"Mark Martinho of Vabrato Real Estate is FANTASTIC!  Despite many challenges, Mark took charge of the situation and followed through with great skill and professionalism.  The house was part of my family estate and Mark understood what needed to be done to get it sold.  I have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending the services of Mark Martinho at Vabrato Real Estate."

Colleen G.

"5 stars isn't high enough!  Mark Martinho was the perfect real estate agent.  My brother and I were selling a family home in San Carlos that was held in a trust and had been the family for over 50 years.  We both live out of town.  Mark orchestrated the entire re-model and staging.  It was a huge job.  He coordinated all of the workers, painters, floor people, haulers, and stagers.  Mark has connections with people that do all of these things.  We never had to lift a finger! 

Mark also has the knack for knowing exactly what needs to be done and how the house needs to look.  We received well over the asking price.  I know that was in a large part because of his eye for color and decor.

Mark also holds a law degree.  Although he does not practice law (that I know of), he is well-informed when it comes to the legalities of trust paperwork, proper filings with government agencies, and those kinds of things.

Last but not least, Mark is personable and easy to work with.  He went above and beyond what we would have ever expected a real estate agent to do.  It is obvious he enjoys his work and takes pride in getting good results.  He even went so far as to meet the fire department out at the house in the middle of the night when the fire alarm was malfunctioning.  Now that is dedication!

I highly recommend Mark for anyone looking for a top-notch real estate agent."

Sharon L.

"I cannot say enough good things about Mark. He came recommended from an estate attorney that was helping my wife settle her Mom's estate. First, of the folks we considered, Mark provided BY FAR the most thorough and well researched proposal. His attention to detail and excellence continued through the entire process. We had a challenging situation where we needed to find a place for my wife's brother who was living in the house, not only did Mark help facilitate that process, he completely understood the family dynamic of selling a childhood home and the impact it has on the siblings. His patience and people skills are intuitive and spot on. I was impressed with how he handled the sometimes challenging discussions between my wife an her brothers. His is genuinely a good guy.

Aside from being a good guy, I was continuously impressed with the effort and thoroughness of the work he put into preparing the home and getting it on the market. The house needed some work before it was to be sold. We all sat down and agreed to what should be done. It was a collaborative process with thoughtful and welcome advice from Mark. Once we decided what needed to be done, Mark provided an estimate for the work to be done, arranged for the labor to do the work and coordinated the entire process. When you are dealing with the difficult situation of a parent passing away, it is an understatement to say how helpful this was. And Mark really handled the whole thing. If you have ever done a remodel, this is no small feat. Not only was the work done on-time, it was done within the planned budget, and the quality of the work done was top-notch. There is no doubt that we recouped the cost of the work done twofold.

When it came time to sell the house, Mark coordinated the staging of the house. Between the repairs, upgrades, and the staging, it was a transformation that amazed us all. Mark's research and knowledge set the perfect price. We got top-dollar for the home and could not be happier with the outcome and timing of the whole thing. If I were in the market to purchase on the Peninsula or South Bay, I would not hesitate for a moment to have Mark represent me, he is savvy and knowledgeable about the market; and at the risk of being a broken record, he is trustworthy, competent, thorough, knowledgeable, personable, and an all around good guy. If you are in the market to buy or sell, my 2¢ is... give Mark a call, and let your interaction with him be your guide. I'm confident you will be as impressed as I was."

Jeff S.

"It would not be hyperbole to say that Mark made my life bearable. Because of all the events going on in my life, selling the family home of 50 plus years seemed daunting.  Without Mark to guide me through the process, I would still be working on the sale of the house. Mark communicated very well with all the parties involved in our Trust. His efforts were transparent. Nothing came as a surprise.  He listened to my concerns and we had real communication about my options.  In the end he cleaned up the home, made it very presentable and sold it for a fantastic price. Because of Mark, I did not loose sleep over the sale of the house.  I truly cannot imagine selling the home without Mark's help. No hyperbole!

Randy B.

"Sold my own home with Mark and experienced the same thoughtful service as before. Mark really is a superstar!"

Colleen G.

"I'll say one thing, if you are lucky enough to have Mark as your real estate agent, you are half the way home!

Tom B.

 

"I was very happy with Mark and his professionalism. He is customer oriented and pleasant to work with. I would highly recommend him."

Paula M.

I now consider him a friend, as he has done so much for me and family. THANKS MARK!"

John L.

For that Mr. Martino, thank you for meeting the expectations.  We wish you great fortune and success."

James D.

"We have worked with Mark for many, many years and will work with him in the future for all of our real estate needs.  He is personable and professional on all counts.  Mark is reliable, prompt and always available.  He has helped us with two very important real estate transactions, both very successful, and has provided us with extremely good sound advice throughout the years. We would refer any of our family or friends to him at any opportunity.  In the near future our sons will be needing advice on real estate investments and with complete confidence and conviction we will look to Mark for his guidance. We cannot say enough about Mark's high standards and his work ethic.  We believe we are so fortunate to have the working relationship we have with Mark and again, we would recommend him to anybody who wants the best help available in this business arena."

Lynn J.

"Working with Mark Martinho at Vabrato was wonderful. Paperwork was perfect, ideas relating to my purchase were very relevant  and his desire to assist in the smallest detail was the best of all. I would recommend Vabrato for any real estate transaction and would suggest that if you have a complex problem, it will get resolved with their efforts."

James W.

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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 recently used Mark Martinho of Vabrato Real Estate Services to market and sell my home in Palo Alto.  Before embarking upon this endeavor, I looked at it with some trepidation, feeling that it would be quite an ordeal as there were items in the home that I felt would need repair or attention prior to putting it up for sale.  Mark made the entire process so easy for me by handling all of the preparation including hiring the contractors to make repairs, preparing the property for sale and staging the home.  Mark also has excellent communication skills, is extremely personable and kept me fully informed throughout the entire process.  When it came time to evaluate the offers (which were multiple), Mark took the time to carefully review and discuss them with me in detail.  The home sold for more than I expected and over the asking price.  In summary, Mark is a true professional, did a wonderful job in marketing and selling the home and was an absolute joy to work with.  If selling or buying a home in the Bay Area, my very first step would be to call Mark."

 Lee M.

"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.

 

"I will straight up say that Mark is the best real estate agent I have ever met. I recently sold my Brittan Heights condo through him, and he made the process extremely easy while getting me the highest profit. The thing with Mark is that you don't feel like you're being tricked, etc which is something I have found with other agents.  He is very straightforward, and you feel like you're working with a friend. It is also a real plus that he is an attorney which means he knows how to counter any barriers that HOAs may place--as was the case with me!  Honestly, I can't think of anything that needs improvement."

Luis V.

"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 G.

"Mark Martinho was everything I could have wished for in a real estate agent and more!  I was dealing with a very complicated family situation during the sale of my mom's house for the family trust.  I also live 500 miles away in San Diego so handling things from the distance was difficult.  Mark saved the day!   He treated the family relationship issues with skill and sensitivity, kept a sense of humor, and went way beyond the call of duty in helping me get my family moved out from the home so it could sell. 

Mark is a total professional.  He's sincere, honest, and very good at understanding the market.  He took care of all the details, even minute ones like selling things on Craigslist and doing garage sales.  He was great with communication from beginning to end.  He set up all the painting, fix ups, and clearing out of tons of left over junk from the house - all done efficiently and economically.  The end result was a house that was transformed and ready for sale.  The house sold at top price and very fast.  I would recommend Mark to anyone looking for the best of the best in an agent."

Mary H.

"Mark with Vabrato real estate did an excellent job in getting our house sold in Santa Clara. After meeting with several real estate agents in the area we decided to go with Mark. During the initial meeting Mark had ideas and offered suggestions (when asked) for increasing the value of our house. In addition, he had done his homework and had comparable prices in the area (houses by bedroom, lot size), school rankings, and other data. He had this information in a binder for us to keep.

The house needed some work to prepare it for sale, and we had a living situation that needed to be resolved. Mark made suggestions on what (and what not) to do, quoted a budget, coordinated the work, kept us informed of the costs with records (and reciepts), and came in at (actually slightly under) budget. In addition, Mark was instrumental in helping us resolve the living situation. Through Mark's efforts the house was beautiful when it went up for sale.

At the beginning of the selling process, Mark reviewed his plan for marketing the house (open houses, web site, postings, advertising etc.) and recommended an asking price. Shortly after the open houses were completed we recieved offers on the house, and it sold for over asking price.

Throughout this transaction Mark showed honesty, professionalism, hard work, problem solving ability, candor, and an ability to mediate. In addition, he had the ability to mix in a little humor.

I would recommend to others, and use Mark again for real estate transactions."

John S.

"I have known Mark Martino both professionally and personally for a number of years, I would call Mark a friend and at the same time Mark's professional services have been exceptional and met  all my expectations .  Recently I needed to sell my house and Mark was able to provide a critical analysis on 1) the improvements to my house that could be worked on that would present the house in its best light and that would be critical to a successful sale, 2) a realistic assessment of the market and an attainable selling price, 3) the best strategy for length of period before offer and number of "open houses".  Mark was also able to manage the process from the start to escrow in a seamless manner. I received my asking price and could not have been any happier. It was Mark's strategy, analysis and execution that resulted in a timely successful sale.  Mark is a matter-of-fact realtor and will give you the facts straight.  There is no sales pitch and its all substance regarding the details of your sale or purchase. Mark offers a very personal service and I expect he will not let his clients down."

Raphael B.

"If you are looking for a broker to help sell your home, look no further than Mark Martinho.  I live on the east coast and owned a property in San Mateo county.  I needed someone that I could trust to sell the property and its contents and take care of everything else associated with it.  Mark came highly recommended by another associate that I was dealing with.  I decided to call Mark to inquire about his services.  From the first time I spoke with him, I was impressed with his knowledge and insight in the home realty field.  He took the time to explain how everything would work and was able to answer all questions that I had.  He offered to do as much or as little as I needed.  I was very comfortable with what he had to say and decided to hire him.  I flew out to California with my wife to iron out the details and Mark was there to pick us up at the airport.  Once we met him, we knew that we made the right choice.  I was not able to be in California to see this process through, so I needed someone that could take charge of the whole situation from start to finish.  In a case like this, you need someone that you can trust, and thankfully I found that in him.  After I flew back home Mark was in touch almost daily with updates of what was going on.  The house sold not long after he put it on the market thanks to his expertise.  He did an excellent job with everything and saved me a lot of headaches in the process.  To top it off, I gained a friend.  I can never thank Mark enough for what he did for me and I am confident that others will feel the same way.  Thank you once again Mark and keep up the good work!"

Steve Q.

"Mark helped us sell our house in Saratoga and exceeded our expectations on all fronts. Starting with the initial discussion, Mark helped us calibrate on price, timeline and expenses to prepare our home for sale. Unlike most other realtors, he was very realistic on these 3 key points and in hindsight, he was very accurate in his projections. What you also get with Vabrato is Mark's personal attention (he does all open houses himself), professionalism and strong work ethic (open house on superbowl wknd). We did not miss the attitude and mass market interaction of the big brand firms. Great outcome and excellent experience!"

Mark F.

"We have all heard stories about Real Estate Agents it seems their reputation preceds them without justification in many cases. I too was one of the people that believed REal Estate Agents were only out to get the home sold and get there money. Then I met Mark he brought a breath of fresh air to an otherwise trying task that I had in front of me, he not only went the extra mile he also helped with things that a everyday real estate agent would not have done. He was not only there to help out at the Estate Sale, not only with his advice but also used his energy to make sure everything was going smoothly. When people ask me for a real estae agent to recommend to them there is only one name I tell them."

Lynne C.

"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.

"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.