Tom Craten

A Baltimore boy through and through, Tom’s a graduate of Baltimore Polytechnic and Towson State College, where he earned a B.S. in Social Science. After four years as a cartographer with the Army Corps of Engineers, Real Estate Division, he joined up with two partners in New York to revitalize and operate the historic St. George Theatre in Staten Island. After returning to Baltimore, he started his career in residential real estate with Chase, Fitzgerald & Davis in Roland Park, and later affiliated with W.H.C. Wilson & Co., where he was made partner in 1991. The following year, Tom served as president of The Executive Association of Baltimore.

Tom now has over 49 years of experience in the Baltimore Metro market, evolving with the times and embracing the ever-changing technological advancements. What has not changed is Tom’s steadfast belief that for now, Artificial Intelligence (AI) cannot replace the emotional IQ of a good Realtor, who coaches consumers through the buying and selling process – and that no robot has yet figured out how to interpret a smile, analyze a worried look, or offer empathy to a nervous buyer or seller.

As an Associate Broker, Tom has earned several industry certifications and production awards, and because of his early focus on understanding real property valuation, he took the initiative to complete university coursework in appraising and later completed Gilbert D. Marsiglia’s revered appraising workshops. As a result of these studies, throughout the 1980’s and early 90’s, while still a full-time Realtor, Tom provided written real estate appraisals for the venerable Mercantile Safe Deposit & Trust Company’s estate department.

Tom has either chaired or participated in numerous committees for the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors and has served on its’ Board of Directors along with conducting orientation for new members. In addition to mentoring new agents joining his office, Tom, in years past, volunteered to mentor ‘at risk’ youths at Fallstaff Middle and Medfield Elementary Schools.

A graduate of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS, ’84), Tom is determined to get his fly rod and waders out of moth balls and put his feet back in the streams he frequented so often in the 80’s (before kids) in and around Northern Baltimore County. He enjoys photojournalism, extensive reading and writing – and most importantly, maintaining close relationships with his daughter Sarah, in Colorado, and his son Adam, who along with his wife Holly, are raising grandsons Arlo and Elam, as future homesteading farmers in West Virginia.