Authentic Spark I The Mark Stevens Story
An Amherst Madison Agent Interview
"Always look inside and outside. What is your brokerage doing for you?"
I remember the first time I met Mark Stevens. He was dressed for success. He casually entered the room with direct eye contact, followed by a friendly smile. He was upbeat in his hello, his demeanor intuitively sincere. His laugh immediately lightened my atmosphere of focus, and I felt at ease in his peaceful presence. For a moment, my busy workday ahead of me had faded to the background, as I listened eagerly to what he had to say. This WAS Mark and this IS Mark; steady and grounded in each moment. A resounding breath of fresh air.
Mark Stevens came to Idaho from Fort Worth, Texas. A musician with style who played his heart on the strings of his acoustic guitar under his fingertips. Cool, calm, and collect with a background in military that further roots him in his respectful nature. A student of Social, Behavioral, and Political Science; wandering the earth and broadening his own horizon along the way. I sought to understand more of his history after my interview with him, so naturally, I began flipping through his photo albums on Facebook. I quickly saw his love for his family and friends, accompanied with his authentic spark for life in general. Even as an outsider, you can witness the abundance of love and light, which he attains effortlessly.
Whether it was developed over his time spent as an Army Company Commander, his experience managing a restaurant, his twenty-seven year history in an ever-changing real estate industry as a Material Manager and eventually a REALTOR®, or his desire for knowledge across the board – his character is solid. Mark keeps the conversation light but full of substance at the same time. You get a sense of this right away when I introduce him in front of our brokerage Sales Meeting and he claims,
“Once you start me talking, it’s hard to stop.”
The audience laughs with us, and I consider just taking a seat in the back because I would also love to watch this interview from every point of view in the room.
Amherst Madison Real Estate Advisors welcomed Mark to their family in March of 2017. What brought someone of this caliber to Amherst Madison? Honestly, from Mark’s own words, what didn’t? He smiles,
“I worked for another brokerage for over a year before I had asked for some feedback. I wanted to know what I could do to be better, not what I was already good at. Shortly after receiving a little bit of advice, I noticed another agent had left to go to Amherst Madison. I started looking into why.” He briefly pauses, “Always look inside and outside. What is your brokerage doing for you? So, the first thing I came to realize about Amherst was that - A: everyone was on the same page, B: there are a few people in my life that have an edge over everybody else with the way they view things. They are people I will never forget. CEO, Nick Schlekeway, is one of them.”
Mark isn’t just a REALTOR® at Amherst Madison. He is a Partner, and a Coach for other agents seeking mentorship on different levels throughout their career. He feels he benefits from coaching as much as his students benefit from learning from him because they all share knowledge together. He understands what it takes to become a REALTOR®, and the initial fear of “freelancing” that often coincides with entrepreneurship. Personally, he took his fear and molded it into something that provides him with more leadership as he explains,
“If a mistake is made, who made it?” his hand raises into the air before lightly dropping it back down. “Who can correct it? Right here,” he raises his hand once more; signifying the ownership of the power to fix it. “I love that about real estate. You have immediate control over it.”
My favorite thing about Mark as a REALTOR® was instantly identified when he spoke about his favorite clients and the impact that they have made on him. Jokingly he states,
“I want to tell you about one where I was the knight in shining armor, and I came to the rescue haha. Really what I would say instead is that it’s about the ones who reciprocate; it’s their thoughtfulness, their generosity.” He humbly recalls a specific client who called him asking for prayer after his wife gave birth 20 weeks early, and still sends him updates on their life to this day. He doesn’t believe every client wants him as a friend or in their close circle, but he reflects on it positively, “When you do gain a kindred spirit friend that way, it is something that keeps you going on the tough days. They are often the ones to call and lift you up.”
Mark is a great example of the unique mentality that Amherst Madison exudes as a whole and continues to unite others with. For us - it isn’t just a business, it isn’t just about sales, and it isn’t just about an individual. It is about helping our clients, it is about staying involved in our community, and it’s about working together as a team that has naturally evolved into our work family. We are grateful for agents like Mark Stevens who work hard to challenge the status quo and deliver something more encompassing of the word “home” on every side of a transaction. We are professionals with heart, and a brokerage that gladly welcomes them.
