About

We bought a house in Cathedral City, CA through Cristie and Markus. It has been the most satisfying purchase experience we have ever had by far. The purchase was made more difficult as the residence was on Native American land and therefore involved the BIA. They were there every step of the way to guide us and help us. It is remarkable how much effort they put into this purchase as the property was not an expensive high end property. Nonetheless, they treated us as if we were buying a million dollar property. Their knowledge of the market and interior design was second to none. Their care, advice and effort were such that by the end of the process we considered them good friends. It is difficult to adequately describe how much we appreciated them.

My first encounter with St. James + Canter was as a buyer of one of their listings. Cristie's easy going personality gave me the confidence to email her directly with questions about the property. Cristie always made herself available to me so she could answer my every question that I ended up talking to her more than the agent who represented me. I was so impressed with her work ethic and commitment to her career that I hired Cristie and Markus in 2010 to sell one of my properties. I told Cristie and Markus that I was only willing to sell if got my minimum asking price. Undeterred, they quickly got the process started by putting together an impressive marketing campaign. The property sold in less than one month and I had my asking price. Cristie and Markus then represented me on a purchase for another listing that closed a few weeks later. In my opinion, many real estate agents do not take the time to get to know their client or put in the work to really earn their commission. Cristie and Markus are not like those agents they take pride in what they do and I could not see myself ever hiring another broker to help me buy or sell a property.

It is so rare to ever have the privilege of dealing with a person of your caliber, that I felt compelled to write this letter—something I have never done because I am so demanding of everyone that I work with. Rarely does anyone meet my expectations? You not only met them, you exceeded them in every area.

I interviewed several real estate agents for this listing. In fact, I had already chosen the agent before your interview. But, you impressed me so much in the interview, I changed my mind & went with you. You were so prepared for the interview with a very thorough competitive market analysis—but beyond that, you were passionate about everything you said and so, so persuasive (without being pushy). I had to change my mind. And I knew that you’d have the same effect on potential buyers.

And you didn’t let us down. From the help on the staging to the advertising materials to the professional photos to the description and presentation in the MLS to the open houses—everything was perfect. And this resulted in a quick sale & closing for very close to our asking price. Your performance was equally as impressive during escrow when you overcame each challenge successfully. You are one tenacious person.

I was a commercial real estate investor for 35 years and I’ve been dealing with and around real estate agents my entire life. You were absolutely the best agent I’ve ever encountered. We truly thank you.

As first time home buyers, we had a lot of questions and concerns and needed to team with someone who would put our needs first. We met with numerous agents before meeting Markus. Markus had the patience to truly tune in to our needs, style, and location to find us the perfect home. His ability to connect with us and his amazing eye for design made him the perfect fit. Today, we are glad to call Markus our friend as we continue to use his creativity to add elements to our home!

Markus is a great listener, whether dealing with buyers, sellers, developers, or investors of real estate. He absorbs all the facts at hand. And then he finds a strategy for closing the deal, tenaciously managing through the issues as they come up.

My opinion of working with a realtor was forever altered (in a very good way) after Markus Canter sold my home. My previous negative realtor experiences, in buying and selling my personal residences, was a major factor in who I chose to work with this time. My house was very unique and challenging; from the geographical hillside layout to the difficult market conditions. From the first meeting Markus was not only extremely enthusiastic but also very pragmatic. He concentrated on the positives of the property and addressed those areas that a buyer would be concerned with. He either helped to correct those or he found a way to disarm the concern. He immediately went to work on how best to present my home as if it was his own. The sales process was long and difficult. We had hundreds of showings was undeterred and relentlessly optimistic throughout. To me the true test of a successful business transaction is if you would ever partner with that individual on another opportunity. All I can simply say is when it comes to choosing Markus again for a real estate transaction? I'd be a fool not to.

How can I adequately describe my experience with Markus and his team? He is, without a doubt, the most professional, knowledgeable, responsive, smart and also kind individual who you could ever have in your corner. I had an architecturally significant home in the Hollywood Hills that I was reluctant to sell because I thought I would never find a buyer who appreciated it the way I did. Then, Markus worked his magic. I wound up with multiple offers and accepted one that was significantly above asking price, all within a few weeks of listing, and all long-distance. His pictures of my house were spectacular and his marketing instincts were genius. He is truly a special individual and his team made it happen seamlessly.

Markus and his team for made this as smooth as possible despite all the unforeseen variables. We really appreciate his knowledge and skills, and more importantly, we're grateful for his tenacity, perseverance, and honesty.

Without Markus and Adara's understanding of both the macro and the micro of this process, as well as your patience and attention to our needs, wants and expectations, none of this would not have succeeded.

We're very grateful to all of you for your diligence, professionalism, and friendship and hopefully, we'll be able to work together again on an exciting new property in the near future.

We could not be happier with the job performance of Markus Canter. He is extremely knowledgeable about the market and design. We have purchased two properties through him and both times everything went very smoothly. We were in bidding wars both times and each time he knew exactly how to handle the situation so we ended up with the property at a fair price. It is also amazing that he understood from a few phone conversations exactly what we wanted. The first property we purchased after seeing pictures and when we saw it in person we absolutely loved it and couldn't be happier. We purchased a place for our daughters and it was the first property he showed them.

We came to the open house without an agent so Markus handled both the buyer and seller sides of the transaction. Throughout the process we felt he was representing us. He was kind, professional and knowledgeable. He knows the local market very well. He and his team were very prompt in responding to all questions and resolved all issues quickly. Markus even took time out on a Saturday to show the property to my wife’s mother who was in town for the weekend.

Thanks to Markus and his team, we closed escrow smoothly and ahead of schedule. I could not recommend him more highly.

I have never been one to give 5 out of 5 stars, but I truly feel Markus and his team are one of the best out there. Markus and his team really understood what I was looking for when it came to selling my first home, and they certainly exceeded my expectations. As far as I was concerned everything went very smoothly and we were able to get over asking. I am sure each time someone is selling their home, whether they've owned for 5, 10, 20 or more years it is a varying experience and Markus and his team walked me through each step professionally and confidently as it was easy to trust in their expertise. After seeing the many house selling TV Shows out there, not that I was expecting problems, but their assistance and explanations [so that I understood each step along the way] made the whole selling process easy for me. Thank you.

I was probably the smallest sale that Markus made in the last 12 months, but you would never know it. He put an enormous amount of effort in, every piece of advice was to make a better sale even if it wasn't the most convenient for him. The results speak for themselves, our asking was about 650 and we got about 100k over asking. His advice was always dead accurate, excess expenditures were avoided. I could not recommend him highly enough, he's the best in the business.

Markus Canter is one of the nicest, most honest human beings I know. He takes the well being of his clients seriously and will make sure that you end up in a house that is not only right for your price range but right for your personality.

He has extensive knowledge of Los Angeles and all of its neighborhoods, and can easily customize your search for your dream home to fit your personal needs.

He will work with you, and for you, to make sure that you are 100% satisfied.
Markus is the kind of guy I that I will proudly recommend to everyone looking to buy or sell a property. Look no further than this fine gentleman!

Markus came recommended by a neighbor in the same building whose property he was in the process of selling. We were considering another agent, but after speaking with Markus, we knew that he was the perfect fit for us and our property. His initial presentation was incredibly thorough and professional, and he really demonstrated his knowledge of the market and where he felt we should list our property. Markus was very easy to work with, always made us feel confident in his strategy, and exceeded our expectations in terms of selling price, getting us well over asking (setting a record for our property type in the neighborhood, along with our neighbor).

I have no reservations highly recommending Markus, and look forward to working with him again when we purchase our next property.

I met Markus when he was hosting an open house. From the very beginning, he was a pleasure to work with. He is very good at what he does in all aspects of the business. He was always incredibly responsive throughout the entire process and kept the ball rolling. He is a skilled and thoughtful negotiator who tries and succeeds in creating "win-win" solutions to issues that invariably arise between a buyer and seller. I can highly recommend Marcus and his team.

Markus did an outstanding job with helping a Senior parent to relocate and sell her condo. He and his staff are of the highest professional caliber, offering exceptional service, support and expertise in the area of sales and relocation, and together, they are an outstanding team!

Markus is a real pro! Very helpful, knowledgeable, and caring. While he was guiding us through the process and preparing to sell the condo, he sold it - before it ever officially hit the market. We closed 25 days later! Markus knows how to get a deal done - I wouldn't hesitate in recommending him.

Marcus did an outstanding job with the sale of my mother's condo! He was very knowledgable about the area, handled the buyers with great experience, got the unit sold quickly and most importantly, worked beautifully with my elderly mother.

I would highly recommend Marcus for your real estate needs!!

My husband and I were fortunate enough to find Markus to help us with a beach home purchase. We don't live in the area and needed extra help with advance viewing properties and also timing visits with our crazy schedule. In the end, we found the perfect home and then he continued to help us with finding an inspector and contractors. During this entire process, Markus made us feel as if we were his only clients; his response time is unparalleled. He is truly one of the finest professionals, in any field, we have ever met and we endorse him without reservation.

A friend of mine recommended Markus when my wife and I were looking to buy a condo in WeHo. From the moment we met with him, we knew that he would be our agent. His knowledge of the market, ability to weed through the listings to find the right properties and skills in negotiating and finalizing the deal were spot on. The best part about Markus is he is just a great guy.

Having been involved in real estate investments for over 15 years, it’s now impossible to imagine buying and/or selling residential real estate without St. James+Canter representing me. I've worked with Cristie & Markus on several real estate deals over the last decade. Their efforts and results are unmatched by any other Realtor I've worked with. Cristie & Markus work tirelessly. They have a very positive “can do” attitude, they are honest and have a great reputation in the real estate business, both with peers and clients alike. My most recent transaction was on the selling end in this current economic climate and I have never seen anyone go to the great lengths it now takes to sell a high end house in this market. From the moment I listed with them until the day it sold, they had an open house every Sunday, they developed a great web site just for my house, had an amazing photographer capturing unbelievable photos of the house, had lots of advertising with photos in the LA Times, The MLS magazine and other print and online venues. Markus even did a video with a walk through narration of my house. Needless to say, Cristie & Markus sold my house, when many other realtors would have just given up. Words cannot express my gratitude and admiration for Cristie & Markus. I cannot wait to work with them again!!

My first encounter with St. James + Canter was as a buyer of one of their listings. After our first meeting, I felt comfortable emailing them directly with questions about the property (vs. my own agent). They always made themselves available to me so they could answer my every question. I honestly ended up talking to them more than the agent who represented me. I was so impressed with their work ethic and commitment to their careers that I hired Cristie and Markus in 2010 to sell one of my properties. I told Cristie and Markus that I was only willing to sell if got my minimum asking price. Undeterred, they quickly got the process started by putting together an impressive marketing campaign. The property sold in less than one month and I had my asking price. Cristie and Markus then represented me on a purchase for another listing that closed a few weeks later. In my opinion, many real estate agents do not take the time to get to know their client or put in the work to really earn their commission. Markus and Cristie are not like those agents – they take pride in what they do and I could not see myself ever hiring another broker to help me buy or sell a property.

My opinion of working with realtors was forever altered (in a very good way) after Markus Canter and Cristie St. James, of St. James + Canter, sold my home. My previous realtor experiences, regarding my personal residences, were mostly unpleasant and negative. Changing that perception was a major factor in who I chose to work with this time. The house I needed to sell was very unique and challenging; from the geographical hillside layout to the difficult market of potential San Fernando Valley buyers.

From our first meeting, Markus and Cristie were not only extremely enthusiastic but also very pragmatic. They concentrated on the positives of the property and addressed those areas that a buyer would be concerned with. They either helped to correct those concerns or he found a way to disarm them. They immediately went to work on how best to present my home as if it were their own. The sales process was long and difficult. We had numerous showings and multiple offers. It was a distressing and changing time in the Southern California real estate market and many potential buyers were skittish. Markus and Cristie were undeterred and extremely optimistic. As with any personal transaction, we had many discussions expressing frustration and concern. Through it, all Markus and Cristie maintained a professional and, most importantly, an upbeat and enthusiastic demeanor. After 5 months my house was sold for a very acceptable price. They were undeterred and relentlessly optimistic throughout.

To me, the true test of a successful business transaction is if you would ever partner with those individuals on another opportunity. Would I chose or refer St. James + Canter for a future real estate transaction? I’d be a fool not to.