Meet Marina Liston: A New Local Realty Realtor

In our Meet the Team series, we’re covering a different New Local Realty team member each week, giving you a deep dive into the people who drive our company and community forward. This week: Meet Maria Liston, a realtor with New Local Realty!

As a young, ambitious, and talented realtor, Marina Liston is an energetic and essential piece of the New Local Realty team. Born and raised in the Pittsburgh region, this young mom of three now lives in Irwin, her home base for managing much of our work in Westmoreland County, especially the Greensburg and Latrobe areas. 

We sat down with Marina to get a better idea of who she is as a person and as a committed professional. 

Marina Liston: Personal Background

Where did you grow up in Pittsburgh? 

Mostly in the Baldwin and Mt. Oliver regions, though I eventually moved to Irwin. 

Where did you go to high school?

Hempfield Highschool. Go Spartans!

Favorite hidden gem in Pittsburgh? 

Anthony’s Pizza in Carrick, before it closed. They used to serve these enormous pizza bagels that were so good. But they were so greasy, you’d have to dab them with a napkin before taking a bite. Eventually, my dad started making them at our house on Friday nights!

Favorite Pittsburgh Neighborhood?

Everywhere close to Downtown. As a kid, my dad used to take us to Penguins and Pirates games, so I loved being in Uptown and over on the North Shore. But I always love going to the Strip District. It reminds me of a giant flea market that just happens to sell Steelers gear everywhere you go.

Do you have a family?

I live with my husband of six years, and we have three kids together ages six, three, and 19 months. Nikki Tiani and Rob Moroney, who are also on the New Local Realty team, are my aunt and uncle, and I love working with them.

Marina Liston: Professional Background

Why real estate?

I went to college for a little bit, taking Business and Psychology courses. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do, but when I had my son, I knew I didn’t want to work a 9:00 to 5:00 every day, and I definitely didn’t want to go to school for another 12 years for a degree. 

Real estate is a great way to make a living on your own time, and whatever you put into it is what you get out of it. And when I was considering it as a potential career path, I realized I had plenty of relatives, like Rob and Nikki, who had already gone down that path and proven that it was viable. 

Your greatest strength as a real estate professional?

Honesty. I like to get into the nitty-gritty of each home with my clients, and I’ll even carry around a flashlight so we can identify any sort of issues that weren’t reported. 

I want my clients to love their purchase, and if they love a home despite its flaws, we’ll use those flaws to help us in the negotiation process. 

Taking this approach leads to a few different benefits: People trust me much more, so the entire process goes a bit smoother. Plus, we can get better pricing!

What do you like about New Local Realty? 

The family atmosphere. It’s not competitive like a major brokerage; it’s nurturing. If you have a question, someone answers right away, and no one is trying to push you off onto someone else. I have real opportunities to continue learning and growing from extremely talented and conscientious professionals here. 

Theresa built this company to be community-minded, and she practices that philosophy every day. Sometimes I’ll text her a question, and before I can even put the phone down, she’ll send me a response or call me to talk through it!

The family atmosphere is real. We all have families, so when I’m on a call with a team member, it’s OK if my kids are yelling as they go down the slide in the background. Or if I have to run into the office for a few minutes to drop something off, it’s OK if my kids come along for the 10 minutes I’m there. 

Your vision for New Local Realty?

We’re all about trying to help people. It’s quality over quantity, so while we’re aiming to slow the bigger corporations that are gobbling up residential homes for their own portfolios, we’re doing so by empowering individuals and their families to become homeowners. 

It’s hard out there for a single working mom to send her kids to school and daycare and buy groceries and take the kids to soccer practice while simultaneously paying for a tiny townhouse. But by working together, maybe we can get her into a nicer home for rent. Or, even better, maybe we can find a way to help her become a homeowner. 

We’re willing to help people through those initial struggles to get them on that road to homeownership.

Marina Liston: Underdog Story

At New Local Realty, we celebrate underdog stories. As a company focused on helping individuals build wealth and go from renting to homeownership, we believe in the power of overcoming obstacles, and we’ve built our company culture on the idea that when we work together, we can do anything. 

What’s your underdog story?

I was really young when I had my first son, and we were living in a  little two-bedroom duplex. It wasn’t always a straight path, but now I’m a real estate professional living in a beautiful four-bedroom/two-bath home in Irwin. 

But what’s even better is that now I’m helping other people follow the same path. I’m helping people who think they’ll have to rent forever buy their first home and build that long-term wealth. 

In fact, two weeks ago, a young couple reached out because they were sick of renting and they were wondering what their options were. They’re now currently buying their first home—we’re just waiting on the inspection!

Marina Liston: Her Vision for Pittsburgh

How has Pittsburgh changed in your lifetime? 

It’s definitely grown more diverse, which is great. 

But I’ve also seen many smaller “mom and pop” stores (like Anthony’s Pizza) close down in the face of big-box stores. 

How do you see Pittsburgh continuing to evolve?

I think there are opportunities to buck the trends that are hurting small businesses. For example, there are a ton of blighted buildings in Pittsburgh. Turning those into homes and small shops will help revitalize the individual neighborhoods, which is then good for Pittsburgh as a whole. 

And that’s what we’re focusing on: One property, one person at a time. We’re fixing up homes and helping families get settled in neighborhoods they love.