What Buyers are Saying
 

Many of my clients are not regular Yelp users so many of their reviews have been hidden in the "Filtered" or "Not Recommended" Yelp reviews section. All my reviews are from real clients that I've assisted in buying or selling a home. The links below take you to my Standard and Filtered Yelp reviews or just read them below.
Filtered Yelp Review Standard Yelp Review


"Mark helped us find the house of our dreams!  He is extremely professional and very knowledgeable about the real estate market. He really listened when we described the type of home we were interested in so that we didn't waste any time looking at homes that didn't meet our criteria.  We found him very easy to talk to, open and friendly. I have already recommended him to friends and family!"

Beth G.

 


"After living in S.F. for many years my wife and I decided to move to the peninsula. A pretty classic decision involving kids and wanting more space/better weather.  We met Mark, the broker who owns Vabrato, at an open house in Palomar park and were pleasantly surprised by his frank, down to earth manner.  A refreshing change after being courted by so many other agents.  A week after we met we decided to call him and ask him to be our broker.  Our parameters were pretty specific and at our price point it was going to be hard to meet them all.  Weeks went by and we started to feel like we were not a priority, but every time I called and asked about a new listing he had already done the research and did not feel it met our criteria.  We went to see a few anyway, and he was exactly right.  After some time he gave us a call about a property that just came on that matched all of our criteria.  It was just what we were looking for.  But, there was legal issue that needed resolving as well.  Long story short, both the lender and the title agent said it was one of the more complicated deals they had worked on in a long time.  I'm pretty sure it would not have closed if we had gone with any other broker.  The fact that Mark is also in the process of becoming a real estate attorney turned out to be very helpful.

Whether the deal is complicated or straight forward, I cannot imagine working with a better agent."

Jonas B.

 

"Mark was awesome!  We were selling and buying a home which most know, is a taxing time constraint.  However Mark's expertise of the market and personable touch made our experience a stress-free one.  He took the time to listen to our laundry list of must haves and wants to zone into what we were looking for making the transition process seamless. We really lucked out in working with him and highly recommended him to all of our family and friends.  We love our dream home, thank you Mark!"

Celeste

 


"My husband and I have been looking for a house for 2 years. We knew Mark at an open house event few years ago and was impressed with his expertise and details about understanding the housing market trend. So when we decided to buy a house, we called up Mark. He is absolutely one of the best realtor agent I have ever worked with. He will put himself on my shoes and explain to me all the pros and cons of each house after reviewing them. He is never been pushy or just want to get a deal. Instead, he wants me to find a house that I love and make sure it is a good house. He is very detailed oriented, went over all the disclosure reports and summarize them for me. He is also very prompt in getting back to me. And yes, we bought a house just 2 days ago. Thank you Mark and I will definitely hire him again if I need to sell or buy another house."

Diane Y.



"Venturing into the world of real estate was terrifying for first time home buyers like my wife and I. We didn't know what to dangers to be wary of, what to avoid, or what pitfalls lie in the homes we were looking at. That's where Mark comes in.

Mark will give it to you straight, and fight for you. I mean, he won't physically assault the smarmy agents at the open house, but I swear I've seen him make quite of few of them sweat by asking the hard questions about the houses we were looking at. He stuck with us through our indecision, and never pressured us to settle for a house that was merely "adequate;" he really was in our corner.

We must of driven up and down the peninsula looking at all sorts of houses, but he was always accommodating and available for all our questions. He's the guy you want when buying or selling a house."

Michael L.

 

"Mark helped us with the purchase of our home and he has been an incredible asset to my firm in assisting the probate clients I work with when they are selling properties on behalf of an estate.  I can recommend Mark without reservation."

Bob V.

 

"We don't even know where to start on everything that Mark has done for us in our recent home search. We are first time home buyers and were naturally a bit nervous about the whole process. We met Mark at an open house and instantly liked his honest and data-driven approach.

He spent a lot of time understanding our requirements and came well prepared with market research on the neighborhoods we were interested in. Not only that, he also recommended us specific streets in those neighborhoods that once again reflected his knowledge of the area. We saw a few homes with him and he made note of the things we liked in a house like open concept, storage space, etc. Over the next few weeks, he gave us feedback on every home that was available in the market based on our requirements. But most importantly he gave us broad estimates on how much the house might end up selling for or how much repairs would cost (if any), so we could be efficient with our time. He saw a lot of homes himself and often times shot a video of the house on his phone to supplement his feedback (those were super helpful and saved us a lot of time to narrow down options). When Mark looked at houses, he truly looked out for us and imagined our day to day living in that house when giving us his genuine feedback.

When it came time to put our first offer, Mark patiently walked us through every single document and answered all our questions. Mark also worked closely with our mortgage broker and Escrow officers at every step in the closing process. When we got the keys, my husband moved in the same day with very little (our stuff was still in storage), and Mark stopped by to give him essential items so his first few days can be comfortable. We were truly touched by his thoughtfulness. Mark continues to help us with immediate fixes around the house and we're brainstorming several remodeling projects with him as well.

His background in law, engineering, finance and the SF bay area market was super helpful as we navigated this home purchase. But most of all, he is such a pleasure to work with! This was a stressful time for us but working with Mark eased us a lot. I would recommend Mark to anyone looking to buy/sell a home! He truly goes above and beyond."

Amisha S.

 

"Mark went (and continues to go) above and beyond for us in our search for our forever home. The real estate market in the Bay Area is absolutely crazy, and he navigated it for us in a way that kept us sane. At the start of our relationship, he did a great job at listening to what we wanted and, through the process, helped us prioritize that wish list to hone in on the best properties to look at. He would go into properties ahead of showing them to us and make 1-2 minute video vignettes of the houses. These were very helpful to refine our list down for what we would actually see the upcoming weekend. In the offer process (which we got some experience with... 5 offers total!), he was realistic about what he thought the home was worth vs. what it would sell for, and would tell us if he thought someone would throw "stupid money" at the house. That definitely happened, with two of the houses we bid on selling for over half a million above asking.

As we started to become downtrodden about our lack of success, he put together a mailer on our behalf and sent it out in the neighborhoods we were interested in. At the same time, he reached out to his large network of local agents with a plea - if they have any sellers who might be willing to sell off market, to keep us in mind. In the end, the latter is what worked. We recently closed on an a house through an off-market offer. This comes with its own logistics, including organizing the inspections and negotiating based on the results of those inspections. Not once did Mark steer us wrong. In the end, he was able to negotiate on our behalf that the seller to pay for 50% of unexpected termite damage. Now that we have closed on the house, he is orchestrating all of the work that needs to be done and guiding us through the renovation process, including sending us a list with everything that we need to do! With his years of experience in this area, he knows "the guys" to go to for repairs, flooring, electrical, etc. The relationship with Mark does not end at the close of escrow. Poor guy is going to be stuck with us and our naivety for months to come! And he does it all with a dry sense of humor and a smile on his face."

Claire P.

 


"Mark is the most professional, competent and conscientious Realtor I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I have engaged in about a dozen purchase, sale or rental situations - so this is high praise.

My daughter and son-in-law needed help finding an affordable condo within driving distance of Stanford University. They were coming from Denver and this turned out to be a challenge. Sticker shock! The condo market had started to explode in January 2013 where the limited condo supply was resulting in multiple cash offers above asking price for listed properties. My daughter had emailed Mark Martinho, owner of Vabrato, a few months before actively searching to ask about areas and prices on the Peninsula. Mark responded promptly and provided a thorough, realistic and very helpful picture of the market and offered sound advice.

When my daughter located a property in San Carlos they were highly interested in, she asked me to call Mark. What a lucky thing we did! Mark met me on a holiday given two hours notice to show me the condo. He is impressive as a person - intelligent, knowledgeable and calm. Mark brought graphic data of the market history and price points for comparable units in the immediate area. We discussed options and Mark guided our strategy for an offer. Mark is conservative and smart.  His approach and advice reflected the wisdom that comes from years of real estate and financial experience.

Mark put together an offer in a matter of hours and presented it in a competitive bidding situation. He nailed it. The purchase closed in record time and Mark had our back through the whole process. Since then, Mark has continued to help us in many ways, including going to the unit to handle little chores. With all parties living outside of the area, this has been super.

I highly recommend Mark Martinho. He is exceptional."

Susan R.

 


"Mark helped us buy our first place in Redwood City earlier this year, and it was a wonderful experience from start to finish. He's very knowledgable about houses and neighborhoods in the area, and we always felt like he kept our interests in mind. He frequently went the extra mile for us, including: giving us video tours of places when we couldn't be there in person, inspecting potential issues and connecting us with the right people to help us understand how to evaluate and estimate costs for various issues. Mark was patient with us throughout the whole process, he's fun to work with, and we never felt like he was pushy. Mark was also there to help us after the purchase. He connected us with all the experts we needed to help us fix things before moving in.

I would highly recommend Mark to anyone looking for homes in the Bay Area."

Chris S.

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"Mark helped me sell two (2) homes and purchase (1) one other and with each experience Mark went above and beyond.  Mark is always available when needed and offers sound advice when called upon.  He is patient and wants to make sure you are comfortable with each decision you make along the way.  Mark is an extraordinary agent and anyone would do well to hire him as their representative when buying our selling real estate in the Bay Area." 

G B.

 


"I can't express how grateful we are to have Mark as our real estate agent. Purchasing our first home was one of the most terrifying, yet exciting decisions my husband and I had to make and we couldn't have gotten over all of our anxieties and worries without Mark. I honestly had no idea where to start and Mark basically held our hands through the whole process from beginning to end. From communicating with our lenders to covering all bases with the seller's agent to checking in almost daily and making sure we stayed on top of our paper work...we knew we struck gold with Mark. For first-time home buyers we also greatly appreciated his honesty and knowledge about the property laws for homes, condos & town homes that we were unaware of. With that said, Mark was able to help us close on our first home in just 30 days! I would recommend Mark to any of our friends or family to him in a heartbeat!"

Kristen G.

 


"Mark helped us with the purchase of our home and he has been an incredible asset to my firm in assisting the probate clients I work with when they are selling properties on behalf of an estate.  I can recommend Mark without reservation.:

Robert V.



"I have bought and sold many properties in several states over the years, including some very high end properties.  I have dealt with many RE agents, many of whom are excellent.  None are better than Mark or more enjoyable to work with.  With Mark you get the added benefit of his legal training.  I could add a bunch of positive adjectives but just pick one and it assume it applies!" 

Geoff K.

 

"Mark was incredibly supportive in my process of buying a home. I had plenty of requirements on the home I wanted to buy, so it took over a year to find the right home! We looked at a LOT of homes, but he stuck with me until I found the right home. His opinions on the pro's & con's of each property were unbiased and helped me to determine if a house was right for me. He really knows the Redwood City / San Carlos markets.

You will be happy if you choose to work with Mark."

Marc C.