Your guide to Texas Residency is

Mark Kolbe...

About Mark Kolbe

Mark is a Texas native, born and raised in Dallas. He moved to Austin in 1992 for school and has called it home ever since. After graduating with a degree in Political Science, he rose through the ranks with several high-tech companies before heading the information technology department for the second largest appraisal district in Central Texas. As the IT manager, he was responsible for over 42 billion dollars in property each year.

His experience with the appraisal district led him into a new career as a property tax consultant. He helped over 1000 clients reduce their taxable values by a total of $30 million dollars. He donated his services to elderly and disabled property owners in need.

Property tax consulting required constant travel. After the birth of his son, he decided to focus on the Austin real estate market and shifted to sales and leasing. Since 2011, he has helped hundreds of clients find the perfect place to call home.

Buying a property is the biggest financial decision people make in their lifetime. He considers it a great responsibility when a client trusts him to help them with this decision. As an agent, he approaches each client with this in mind and does his best to help them find the property that best meets their needs, lifestyle and budget.

In his spare time Mark enjoys spending time with his wife and young son. They support the local arts through memberships and donations. Mark continues to offer free property tax consulting services to elderly and disabled property owners in need.

Contact Mark to help you find the perfect place to call home.

Testimonials

September 2018

Mark Kolbe was amazing. He went out of his way to help us out. I will be more than happy to recommend Mark to as many people and places as I can. I will start the process over the weekend. I will make sure to recommend Mark to all my friends and family in Austin as well.

Tony Bhanot

August 2018

I am happy with the service provided by Mark throughout the entire process. He is really detail oriented which I like, and he has worked hard in my recent sale, especially due to the difficult nature of the buyers. I would highly recommend Mark and Realty Austin as needed to others.

Imran and Samara Qureshi

July 2018

Mark Kolbe is amazing!!! We had been working with Mark for a few months on locating a property in Austin. When we found the one we wanted, he went right to work in making it happen. He is a great communicator who made the sales process extremely smooth and easy for us. Mark was never pushy and went above and beyond the call of duty in helping us put together all the pieces we needed to purchase our new property. We have already recommended him to one of our colleagues and would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Mark Kolbe to anyone looking to purchase property in Austin. Give Mark a call; you won't be disappointed. By the way, we live out of state, so it was even more important for us to work with someone we trust - thanks, Mark!

Lori M.

July 2018

We would be delighted to recommend Mark to anyone. Mark has made the whole process simple for us, which is a huge benefit because we live in California. Having Mark in our corner representing our interest has also given us a lot of confidence in making our decision and closing on the property. We could not have done it without Mark.

Angus MacDonald

June 2018

We had a very pleasant experience with Mark Kolbe. He was very patient and went out of the way to assist us throughout the purchase. He accommodated our schedule and was willing to take us around at any time of the day. In addition, we had to do some work on the property before moving in. He also helped in getting us a contractor and overseeing the start of the work. At the end when we settled in, he was caring enough to come and take a look at the contractor's work and ensure that everything is fine. Mark Kolbe is a wonderful person to work and an excellent Realtor.

Namratha A.

April 2018

Mark Kolbe is legit! A true professional. Hands down one of the nicest guys I have ever had the pleasure of working with. My daughter is a timid young 18 years old, and she says "I love Mark." We are out-of-towners, but he made us feel like we live next door. Mark is not just in it for sale, I assure you. Our official transaction is complete, but Mark has still offered to help us with other matters that can be difficult from California. Mark said; "John, the sale was just the 1st step, we will be working together for at least a year". It's like he gets it. Mark knows my daughter being so far away, in a new condo, is nerve-racking, so he's there to help. I am 100% recommending Mark Kolbe!

John Raber

February 2018

We could not have been happier than we were with Mark. We had a fairly tight timeframe to find an apartment and close in time to meet a residency deadline and had multiple complications, including that our sellers ran off to Asia for family reasons and did seemingly all they could to blow our deadline. Mark was ALWAYS reachable, responsive (which was especially important for us being 1,500 miles away) and available to meet with us and our daughter. He even picked up her up to the closing. Mark kept his head throughout (even when we didn’t) and I believe strongly that for that reason we were able to close. I will absolutely recommend Mark, and we in fact already have to my wife’s colleagues that are looking for investment properties. I’m confident that we will be using Mark again.

Alan Mustacchi

February 2018

It was a fantastic experience to work with Mark. He has been a thorough professional in every aspect of the transaction. I loved his energy and his guidance during the process. I highly recommend Mark and will use him in future again.

Manish Inamdar

February 2018

Our experience with Mark Kolbe was super! Mark contacted us in California related to purchasing a home for our son attending UT Austin. He provided all the information we needed to know about the real estate market as well as methods to obtain in-state tuition. This is above and beyond for a real estate agent in my opinion, but this is where Mark really added value to the deal. We spent one day visiting and driving all around Austin looking at various options. To our surprise we found the property, we wanted that day, and the transaction was completed quickly. Mark provided his ideas, full market analysis and he listened to us. He was flexible as well. Again, he went above and beyond by picking up my son several times from campus to complete the closing process and to finalize the inspections. We could not ask for more. Mark’s attention to us as clients was exemplary, personalized, and exceeded our expectations!

Jerry Rickmeyer

December 2017

Mark has been extremely responsive and efficient throughout the whole process, despite a difficult seller, and the closing would probably not have taken place in time if it were not for his persistence. In summary, we would absolutely recommend Mark to anybody close to us and willing to make such a transaction the Austin area.

Thierry Pourchet

December 2017

Mark has been fantastic with us. He is very knowledgeable, approachable, and helpful. I am very happy I got to work with him closing the deal. I highly recommend Mark and Realty Austin.

Faith Wan

November 2017

Mark Kolbe has been fantastic to work with. We are very impressed with his professionalism, efficiency, and knowledge. Mark really went out his way to give us additional help and made the process so much easier for us.

Anlu Yan

September 2017

Mark Kolbe provided my family elite service. Mark was so conversant and accurate with market trends, critical price point data, rents, absorption rates, appreciation, and most importantly advising me how to properly negotiate. Furthermore, Mark was able to suggest multiple 3rd party mortgage and insurance providers for me to interview and price shop. Mark's extended Austin Realty team, specifically, Rachel Silverman, was so prompt and professional assisting us to meet all deadlines. I plan to purchase additional properties in Austin through Mark Kolbe and will highly endorse his representation to other Midwestern buyers looking to acquire assets within Austin.

Marlon Stone

September 2017

Mark has been a great Realtor for us. His postcards had appeared in our mail for the last two years, so we were initially very skeptical about the entire process of establishing Texas residency. When our daughter decided to stay in Texas towards her medical school education, his postcard was the only resource I remembered to turn to. He was patient in explaining to my husband and me about the entire process. We were equally unprepared to engage in Austin's fast moving real estate market when we were ready to purchase a property for our daughter. He was always there to answer my questions and helped me navigate the details of the real estate contract. When I asked him about consulting a lawyer because I had difficulties committing through the entire process, he gave me three references so I could be informed fully. When we discussed remodeling, he again made great suggestions to me so we could maximize the return on our investment. Because trusting someone with your children in another state takes a lot of relationship building and honesty. I would recommend Mark Kolbe to any UT parent or out-of-state buyer. I also encourage my daughter to consult Mark if she has any questions because she will benefit greatly from his advice.

A.S.

September 2017

We are writing to express our gratitude and feedback regarding Mark and the services he provided during our recent purchase of the condo in Austin. To your expectations of 'exemplary, personalized service that exceeds expectations,' we both feel that our experience with Mark not only met those criteria but went way beyond! During the time leading up to the transaction, we were juggling quite a few things, not the least of which were preparations for getting our son oriented for his UT Austin experience. The only way that the condo purchase could have happened was if we had ‘turn-key’ help. On this, Mark delivered and delivered extremely well. From being available to show us around, to being proactive and responsive at all times, Mark was an excellent resource for us. In our assessment, this deal would not have happened without Mark’s active and exemplary help. To put this in context, while this was our first real estate transaction in Austin, we have had multiple similar experiences elsewhere, and it is on this basis that we would rank our experience with Mark as the best we’ve ever had! We would have no hesitation in and look forward to, recommending Mark to friends and family, and also intend to ask for Mark’s help in the imminent future for us.

Pia and TC Chatterjee

February 2017

Mark was very helpful, and even though I was not buying a very expensive place, he put a lot of time and effort into helping to locate and assisting in the negotiation process. Taking videos and meeting the inspector was above and beyond and much appreciated.

Glenn Kahn, Google Review

February 2017

I can't speak highly enough about Mark Kolbe and Realty Austin. Mark turned out to be the ideal real estate agent: professional, hard-working, well-informed, and always willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to help our family during the house-hunting and home-buying process.

My husband and I currently live in New Jersey, but our oldest daughter attends college at UT Austin. We recently bought her a condo after receiving a postcard from Mark offering his services. Mark's assistance has been invaluable in helping us obtain in-state residency for our daughter, which will save us tens of thousands of dollars. From the very beginning, Mark made everything so much easier for us as long-distance buyer. He sent us regular updates with new property listings. He provided us with market analyses and reports about the overall Austin real estate market, and condo prices in particular. When I came to town, Mark spent two days with my daughter and me helping us find the ideal residence for her. Later, he even drove my daughter to the closing, since my husband and I were in NJ at the time.

I'm particularly grateful to Mark for his ability to create a "win-win" scenario for all parties. Specifically, when we hit a glitch with our mortgage lender, and our loan was delayed, we could have lost our good faith deposit with the seller. We didn't though, thanks to Mark. He successfully negotiated with the seller to salvage the purchase contract by extending the term for the closing by a few months and arranging for our daughter to rent the condo from the seller during that interim period. Again, our family couldn't be happier with Mark Kolbe, and I would enthusiastically recommend him to anyone in need of a real estate agent.

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox

January 2017

Mark Kolbe was incredibly diligent, responsive and flexible as he helped our family find a property that was the right fit for us. I would recommend Mark to anyone looking for real estate in the Austin area. He was wonderful to work with. As we encountered issues in the contracting process, Mark was relentless until things were corrected. Overall, working with Mark was a 5-Star experience!

Bryan Lawrence, Google Review

January 2017

Mark was a pleasure to work with. Even more impressive was that he worked with me via e-mail and texting while personally working with my son. Mark was responsive (immediately) to all my questions, he sent appropriate listings and was extremely informative about establishing residency. He went above and beyond to work with my son, meet him and show listings, arrange for signings, inspections and more. He took Jake seriously. I'm not sure I know anyone that would do this!

I've dealt with many realtors, and no one compares. Mark far exceeded my expectations and made buying a condo as smooth as possible in a very short window. I look forward to working with Mark in the future and wish him the best.

Lisa Morrissey

December 2016

Mark is excellent! I have already asked him to assist in another matter and will refer him to our friends.

Scott L.

December 2016

Mark Kolbe was extremely helpful and informative throughout the entire process of the purchase of our condo. He was very responsive, and handled all matters quickly and efficiently, even matters that required attention after regular business hours. He wasn't pushy and his opinion genuinely seemed guided by our best interests, not his own. He took videos without having to be asked and provided useful information whenever we had a question. We would definitely use Mark and Realty Austin for future real estate transactions and would not hesitate to recommend Mark to friends and colleagues.

Jolie W.

December 2016

Mark was a pleasure to work with from day one. I found him to be professional, likable, and extremely helpful. We would not have been successful at meeting our goals of finding the right property to purchase without him. I would recommend him to anyone needing a realtor in Texas and hope to be able to use him again for our needs.

Robert Marks

December 2016

We are very happy with Mark’s services as our real estate agent. He is very knowledgeable about the local area, approachable, and very responsive. He always goes above and beyond what is expected.

I would be happy to recommend him to my family and friends.

Sanjay S.

July 2016

We worked with Mark Kolbe of Realty Austin, and I would recommend him for new or experienced buyers. He has been patient, explaining everything a new buyer would need to know, as well as showing up at inspections with us, asking questions that I did not think or know to ask. He has answered our every question, as well as being available after hours, answering my emails as quickly as possible. His presence and advice helped a stressful situation much more manageable, staying with us even after the home passed into our hands.

Isolda R., Yelp Review

April 2016

Case closed! I have been party countless real estate transactions, but this experience has beat then all. MARK KOLBE and his team in Austin are the absolute best. He would do analysis models to help in the investment decision process. He would go take videos, prepped all paperwork without hesitation, gave me the positives and negatives to every angle.... I had a blast, but I really believe he enjoyed it as a partner in the process. Never pressured, always informed. Prepping for next transaction with him now.

Stephen Farrell, Facebook Review

March 2016

If one could design a Realtor, the product would be Mark Kolbe; professional, pragmatic, knowledgeable, thorough, genteel, expert, supportive without being forceful, ever-ready and always upbeat. Mark made the search and purchasing process smooth, and often, fun. We are so grateful to have had him in our corner. If Mark was not already married, we would have adopted him. If Mark would hold still for five minutes, we would clone him. Realty Austin is fortunate to have Mark as a member of the team, but would be wise to offer him an opportunity to teach how he does what he does. We are very pleased.

Stephen Southworth

November 2015

Purchasing a home is a big decision in so many ways, personal and financially included. We were fortunate to be working with Mark Kolbe through this process. Mark listens and was sensitive to our financial constraints, as well as what we were seeking emotionally in our next home. Mark is a true professional and became a patient friend and advisor as we worked closely for many months. He was always responsive to accommodate our needs, and his added expertise of data analytics provided the extra information we needed in our decision making process. When we needed external professional inspection services (home impaction, foundation experts, electricians, etc.), Mark provided great contacts and assistance with scheduling and meeting under tight timelines. We are so pleased with the choices we made and we appreciate that Mark was there working with us through the entire process, and all the way to the closing. We really enjoyed working with Mark and would easily recommend him to anyone seeking a Realtor.

Beth Roe

August 2015

I was very happy with the service Mark provided. We were in New York and had to do everything over the internet and phone and he made it very easy for us to complete the purchase.

Tom Amodio

July 2015

We were just coming off a real estate deal in another state that had not gone smoothly. I was a little wary of entering another real estate transaction. We are from out-of-state and I was a skeptical about meeting with a real estate agent in Texas. However, from our very first meeting with Mark Kolbe we had a gut feel of his honesty and integrity. Our gut feel proved to be right. Even though we were handling everything from out-of-state, Mark was very hands on in keeping us updated as to listings coming available. He was truly our eyes and ears in Austin. We have never had a real estate transaction go so smoothly. A HUGE thanks to Mark.

Ayse T., Yelp Review

March 2015

Our experience with Mark was outstanding. He was an expert in the real estate market in the UT Austin area, which was just what we needed, as we were looking to buy a Condo there. Mark was very responsive to all of our requests, and he was always courteous and highly professional in all of our interactions. He was patient with us and our very specific interests and requirements, and he was very helpful in providing us with the information we needed at every step of the process. When working with him, he always gave us his full attention.

And Mark was always willing to go the extra mile before and after the sale. He provided us with information about managing a condominium, working with the current tenants, and finding people in Austin for repairs and cleaning. He even scheduled the time with the current tenants for the inspection, and then he came with us to make sure the inspection went well. And well after closing, when my daughter went to visit the condo for the first time by herself, Mark met her there because she was a little uncomfortable meeting the current tenants alone.

Mark has a wealth of expertise and is able to always provide valuable advice. We would not hesitate to use him again or to recommend to anyone who is in need of a realtor in Austin.

Tom Holman

My husband and I are from CA and have a son attending the University of Texas Austin. We enlisted Mark's help in finding us a condominium that my son and potentially our other two children could live in while attending the university. Mark was very helpful and attentive by phone and e-mail at the beginning of our search. He would consistently send us listings in the Austin area that were in our price range and in the proper vicinity. With Mark's extensive knowledge of the Austin area and his background in real estate tax, we felt confident in his advice and knowledge especially considering we are not from TX. Mark was professional and organized when we arrived in Austin to physically look at selected properties. We made an offer on a property when we returned to CA, and Mark worked tirelessly to make the transaction run smoothly. Given much of this was handled long distance, we were very impressed with how attentive and responsive Mark was. We would highly recommend Mark to any of our friends who are moving to the Austin area and/or wish to purchase an investment property.

Nancy and Rob Hickman

Mark Kolbe Delivers Beyond Expectations! I have purchased real estate many times in the past but I have never had a realtor give me so much time and attention as I have received from Mark. I recently purchased a investment property near UT campus and Mark educated me about every angle of investing in and renting to the student market. Thanks for your exceptional service Mark!