Affordability. Location. Amenities. Convenience. Low maintenance. Community. These are just some of the reasons why property buyers across all regions and all demographic categories are making the markets sizzle for townhomes, condominiums, and cooperatives. Addressing the unique challenges to successfully buying these kinds of homes, broker and developer Mark B. Weiss brings his insider's depth of experience to mentor potential buyers. Sharing the knowledge and experience gained in more than 15 years dealing with every type of real estate, Weiss presents comprehensive how-to information and brings it to life with true stories from his files. Weiss explains the pluses and minuses of condos, co-ops, and townhomes and the pros and cons of purchasing new construction versus preowned property. He outlines what to consider in detail for every step-from starting to look to financing to eventually selling-and provides sample forms that illustrate the process. Throughout, he provides the answers to such common questions as: *What are the differences between condos, co-ops, and townhomes? *Can these properties be financed? What are the special considerations? *How do assessments affect affordability? *Can the unit be rented as an investment? *What is a homeowners association and why is it important? *Who insures the common areas? With mortgages more affordable than ever, those seeking the shelter of a first home, a retirement home, or urban luxury, without the hassles of commuting, are turning to association-managed communities. Condos, Co-ops, and Townhomes provides the comprehensive road map needed to avoid pitfalls and make life-enhancing choices for this popular type of home.
WORLD FAMOUS BEST-SELLING AUTHOR MARK B. WEISS IS A RESPECTED RENAISSANCE MAN.
Thousands have read his six published works both fiction and non-fiction. Readers and professionals view Mark as an accomplished author and speaker. Yet Mark may be best known in real estate and financial circles through the company he began in 1988, Mark B. Weiss Real Estate.
Mark B. Weiss Real Estate has maintained a prominent role, and become well recognized nationally as a leader in the sale and management of commercial and investment property for financial institutions, private owners, corporations and trusts and as a developer of vintage property renovations throughout Chicago's neighborhoods.
EDUCATION:
A graduate of Von Steuben High School and DePaul University in Chicago.
LEADERSHIP IN CLUBS AND ORGANIZATIONS:
Mr. Weiss is past President of the Lincoln Park Builder's Club.
Mr. Weiss is a member of the Northern Illinois Commercial Association of Realtors.
Mr. Weiss was a member of the Board of Directors of the Chicago Association of Realtors and served as the Chairman of the Association's Commercial Committee chairing and moderating monthly programs and seminars for his contemporaries. Mark established the first commercial convention for the Association.
Mr. Weiss was asked to become a founding member of the City of Chicago's Permit Advisory Board under the direction of the Mayor's office and the Department of Buildings for the City of Chicago. In addition, he is a member and past director of the following: Illinois CCIM Chapter, Chicago Real Estate Council, the National Association of Realtors, the Realtors National Marketing Institute, the Real Estate Investment Association, the National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees, the National Association of Auctioneers, and the City Club of Chicago.
In 1991, Mr. Weiss became a CCIM, a Certified Commercial Member of the Commercial Investment Real Estate Institute of the National Association of Realtors. CCIMs are experts in the disciplines of commercial and investment real estate. The CCIM designation is awarded to Real Estate Professionals who have completed graduate-level courses in financial analysis, commercial brokerage, market analysis, tax planning, managing and marketing troubled assets, decision analysis and negotiation. Also, the have fulfilled professional experience requirements and passed a national exam. Of the estimated 300,000 commercial real estate practitioners nationwide and in Canada, approximately 10,000 currently hold the CCIM designation.
BUILDER AND DEVELOPER:
Since purchasing his first property in 1976, Mark began actively renovating his first vintage residential 6-flat, located in the Ravenswood neighborhood. Mr. Weiss has been awarded multiple "Good Neighbor Awards" from the Chicago Association of Realtors for excellence in vintage renovation of historical residential properties located in many of Chicago's neighborhoods.
WRITER:
Mr. Weiss is the author of six books: "The Streetwise Guide to Landlording & Property Management," "Real Estate Flipping," " The Everything Homebuying Book," "Secrets of a Millionaire Real Estate Developer," "Condos, Co-ops, and Townhomes," and "The I Can't Get Enough Club." Mark is currently writing three additional books for publication in 2011. Look for The Mark B Weiss Real Estate Diet, and a fictional story of a misleading corrupt attorney titled" I Can Win This Case."
ENTREPRENEUR WORK HISTORY:
In his adult life he has never worked for others. He began his business career when he was 19 years old in 1972. It was then that he conceived the idea and then opened the Uncle Dan Army-Navy Stores in Chicago and began their international mail order catalog business. After selling the business in 1981, Mark began Egel-Weiss Ltd., a fashion boutique specializing in active workout wear and designer clothing for both men and women.
In 1984 while pursuing a doctoral program in clinical psychology and after becoming one of Illinois' first divorce mediators, Mr. Weiss became interested in the dynamics of systems decision making. He then changed his focus back to business and the brokering of commercial real estate transactions.
COMEDY AND WRITING:
From 1991-1993 Mark studied at Second City in Chicago. After completing this internationally respected comedic training program Mark both wrote and preformed at the Second City ETC Stage.
BANKING AND FINANCE:
In 1997 and in his office, Mr. Weiss organized NCB Holdings, the holding company of the New Century Bank, which received it's charter in 1998. Mr. Weiss was a member of the holding company board of directors and was instrumental in site location and hiring the initial staffing of New Century Bank. Furthermore, he was a board member of Ontario Street Investments, a financial planning and investment firm, also part of NCB Holdings. Along with others in the bank's leadership, he sold his ownership in NCB Holdings in 2006.
WORK FOR THE COURTS AND THE LAW:
Beginning in 1989 Mr. Weiss has been appointed by numerous Chancery Judges as Receiver in Cook, Lake, Kane and Du Page Counties. He has frequently been retained as an expert witness in legal cases involving a variety of private, bankruptcy, and disputed real estate matters. His vast legal knowledge of the foreclosure process and municipal matters is often requested by judges, lenders and counsel.
REAL ESTATE:
Mr. Weiss actively sells property conventionally and is well versed in traditional sales as well as sealed bid and public call auctions. As a licensed auctioneer, he acts in the capacity of the auctioneer. His company manages hundreds of properties in Northern Illinois.
TEACHER:
Mr. Weiss has taught at the Latin School of Chicago's Live and Learn program and at the Learning Annex from coast to coast. With a curiosity for seeing what the public school system offered the nation's children, Mark was a substitute teacher in the Chicago Public Schools in the mid 1980s.
CELEBRITY EXPERTISE:
Because of his celebrity and expertise in the field of Real Estate, finance, and business, Mr. Weiss often appears on both radio and television programs as a real estate expert for interviews and panel discussions. He has been featured on CNN, FOX, CNBC, PBS, NBC, WGN, XM RADIO, KARE, WCIU as well as other media. He is a "Go To Guy" often quoted in: Time Magazine, Money Magazine, the Chicago Sun Times, the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Magazine, Jane Magazine, CBS Market Watch.Com, BankRate.com, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, The St. Petersburg Times, The Detroit Free Press, The Florida Times Union, Woman's World, The Estates Gazette, UK, Realtor Publications as well as other newspapers and publications both national and international.
When reading his book "Secrets of a Millionaire Real Estate Developer" (published December 1, 2004), read page 20, where Mark simply predicts the reasons for the forthcoming recession of 2008-2012.
CHARITIES:
In 2004, Mark was honored by the State of Israel Bonds Real Estate Division as their first Real Estate Honoree. He is currently the Chairman of the Real Estate Division for State of Israel Bonds, and a member of the Board of Governors for State of Israel Bonds.
The Mark B. Weiss Foundation is a charitable entity which reaches out to assist those in need.
In 2006, he became a founding board member of Arts at Large a non-for profit dedicated to uniting emerging musicians and artists with diverse audiences in a wide array of unique settings. He conceived and helped launch the children's music program "Mini-Musicians."
As a teenager Mark was leader with the B'nai B'rith Youth Organization on both a regional and National level. As a young adult he was on the Board of Directors of B'nai B'rith Youth and Advisor to the Manor AZA.
YOGA:
Mark is the Executive Director and Founder of the Chicago School of Hot Yoga and one of the design architects for the signature class of the school "Benyamin Yoga."
TRAVEL AND PHOTOGRAPHY:
A world traveler and photographer of nature.
Details of:
Mark B. Weiss Real Estate: www.markbweiss.com
The Chicago School of Hot Yoga: www.chicagoschoolofhotyoga.com
Benjamin Mandel Publishing: www.benjaminmandel.com
MUSICAL INTEREST:
Grateful Dead, Jazz, Classical, Opera. Plays Drums.
