Welcome!

This website has been developed for convenience, offers my prospective clients unfettered access to real estate information on property listings, a set of resources and tools to help you search the market unobtrusively.  

What you will find here . .    you can use this site to access both buying and selling information, all MLS listings, a free home evaluation, and a host of other useful information. Use the links below to locate the information you are looking for.  Please have a look around the site, around town . . or around the country and feel free to call me or email for clarification or further information at your convenience.  

Are you being notified of NEW listings that meet your criteria the MOMENT they come on the market?  This technology makes this easy - no need for a phone call or a chat - it is all automatic.  Many of the best homes are sold before they are ever advertised or displayed on other websites like MLS.ca® (multiple listing service). This virtual tour / showroom of the MLS (multiple listing service) market, where you can search through all available listings without obligation.  Use my services provided through this website to give yourself a competitive edge; you can make better responsive decisions with the best data, and I can servey you better when you are better informed on the market.  

Timing is not everything, often it is the ONLY thing . .  In today’s competitive real estate market, timing, while not as critical as location, is very important - being on top of the latest listings, the freshest data, can be critical to success in winning the home you want on the right terms. 

Program YOUR search criteria YOURSELF. .   I am hoping you would contact me for assistance sourcing and negotiating for your next home but, if you choose another well qualified professional you know, like and trust . . then I can hardly quarrel with that. To start shopping for your next home, just click here: 

http://homebuyercalgary.com/my_listings_search.jsp   

A few things to look for in selecting a realtor: if you’re looking for an agent to list your home, to help you buy a home or both, be wary of anyone who suggests they can get an unreasonably high sales price. An agent might use a high listing price to secure a contract, only to seek a lower price later, after little traffic is generated at the initial price level. Meanwhile, you’ve lost what can be the most critical time period in selling a home - the first weeks immediately after it’s listed:         

• check on experience and productivity. As with most professions, experience pays in real estate. Experienced agents know the market and the marketing process. They’ll have the best chance of quickly and smoothly helping you to buy or sell your home. The number of transactions an agent is handling monthly or yearly is going to give you an indication of how committed the agent is to the profession. Is the agent a part-timer who’s just dabbling in real estate sales - or is the agent a full-time professional whose livelihood depends entirely on an ability to successfully and repeatedly close real estate transactions?    
• if you’re a buyer - does the agent offer buyer agency? More and more buyers are deciding they want full contractual representation on the same level as the seller. Be sure to discuss buyer agency with any agent you’re thinking about working with.  
• does the agent know your market? Is the agent active in soliciting business?    
• is the agent part of a substantial and well regarded firm? This can be especially important if you’re selling in one city in preparation of moving to another. Your selling agent can refer you to a professional, compatible agent in your destination city - and keep in close contact with that agent so both your selling and buying efforts are closely coordinated.    
• does the agent seem primarily interested in sharing expertise and market knowledge in an honest and straightforward manner? Or does the agent seem more interested in telling you what you want to hear - or spend a lot of effort trying to market additional products and services?    
• your agent brings the market to you. The market brings you price reality - buying or selling. The agent who is right for you is the one who knows the market and can get you the best price possible if you are selling, the one who can negotiate most effectively for you when you are buying - not the one who promises you the world just to get you to list with them.   
• a referral from a family member or friend doesn’t guarantee a perfect match. Just think of something as simple as a movie or restaurant recommendation. Your close friends rave about a new Chinese food place downtown - so you check it out. Could this possibly be the same restaurant they were describing? Mediocre service. No chopsticks. Bland flavors. It’s the same restaurant. Same cook. Same waiters. Just different perceptions.   Regardless of how you get an agent’s name, it might be worth interviewing at least a couple before you make a final decision - or at least arming yourself with some criteria to go over with any agent who has been recommended to you.    
• many of the same questions, hesitations and strategies connected with seeking out professional assistance in any field - whether you’re looking for a doctor, dentist, lawyer or accountant - come into play when you’re selecting a real estate agent. Some people find an agent through a family member or friend. This is often a reliable approach. But you might not always find the most compatible assistance this way. And in a transaction as important and intensive as buying and selling a home, that can be critical.  

Are you being notified of NEW listings that meet your criteria the MOMENT they come on the market?  This technology makes this easy - no need for a phone call or a chat - it is all automatic.  Many of the best homes are sold before they are ever advertised or displayed on other websites like MLS.ca® (multiple listing service). This virtual tour / showroom of the MLS (multiple listing service) market, where you can search through all available listings without obligation.  Use my services provided through this website to give yourself a competitive edge; you can make better responsive decisions with the best data, and I can serve you better when you are better informed on the market.     

Why would you use a buyer’s agent to represent you  . .  I primarily represent BUYERS; in terms of listing and selling your current property I am happy to assist and will co-list with trusted colleagues - as a team we will market your home, while at same time I will be concentrating my efforts on finding the new home that is just right for you.  The seller is represented by an agent, so why not have someone looking out for your best interests - someone whose sole responsibility is to you . . the buyer; someone to advocate for you, negotiate for you, work for you, work with you.   

The convention in the Calgary market is one of having the Vendor/Seller pay 100% percent of the selling commission, shared by agreement between Listing and Selling brokerage firms, the area of ’Single Agency’ is a relatively new one in our marketplace . . but a term well worth getting acquainted with.

About Mark Kolke:  

28 years experience as a licensed real estate professional in Alberta.  During that time he has been involved as an agent in sales and leasing transactions in Edmonton, Calgary and many rural communities in Alberta.  He has a background in mortgage lending, mortgage servicing, property management, receiverships and Judicial Sale process.  He is willing to accept appointments as a Judicial Sale Listing Agent for the sale of commercial, residential and agricultural property.  He has experience of long standing in mortgage financing, mortgage foreclosures and the Judicial Sale process in Alberta.  A Notary Public, Alberta Licensed Real Estate professional, his practice involves commercial leasing acting for Tenants, commercial and residential sales acting for Buyers and Judicial Sale listings when he lists property For Sale.  He lists properties for sale on this site and invites inquiries from lawyers for lenders and lenders throughout Alberta.

He has served on numerous non-profit boards and the REIX Board. He is an observer of the market and publishes a newsletter  - FACILITYCalgary which is distributed free to 12,000 industry subscribers weekly, writes ’Waydowntown with Mark Kolke’ monthly for Alberta Venture Magazine, is a freelance writer, coaches writing and public speaking and leads the MaxComm Communications team, a consortium of twenty writers. He writes as he speaks -clearly, effectively and passionately, primarily about commercial and residential real estate, oil and gas and social issues.