There’s no question that Mark Kotch much prefers giving than receiving. A licensed REALTOR® since 2004, he’s with Alain Pinel/Compass REALTORS®, in Pleasanton, California. While his selling success is such that he has his own slogan, it’s his commitment to being a driving force for change and efforts to better serve seniors within his community that truly sets him apart.
And for that, even he is accepting of something in return: recognition. To that end, Kotch has been selected as the 2022 recipient of the Seniors Real Estate Specialist® (SRES®) Outstanding Service Award.
The SRES® designation is offered through the Center for REALTOR® Development, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). The community of designers is comprised of REALTORS® who are dedicated to the real estate needs of maturing adults; whether they’re relocating, selling, buying or refinancing. Each year, the SRES® Council selects one or more outstanding senior-focused real estate professionals, highlighting their achievements by recognizing them with the Outstanding Service Award.
Serving Seniors in Many Ways
“I feel like I’m doing what I was called to do,” says Kotch, who uses his skills and knowledge when interacting with seniors.
“I have a group of nearly 25 seniors that the SRES® designation has helped me build that I keep in touch with regularly—and when one of them needs a lawyer, moving boxes and tape or whatever else—I provide that to them,” says Kotch, who goes above and beyond to ensure that the seniors he works with are kept in the loop and informed when it comes to the ins and outs of homeownership among the senior population.
In fact, he takes each one of them out to lunch on a yearly basis—sometimes with other members of their family—to make sure they are updated on all aspects of homeownership.
“I do a yearly review with them,” explains Kotch. “You do a yearly review with your doctor and your financial planner, so I’ve instituted a yearly house-oriented review with my seniors where I show them what their house is worth as well as the price of recently sold comps. I also use the meeting to review when they last had a home inspection and whether their house is properly insured.”
The purpose of the yearly review, according to Kotch, isn’t to sell their home, but rather, to update them in regard to the biggest asset they own.
That being said, if they do decide to sell, Kotch is more than happy to guide them through the process as their listing agent.
“It’s interesting to note that while I never sold a house to two of them, they’ve been my best referring people to other seniors,” says Kotch, who goes on to explain that he’s actually in their wills as the real estate professional who must sell their house when the time comes.
“One isn’t close with his kids and is afraid of what they would do with the house, so he wants the REALTOR® to be Mark Kotch,” he says. “That’s the ultimate compliment in my mind.”
Serving noble causes for over half a century, one of Kotch’s latest projects is helping seniors make appointments with doctors, working with a group to provide free rides to and from doctor visits.
“The worry among many underserved seniors regarding catching COVID-19 remains high, and a friendly face helps to calm them,” says Kotch.
Becoming a real estate agent
Currently married for 43 years, Kotch and his wife Theresa raised three children and have several grandkids. After 20 years spent in the professional beauty industry, Kotch decided to make a change—and he hasn’t looked back since earning his real estate license back in 2004.
“I talked to some friends who said I’d be a really good real estate agent because I have a good way with people, so I told the world I was going to become a REALTOR®,” says Kotch, who got his license and passed the exam.
For several years Kotch worked as a trainer for beginner real estate agents, teaching them about contracts, tools and marketing programs. He knew that interpersonal skills were a vital part of the job, and wasn’t surprised that many of his “students” were receptive to getting involved with charity work—a cause that’s near and dear to his heart.
“I told them if there was a cause they were involved in or one that spoke to them, if they’re genuine about it, they could bring it to their clients,” says Kotch. “I used to do coat drives, and I’ve had agents take that idea and blow it out of the water more than I ever could have. They had to rent U-Haul trucks because there were so many coats being given to nonprofits. REALTORS® truly have good hearts.”
An early start to giving back
Charity work has been a lifetime endeavor for Kotch, beginning in Atlanta, Georgia, when he was a teenager.
“When I was in high school, me and two buddies would go into the inner city of Atlanta to work at a nonprofit that had a food pantry,” he says. “A bakery that made French bread was always testing their ovens, and every Wednesday, we’d pick up their test bread and deliver it to homeless people through food pantries.”
Kotch makes it clear that while most of the people he helps are in some sort of life difficulty, the days are usually upbeat, as whatever he is doing brightens the lives of those affected.
“I have a soft heart for single moms, most of whom are a paycheck away from being evicted because rents are high and they have so many expenses for their kids,” says Kotch, who does everything he can to make sure they’re taken care of.
For more information, visit https://sres.realtor/about/sres-outstanding-service-award.
