray of light in our entire--rather stressful--moving experience. Here is a list of why we believe he is so great at what he does, and why we would recommend him to anyone in the market for a home:

* We felt like we could completely trust him from the first time we corresponded.
* He really listened to what we wanted in a home and did everything he could to get it for us. He was always completely non-judgmental about our preferences.
* He was both honest and comforting at the same time. He made us feel like everything would be okay no matter how stressed out we were during the process.
* He made an effort to teach us about things.
* He was always there for us, even from across the country--constantly asking if there was anything he could do for us.
* He was friendly, warm, and yet always professional.
* He was dedicated to us and spent the better part of a week chauffeuring us around Austin to look at close to 30 homes over the course of 4 days during our one and only house hunting trip.
* He was efficient and responsive.
* He guided us through every house we saw, but seemed to know when to step back to let us look and think.
* After we had decided on a home, and particularly after we closed, he made us feel really good about our decision, which is important when you have just made the biggest purchase of your life and may be feeling a little overwhelmed!
* He worked really hard to get us the house we fell in love with, which received three offers in its first 12 hours on the market."

— Megan Dudo, Buyer

'got' us and understood our wants and needs

"Here is the thing - we really felt that Mark 'got' us and understood our wants and needs immediately, even though they were 'not average' and our wish list changed over the course of weeks. Since we were buying in a city we do not know well, it was even more important to have someone who really knew the area's trends and prices. Mark is smart, energetic and knowledgeable. Good work!" 

— Mark + Sheila, Buyer, Investor

he set up a website with places he thought we might like

"We emailed Mark ahead of time with the names of neighborhoods we liked before we left Chicago, along with things that were important to us. He set up a website with places he thought we might like, and we went through and narrowed things down before we got to town. 

Once we arrived to Austin, we went to look at places. He drove us all over town - to a total of eight houses - in the pouring rain. Once we decided on a place he helped us with contacting the landlords to talk about paperwork, deposits, and cats. 

All in all, it was a crazy situation and a crazy time in my life - I'm not sure I would have been able to find a place that I love so much without his help.  We've been living here just over six months now. We have and awesome landlord and a beautiful home that just happens to be around the corner from Ginny's and Phil & Amy's. I couldn't be happier!" 

— Caroline B., Renter