Marina Shatalova, founder of Marble St. Advocacy and a Mornington Peninsula local, has certainly lived as life less ordinary. Growing up in Moscow, Marina instinctively understood the psychology of sales from a young age. Her career began in the alcohol industry, where the criteria for employment was male, aged 21 years plus, with a driver’s license. But Marina, an 18-year-old young woman, had determination on her side. A young and dynamic saleswoman, she lived the high life in Moscow - selling vodka to leading hotels, nightclubs and restaurants proved to be immensely successful for Marina.
In her mid-20s, everything changed. Marina had an epiphany led her to search for a more meaningful career and a more rewarding, less materialistic lifestyle. She realised that money doesn’t buy happiness. In a bold and adventurous move, she immigrated to Australia, learning English from scratch, studying as an international student, and working as a carer for the elderly. Marina loved giving back to the community that had embraced her, which continued until taking a break from work when her child was born.
Marina’s real estate journey began in 2015 when she completed a course at REIV before joining an agency in Melbourne as a prospector where her main duty was door knocking. She studied the Neil Jenman systems of sales, learning the fundamentals of converting old-school doorknocking into a successful sales strategy.
“I learned not to take rejection personally, and gained an understanding of how to guide conversations,” explains Marina. “I built so many relationships and shared so many stories and made real connections with people who had experienced such negative results in the real estate market.”
Having a master’s degree in psychology, Marina has always been driven to help others and to form meaningful relationships. Significantly, her degree helped to bring her strong negotiation skills to the table. All of Marina’s experience, talent and tenacity led to the launch of Marble St., a Vendor and Buyer Advocacy that operates with the highest standards, treating her valued clients with care and consideration and importantly, achieving the best possible prices for them. Marina collaborates with other professionals like building surveyors and building inspectors who help to complete the entire sales process seamlessly.
Buyer advocates are licensed real estate agents, and familiar with traditional real estate sales techniques. They can work the market to your advantage with knowledge of the local area, qualified contacts, and expert negotiation skills.
“Door knocking is such a powerful skill, giving access to off-market properties which are unlisted, with no agents involved. And our strong relationships with local real estate agents helps us introduce our clients to pre-market properties which are already listed with agents but not featured online as yet. This ensures that our clients have exclusive access to properties which saves money and time,” says Marina. “And gives them a head start on the rest of the market - removing the frustration of yet another missed home purchase at auction.”
In a market where there are very few properties and a lot of competition, it can be hard to get a foot in the door. A buyer's advocate (sometimes called a property broker) can help you not only find the right property but also help you buy at the right price, regardless of the market:
- Save you money and time.
- Give you a better choice of properties with access to off-market properties.
- Independent advice and analysis to ensure you make a good investment.
- Less pressure and stress by doing all the legwork and negotiation on your behalf.
The process of helping you to buy a property:
Stage 1
- identifying your needs
- discussing the budget
- signing up the agreement
Stage 2
Finding a suitable property through various channels:
- auction bidding
- Internet search
- off-market search
- pre-market search
- post-market search
- door knocking the discussed area
Stage 3
- negotiating on the price
- helping with due diligence
- helping to purchase
Your buyer's advocate will keep you informed about new listings, constantly monitoring the market and happily communicating on your behalf with real estate agents during the whole buying campaign. They will conduct an independent appraisal of the property you are interested in, so no one can sell you an overpriced house. They will provide the data of recently sold and currently selling properties in the desired area within your price range to inform you. And they will attend auctions on your behalf saving you from the pressure you can experience there.
What are the fees for a Buyer’s or Seller’s Advocate?
Explains Marina, “There are no charges for our first meeting. Any follow up fees are fixed before we commence work. For every one of our clients, they have come out financially ahead.”
Give Marina a call to arrange a free 20-minute consultation to see what's possible.