Mariko DeCouto

As a real estate expert, Mariko's dedication to her clientele and professionalism is based in years of experience in the field of finance, where she acquired a deep understanding of macroeconomic trends, as well as her ability to find beauty in every home, a passion she has honed as an interior designer. A kind and honest agent, who is fully bilingual in English and Japanese, Mariko's international background has enabled her to recognize, without any preconceptions, the uniqueness in every single customer. Both buyers and sellers appreciate Mariko's sincerity, professionalism and tenacity in helping pursue and realize their goals.

Mariko provides added value to her service through her insightful views on the inner workings of the economy, including interest rate trends and the cyclical nature of the real estate market. Mariko's clients find comfort in her extensive research capabilities, savvy and diplomatic business style, be it in negotiations or communicating with the various moving parts of a deal as she skillfully works on navigating a transaction all the way to the closing table. For sellers, Mariko also maximizes selling opportunities by creating an elegant home through staging and rearrangements.

Having spent her formative years in both Japan and Canada, and subsequently traveling extensively as an international correspondent and manager, Mariko recognizes the importance of establishing a solid foundation that one can home. Manhattan is where she has called home the past 17 years, the majority of which has been spent in the Gramercy Park area.

After obtaining her undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, Mariko also studied options trading at INSEAD in France as well as interior design at the Parsons School of Design in New York City. During her years as an international correspondent and editor, aside from overseas assignments covering government officials and their monetary and fiscal policies, Mariko focused on training and mentoring journalists in both the US and Japan. Outside of her professional life, Mariko's passion lies in dance, food/cooking, physical fitness, art and travel. Having studied both art and art history, her travels take her to witness various types of art and architecture around the world with her partner, who is a professional fine artist in New York City.

Testimonials

"In our household, Mariko has attained the status of superhuman everything she has done us. As our apartment went onto the market soon before the collapse of the nation's largest financial institutions, the onset of a global economic crisis, and the complete halt of virtually all real estate transactions, we found ourselves in a bleak situation. If it were not for Mariko's knowledge, levelheadedness, and calm optimism we certainly would never have gotten to where we are now. She helped us shift gears and successfully subleased out our apartment for a year when we determined that selling was out of the question. And as the market slowly began to gain traction she worked intently to bring in potential buyers and soon (despite many obstacles) got us into a that we were very happy with. We moved out of New York before the closing but never hesitated in having Mariko represent us and work with our lawyer, the buyer, his lawyer and agent, and our -op board through the sale. We wholeheartedly recommend Mariko to anyone in need of a real estate agent in New York."

- J. & D. Peterson (Seller)

“Despite being professionals who had bought real estate in this country and in Canada, we were quickly overwhelmed by the complexity of purchasing an apartment in New York City. Like Ariadne's thread, Mariko De Couto led us out of the labyrinth and into our new home. Mariko was an unfailing source of good judgment about every aspect of the process, from evaluating properties, negotiating the deal, navigating board approval, to closing the deal. Throughout our search and negotiations, Mariko was a model of responsiveness. Mariko brought not her wisdom and insight to this process, but her maturity, integrity, determination, and sense of humor.”

– Kathy and Nathan Schachtman (Buyers)

“Mariko is amazing. We were first-time buyers (one of us a New York native), and we found Mariko through one of her sale listings. Mariko was so responsive and helpful answering my questions over email that we asked her if she was available to be our buyer's broker. As soon as we met her we knew that Mariko was the right fit--she really stood out to us after attending numerous viewings hosted by pushy, uninformed brokers. Mariko is bright, thorough, knowledgeable, trustworthy, and extremely kind and helpful. She was so good at responding and scheduling private viewings for us, and it always felt like we were a high priority to her. During our application process she even went so far as to hand-deliver our board package to the management company in Yonkers! Throughout our search she was extremely discerning and honest about properties she felt were overpriced or had issues that might complicate things for us as buyers, and always kept our interests in mind. Because Mariko was able to schedule so many viewings for us in a short amount of time, we were lucky to find a great apartment in our ideal location relatively quickly, and even after the sale she was extremely helpful in advising us on post-closing issues. She was also able to recommend an excellent law firm to represent us in our purchase. I have already connected Mariko with friends who are prospective buyers, and I would wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone seeking an experienced, supportive broker who will go the extra mile for her clients through the buying process and beyond."

- F.R. (Buyer)

“I met Mariko when she was the seller's agent for the condo I purchased in NYC. She extended herself well beyond what one might expect when she wasn't representing me. She knew that I was new to the NYC real estate market and made the process as straightforward as possible. When it was time to sell the condo, I never thought twice about calling Mariko to represent me. She worked tirelessly to ensure that we presented the property well, and that the showings were effective, and the property sold immediately. Even after leaving New York, I have never hesitated to call on Mariko to help me navigate my continuing real estate needs. She is quick to research my question and gets back to me in short order. I would recommend her to anyone, and will use her in an instant if I move back to New York."

- L.M. Abbott (Seller)

"I'd recommend Mariko in a heartbeat. I am a first-time home buyer and had many questions about the process. Mariko always took the time to clearly explain anything I asked about, often providing very helpful, detailed emails. She was extremely responsive whenever I told her about a property I liked, going out of her way to provide lists of comparable properties and what they sold for. Mariko is deeply knowledgeable about the NYC market and would tell me if she thought an apartment was overpriced or otherwise mis-priced. I always felt like she was looking out for my best interests, getting me the appointment times I wanted and asking sellers questions I hadn't even thought of. I've met other brokers who are very sales-y, pushy or would disappear if a sale wasn't imminent--Mariko is none of those things. She sticks with us buyers, believing that no matter how long it takes, we need to be truly happy in the homes we purchase. Buyers sometimes erroneously confuse the slowness of coop boards/management for the slowness of their own brokers. Mariko always got back to me so quickly, so if there was ever any tiny delay, I knew it was because she hadn't received an answer back from the seller or seller's broker. Mariko was diligent about keeping in touch, even when the search was slow-going--she would helpfully alert me to houses or other apartments I hadn't seen. I would absolutely recommend Mariko to anyone in need of a broker. She is tremendously hard-working, trustworthy, well-informed and action-oriented."

-Tara Croft (Buyer)