MARTIN REALTY GROUP BROCHURE

MARTIN REALTY GROUP

Selling Santa Clarita

Written by H. K. Wilson - Photography by Ian Wiant

High

energy and bigger than life, Realtor® Craig Martin makes the prospect of buying or selling a home in Santa Clarita feel like a grand adventure. A musician and successful entrepreneur who has lived in the Greater Los Angeles area for more than 30 years, Craig began buying and flipping homes, as well as buying land and building new homes, long before he was a professional Realtor®. His own adventures in home buying have made him a celebrity, landing him on TLC’s hit television series, “Flip That House.”

Craig is more than a seasoned real estate professional of 20-plus years. He is a community stakeholder, whose family, home, business, and relationships are all deeply rooted in the Santa Clarita region. A resident of the Santa Clarita Valley for more than 14 years, Craig is passionate about helping people find the perfect home in this vibrant community of 325,000 (and counting).

“It’s a hidden gem and the perfect family community,” he says. “It still feels small and connected, and is amaz ingly affordable, with lots of new developments going in. Our schools are exceptional, and our system is independent of LA. My wife and I have been together for nearly 25 years, and we finally had a child when we came out here. We love watching our 10-year-old son grow up in this community and making new friends. There are so many family-friendly activities here with lots of parks, trails, sports, concerts, and events that bring the community together.”

After successfully navigating a high volume of transac tions as a solo agent, Craig decided to create a team, with resources that would enable him to help more people achieve the American Dream. Today, he is the leader of the award-winning Martin Realty Group at Realty ONE Group in Valencia, a family of professionals who are united by a shared credo: “We care.”

“We strive to connect with our clients and the way they feel,” Craig says. “We know they are making one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives, and we under stand the pressures they are facing. We want to make them comfortable and help with what they need to feel confident and secure. It’s our privilege to be able to do that.”

Craig first teamed up with Cheryl Insua, a real estate veteran of 15 years, who joined him as an assistant. She is now the team’s listing manager as well as a buyer’s agent. “Cheryl came in and helped me get organized and put systems together that were instrumental to our next phase of growth.”

The synergy that Craig and Cheryl generated together created opportunities for other like-minded people to join the team. Next, they welcomed buyer’s agents Brian Hulz and Milanka Mendez. “I’ve known Brian for over 20 years.

He and Milanka both have extensive sales experience, and this is the community where they have both lived for over 20 years and raised their children with each having 2 that are now in college. Next, we brought in Nicole Raach as our leads manager and buyers’ agent. Nicole has over 15 years of experience and was instrumental in the process and organization of client leads and follow up. Together the five of us supercharged the team by taking sales from 71 closed homes to over 150 the next year. This is what helped to build the team to the point that we added four amazing new agents last year — George Orphanopoulos, Nicole Lopez, Patricia Brauneisen and Dolores Mattice (who also supports the team as a transaction manager). To round out the team we added Laurel Carden as a fulltime social media specialist who promotes the brand’s messaging across all online platforms and Jeannine as an in-office transaction coordinator from Realty ONE Group and part of our extended team.

Martin Realty Group: L-R; Nicole Lopez, Brian Hulz, Dolores Mattice, Milanka Mendez, Criag Martin, Cheryl Insua, Patty Brauneisen, George Orphanopoulos, Nicole Raach

In addition to the proven systems that make buying or selling a home a seamless process, Craig has cultivated relationships with reliable industry partners, vendors and contractors who are integral to a satisfying real estate experience.

When it comes to helping buyers find the right home, the team knows their inventory, and they view more than 5,000 area homes each year. “When you tell us what you’re looking for, we know where to take you. We take buyers to see enough homes that they can be sure they’re buying the right one. We love working with buyers and going out to see all the homes. We enjoy spending that time with our clients, stopping for lunch and showing them the city. We have a lot of fun together.”

Buyers also receive a cash rebate toward the close of escrow. They can use this credit towards escrow or to buy down the loan rate. In addition, “All our services for buyers are complementary, with no Realtor® or compliance fees.

This is something that other Realtors® may not offer and can save a buyer thousands on the home purchase.” And if that wasn’t enough, Craig’s team also drops off boxes and gives an additional credit towards professional movers on moving day.

Sellers receive the same VIP treatment. While Craig generally sells homes at a flexible commission, clients always receive premium service. An expert at selling homes for a profit, Craig, at no additional charge, sends in his professional home team to declutter, clean (including carpets and windows), yard clean-up, trash haul and repair of small items. Craig can also work within his clients’ budget to make improvements that will bring higher offers. “We want everything to look bright, clean and fresh. You have to know how to present a home, to get it from living condition to showing condition. This helps take the stress out of the selling process by getting a quick sale at the highest price.”

Craig then engages in a comprehensive marketing cam paign that includes still, video and aerial photography; an individual website for each home; print and digital advertising; social media marketing; and well-orchestrated open houses.

Craig and his team are the number one selling real estate team in Santa Clarita and ranked number one in California for all of Realty ONE Group in 2021. The Martin Realty Group is everywhere — on 12 local billboards, grocery carts, postcards, Valpak promotions, magazines, social media, radio and television. The team airs more than 170 commercials each day on top networks throughout Santa Clarita.

Hundreds of families have trusted Craig and the Martin Realty Group to make their dreams of home ownership

a reality, and they tell the story best. One said: “We had a phenomenal experience. He knows what he’s doing and how to make a deal happen that satisfies everyone involved. He is highly recommended!”

Craig and his team members are all Santa Clarita residents, and they are thrilled to live, work and play in this extraordinary community. “We’re all super proud to sell here,” Craig says. “It’s a beautiful life out here. We know what the area has to offer and how special it is, and we take pride in welcoming new people to our neighborhoods.”

L-R Dolores - Transaction Manager & Agent / Cheryl - Listing Manager & Agent Nicole R - Client Manager & Agent ( Sitting )