Originally from Texas where she once taught at the University of Houston,  Marie has lived with her husband, Dave, her horses, and a chocolate lab for many years on their horse ranch in Northern California. Recently Dave and Marie relocated to their longtime vacation home in the foothills of Taos, NM, boarding her horses nearby, to continue marketing and expanding her top-rated website with her daughter Sue Griffith and husband Dave, a retired software engineer. Her family is now enjoying their horses exploring the scenic trails of northern and central New Mexico.

Her website has reached phenomenal success and is now at the top of both Google and Yahoo for those buyers searching for Horse Property.

Her Electronic Flyer is becoming legend, being monthly emailed to 5,500+ horse people (Realtors, buyers, trainers, breeders, stables, horse businesses, and horse clubs) These names she and her daughter have collected from numerous horse organizations to which they belong and from horse magazines and directories published throughout the U.S. during the past 4 years. This list is being continually expanded and updated with current email addresses.

Marie has also created a Referral Network of Horse and Ranch Real Estate Specialists, consisting of Realtors whose credentials she has personally approved for her Database. This database includes the horsy areas of most states. Marie plans to continue her passion for horses by marketing her award winning site throughout the entire Horse Industry as well as matching buyers with the appropriate specialist to meet their needs.

ARTICLES: Marie also writes various real estate articles for various newspapers and periodicals pertaining to the horse industry. She has been featured in the Sacramento Magazine with a full page picture and article and the Sacramento Bee newspaper. Her writing goal is to  educate prospective buyers and Realtors on California horse and ranch property as wells as the location of the most noted horse towns and neighborhoods throughout the country.  (via her web site USNeighbor.org,) a non-profit community website Marie founded in 1997.

By keeping her website filled with the "Best Bets" in horse properties, articles, great pictures, and an easy-to-use-and-attractive design, with lots of good detailed information, buyers continue to re-visit her site week after week.  It is little wonder her site remains, month after month, at the top of the two biggest search engines on the net, Google and Yahoo.  Her avant-garde marketing also includes keeping her extensive contact list of 1,000s of active horse people and horse businesses always current ---and ever expanding.

Her husband, Dave, a retired software engineer and also a horse enthusiast, (he is very active in the Search and Rescue Mounted Patrol, previously in California, and now in New Mexico) is working with Marie to automate part of the site to make it even easier and faster to use.

HISTORY & HOBBIES

AWARDS 1975-2006
Numerous times Marie received the "International Diamond Award" from Coldwell Banker, NRT and the "Top Achiever" designation from local  Boards of Realtors. In years past Marie has regularly received numerous recognition awards from various real estate companies and associations to which she was affiliated, primarily in Santa Clara County (Cupertino, Saratoga, and Los Altos Hills --all horsy areas - especially in the 70s and 80s).

HOW MARIE GOT STARTED:
In the late 1960s, on her professors' recommendation, Marie taught college English at the University of Houston where the discovered a talent for researching, writing and editing. In the early 1970s she honed her selling skills in the employ of one of Texas' wealthiest families, the Hugh Roy Cullen Family, who were active oilmen, ranchers, equestrians, and breeders of Arabians (the Marshalls). The Cullen family, one of Texas' wealthiest families, founded the University of Houston (Marie's alma mater), the Quintana Petroleum Corporation, and the Cullen Center Bank and Trust. Marie used her communication and selling skills to help raise money for charities such as the Houston Hunter & Jumper Charity Show.

BAY AREA REAL ESTATE
During her approximately 25 years in Santa Clara County, in Northern California, Marie "made it big" in real estate, selling tens of millions of dollars of residential properties in the Cupertino and Saratoga hills where she lived and rode her horse (along with her sisters, Margaret and Marcia, also Horse People --and who still live and ride in the Bay area.) For over 20 years Marie was one of the top Realtors in Santa Clara County in residential real estate.

AVANT-GARDE MARKETING
During the two worst real estate depressions of 1980-1983, when interest rates escalated to 17%, and again in 1989-1992, when the bottom again fell out of the market bringing most Realtors to their knees, practically all of Marie's listings continued to sell in record time  month after month. Her success was never dependent upon how "well the market was doing," but was based upon her avant-garde marketing, appraisal knowledge, research, financing, love of people, and animals. Most importantly, her success was also directly attributable to her commitment to giving top service to her clients' needs.

LEADING REALTOR
During the eighties and nineties, her sincere and creative leading-edge approach to the field of real estate as a career and an exciting way of life, catapulted her to becoming one of the leading Realtors in Northern California.

STAGING: With a natural talent for design and photography and a strong affinity for interior design, Marie began staging homes and designing brochures and property websites. In the 70s, before anyone used the term "staging" she coined the term and continued with her staging of homes into the 80s and 90s. i.e., helping sellers put their properties in show condition, inside and out. Yes, Marie did this even before the term "staging" became popular. She staged not only her client's interiors but she helped them spruce up their yards and barns by adding plants as well as garden and barn accessories here and there while supervising the clearing away of old/tired landscaping or debris --all the things that take away property value (appeal). Marie also contracted with real estate assistants (buyer and escrow coordinators) long, long, before it became popular with busy and successful Realtors to do so

In 1994, Marie took a two-year sabbatical in Taos, New Mexico, where she became a broker and taught continuing education courses. In 1996 Marie returned to Santa Clara County to sell real estate for a while then onto El Dorado County to live full-time at their ranch and to specialize in horse and ranch property while riding her horse in the beautiful and scenic Sierra and Tevis Cup trails.

BRIEFLY, New Mexico Broker
While on a "intended sabbatical" in Taos, New Mexico, to become owner-builders of their vacation home with her hubby Dave, Marie became a Real Estate Broker, sold and managed a diverse range of rural properties and taught courses to beginning Realtors at the New Mexico Real Estate Assn., while her hubby supervised construction.  Marie and Dave still own their high-tech, passive-solar, vacation home in Taos, NM  returning yearly for "rest and recreation." to where Marie and Dave have finally relocated with two of their horses."

ARTICLES by MARIE:
Marie has authored many articles for buyers and sellers relative to buying and selling rural real estate and horse properties. Her articles have been published on her popular website and in horse magazines and horse organization newsletters throughout California

Let Marie help you find the perfect local horse property Specialist to either sell your property or to find that dream ranch to fulfill your dream of experiencing "peaceful living in the rural countryside."

Our Arab, Sheik

Marie & Dave Griffith at their vacation home in Taos, NM.  Dave is the "tecky" i.e., software engineer, behind the scenes.

Sue Griffith with "Life's Reality," the family's  endurance Thoroughbred.

Sonny, the Griffiths' Chocolate Lab

HOBBIES: For fun and relaxation, Marie and Dave loves trail riding with their thoroughbred mare, Rhea, and Arabian, Sheik, with the Taos Saddle Club and the Back Country Horsemen. Marie enjoys art and photography while her husband, Dave, is active in the Mounted Patrol of Search & Rescue. They both enjoy networking, spiritual fun, and spending time discovering new trails in the Great Southwest.  (Taos,  in Northern New Mexico, near Santa Fe,  7,500 elevation, and mainly noted for its 125 art galleries, scenic vistas, the Pueblo Indians, and skiing at Taos Mountain, Red River, Angel Fire; and, of course, for the beautiful sunny skies and high desert dry climate). Twenty (20) degrees in Taos, is like 35 degrees in California because of the Taos dryness and very sunny winter days.

Marie and Rhea (Life's Reality)

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Horse Property Marketing Specialist