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Honesty, integrity part of work ethic for realtor

Story and photos by LIZ QUIRIN
Messenger editor

Sometimes you just have to “say a few prayers and let God sort it out.” That’s the advice Carterville’s Century 21 real estate agent and broker, Mark Krones, gives his clients, sometimes.

“Mark is one of those people who tells the truth and would never encourage buyers or sellers involved in a transaction to do anything not in their best interest,” Elaine Melby, broker and manager of the Carterville office, said.

Elaine ought to know; she hired Mark in 1993 after knowing him as a customer and client. “I contacted him because I thought he would be a really good real estate agent.”

It turns out she was right, and many people who purchased or sold homes with Mark’s assistance can attest to that.

For example, Mark sold a house to a someone who hadn’t moved in, and on Superbowl weekend he learned the house had water in the basement.
Mark bought a sump pump, put in fans and dehumidifiers and made sure the basement was dry, then got an estimate to remove the mold and had it done before he was sure the insurance would cover the costs.

“Something needed to be done,” Mark said. “He was a veteran, and I know what it’s like to need something done.”
Living and working with his philosophy, he “said a few prayers and let God sort it out.”

He contacted contractors and “told people the situation and told them to treat him (new home owner) right.”
Mark knew about moving around in the military. He entered the U.S. Army as a private and left as a captain.

Throughout his life, growing up in central Illinois and his time in the military, Mark said he learned to adapt to change, to value trust, to be honest and that only he could give away his integrity. His faith and his integrity are critical parts to Mark’s identity.

“I want everybody to be treated the way I want to be treated,” he said. “I enjoy helping people through some of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.”

Sometimes, Elaine said, selling real estate is not a joy-filled occasion, especially if divorce or death has occurred in a family. Mark has “such compassion and care for people who find themselves in a difficult situation,” Elaine said.
Elaine said, “Mark would put an arm around an elderly spouse and pray for good decision-making on their part and on his part.”

Mark is married to Kathleen and has three children who has raised his children to realize the difference between wants and needs: “food, water, toilet paper, a warm shower, a warm place to sleep, your family and God’s part of that,” he said.

Mark realizes the importance of family, especially in time of war. His voice grows thick with emotion as he remembers waking his then young children to say good-bye before going to the Middle East in the early 1990s.
“The memory is strong,” he said. “You do not live for yourself when you have children.”

Mark shouldered responsibility as a “lay person for the Catholic population in Saudi Arabia.” All of these experiences have taught Mark life lessons that he shares not only with his children but with his clients as well.

Many opportunities present themselves to talk about God, Mark said, and he does. “The objective at the end of the day is for everybody to win,” Mark said.

Mark is able to make sure everyone wins because he teaches his clients as they go through the process.
“When he is finished,” Elaine said, “he empowers the client.”

The Messenger congratulates Mark Krones for taking his faith into the marketplace.