REAL ESTATE.....It's My Passion

I share with you a little tid bit that most don't know about me on why I got into the business of Real Estate.

Adopting Lifestyle Changes that Breed Positivity, Personal Growth & Success

My journey adopting a healthier lifestyle while training for the Los Angeles Marathon with Team In Training to raise money for LLS, Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundation.

We are a 3rd of the way to my fundraising goal of $6,500.00 Please donate by visiting:

http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/la11/mgonzalgmu#My-Fundraising-Page

New Listing in the Topanga Plaza Area, Woodland Hills- Warner Center Adjacent

Love shopping, dining, and entertainment and want to live in a tight knit community on a tree-line street??? My partner Tori Lee and I just listed this charming Ranch style home in the Topanga Plaza Area in Woodland Hills!!! This move-in-ready Woodland Hills home is within walking distance of Westfield Topanga Mall, fine dining (Roy’s Hawaiian Fusion & Fleming’s Steak House, to name a few). Enjoy summer concerts and movies in Warner Center Park conveniently because it’s Warner Center Adjacent! Warner Center, Woodland Hills, is the West Valley’s premier business and entertainment destination and attracts visitors all over LA and surrounding cities because of all the amenities it has to offer.

This turn-key home offers 3 beds (can easily be converted into a 4 bedroom) 1.75 baths, upgraded a/c, copper plumbing, refinished hardwood floors, new paint, with lots of outdoor space set on a 7,500 sq. ft lot. It’s one of the most well-priced per square foot homes in Woodland Hills and can be purchased with as little 3.5% down!! Priced at $429,000 this home is a steal and waiting for you to call your home. For more information please call me at 818.414.1914 and please checkout http://www.6461HannaAve.com to view the virtual tour!!!

Mark & Michelle's Weekly Real Estate Update

Featured in Realtor Magazine's 30 Under 30 Centennial Issue

It was a great honor to be featured in Realtor magazine's 30 Under 30 in June 2009. And now, in 2010 I had the opportunity to visit Chicago, IL for a photo shoot in their Centennial Issue: A Decade of Success. Amongst other winning, talented and young real estate professionals, I participated in a photo shoot on location in Chicago’s Historical Union Station. It was a great rewarding experience that I will never forget.

The 30 Under 30 contest seeks out the most promising and innovative 30 Realtors in the nation, each under the age of 30. These are Realtors® who embody youthful success in real estate and are chosen based on their future potential, business acumen, leadership within their industry and community, as well as innovation and creativity in marketing.

For this year's issue, REALTOR® Magazine revisited some of the winners to find out how their business has fared, attitudes have evolved, and what advice they'd offer to people starting out in real estate today. What they found was that while the economy has tested our confidence, through ambition and perseverance we have retained many of our qualities that made us stand out from the beginning.

It was great to hear that more agents are embracing internet marketing and social media marketing strategies such as through Facebook and Twitter to grown their business, as I consistently do. And, it was a pleasure to exchange advice amongst each other on how to continue driving through the tough economic downturn.

Here is what some agents had to say:

"This business is not for the faint of heart," Inman says. "It's designed for the special few who love to talk for a living while developing relationships with perfect strangers. If that doesn't scare you, then you should have some success."

"You are constantly with clients during a very exciting time in their life," says Stokes, "and it is rewarding to be a part of such a major change."

I congratulate each of us, and thank Realtor magazine for their support and future support of young real estate professionals.

For more information and to read above current real estate perspective from the honorees on REALTOR® Magazine’s “30 Under 30”,Visit www.realtor.org.

To hear more about myself and my experience, Visit: http://www.srar.com/node/709

When Selling Your Home: Stage It Yourself, or Hire a Home Stager

Once you've decided with me, or your real estate agent, on the market price and how you will market your home there’s little time left to get your house ready for visitors by putting on the finishing touches, just like that quick housecleaning you do before company comes over for dinner.You can either do the staging yourself, or hire a professional home stager. Here are some tips on doing it yourself, and the top 5 must-knows before hiring a professional:


Do It Yourself:

1. Outside: Keep your lawn trimmed, the rose bushes pruned, the weeds tamed. Put away the garden hose and the tools. Make sure the bulbs in your home’s exterior lighting fixtures are all in working order. Be vigilant about removing flyers, handouts and newspapers left on your front doorstep or driveway.

2. Inside: Brighten the rooms by opening the drapes, turning on the lights, cleaning the windows. Clear the clutter on the kitchen counter, bathroom sink, coffee table and couches. Make all the beds. Clean all your bathroom and kitchen fixtures. Do a quick vacuuming of the entire house, being sure to catch any cobwebs in the corners along the ceiling. Finally, take out the garbage.

3. If you have pets, find a safe place to keep them during a house showing: in the garage, in the basement or at a friend’s house.

Hiring a Home Stager, What You Should Know:

1. There's no clear-cut career path to becoming a stager: They are professional home stagers, which can also mean they are designers, decorators, real estate agents, etc. The ones who do the best are often people with backgrounds in merchandising and visual display of products.

2. Most, but not all, stagers have some kind of professional training for staging.
Much of the instruction in these classes is weighted toward teaching stagers how to run a successful business, rather than focusing on visual appeal. Make sure your stager has a background of experience with visual displays, not just program training.

3. Although some stagers work on a per-hour basis, most charge by the job, and the cost varies by region. The cost can be as low as $500 for the average single family home, but is usually between $1,500 to $3,000, and can be as high as $20,000 for large mansions.

Whichever way you are leaning, consult with your real estate agent first on what the best option is for you.

Top 7 Social Media Marketing Sites for Real Estate Professionals

It's no surprise that I use Social Media to promote my Real Estate business and maintain relationships with my networks, be that friends, family, vendors, and fellow real estate professionals. That is because I have long since understood that Social media is THE new real estate internet revolution, and it is very effective way to reach-out and connect with everyone in a personal way. Since I have been using social media I have formed many different personal relationships, created business partnerships, and gain real estate leads to increase my presence in the real estate world.

To effectively use Social Media you need to incorporate 2 things: (1) Build relationship and (2) provide great information to your community.

To get started, look into these top seven social media sites for real estate professionals:


1. ActiveRain: ActiveRain is a free Real Estate Networking site for real estate professionals.

2. Facebook: Everyone on Facebook is real, and you can form some great relationships with people.

3. FlippingPad: Flipping pad is designed specifically for real estate investors.

4. LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a more professional site and protects its members, so use it that way.

5. Localism: Localism allows you to own your own neighborhood! Try it out.

6. Meetup: Meetup is a great way to network in your area, while enjoying things you love to do already.

7. Trulia: Many buyers and sellers head over to Trulia in search of finding answers and or for selling their home.

Good Luck out there in Social Media! And, let me know if you have any other Social Media site recommendations for us to connect on...