What Buyers are Saying
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Beth G.
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
Diane Y.
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. 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.
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.
I would highly recommend Mark to anyone looking for homes in the Bay Area." Chris S. .
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Kristen G.
Robert V.
Geoff K. You will be happy if you choose to work with Mark." Marc C.
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