Dan Marino talks real estate

Dan Marino and the W Fort Lauderdale

This week, newly formed MMD Realty launched sales at the residences at the W Fort Lauderdale. The brokerage is the brainchild of Michelle Farber Ross, formerly of Waterfront Properties, along with two equity partners: Mike Wekerle and football legend Dan Marino. (MMD comes from the first letters of each of their names.) The latter got involved through Ross, who was actually the listing agent on Marino’s home in Weston, which sold in February. Part of the new firm’s pitch is that 5 percent of company profits will be given to the Dan Marino Foundation, which provides support and intervention services for children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. The Real Deal caught up with the Dolphins great at the W Fort Lauderdale to talk about the new firm.

How will you be involved?

Well I think it’s more or less that when I can help bring business, I will do that, and as an investment part of it. Also, the emotional part with my foundation is going to help, because I think people understand the fact that you’ll be able to help kids with some of their problems that way. That’s it — I’m going to just help as much as I can. I’m not claiming to be an expert, because I’m not, but I know a lot of people, I have relationships, and I believe and trust in Michelle and her people.

You sold your house in Weston recently. Did you learn anything about real state in that process?

That was a while back. I learned that it can be difficult to do that. But at the same time, it can be fun. It all depends what your expectations are.

While you’re not going to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the company, do you have an opinion on the state of the market?

I would think — just my view from the top, because I don’t follow it every day, I think that there’s going to be a lot of positive things happening here [in South Florida] in the future, because it’s been tough here for a lot of years. I think it’s going to turn around, and it’s going to be a lot better. Hopefully, as a group, with our relationships and people we know, we can take advantage of that. I’m not going to tell you the percentage of sales and all that other stuff, but I do know that I think that with the people we have, it’s going to get a lot better.