Mary Ann and Gabriel Petratis are a mother-son duo bringing a fresh and reliable approach to the real estate world

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY
“I grew up with a family of nine,” Mary Ann Rounds-Petratis tells me. “We learned from
a very young age that the most important thing in life is love.” Mary Ann is the mother of three — her first daughter Ashley tragically passed away before she was two years old, her daughter Megan works for National Geographic, and her son Gabriel is her partner at RE/MAX Fine Properties. “Being raised with so much love and compassion helped make me the agent and person I am today,” Gabriel Petratis adds. “Having a loving and supportive family has been huge.” They lived in Iowa for years, but eventually, college spread across the country. Once
Mary Ann’s kids left the area, she had some important life decisions of her own to make.

LOOKING FOR A SIGN
“I woke up in the middle of the night,” Mary Ann starts. “I couldn’t fall back asleep, so I
went for a 5-mile run. I was crying and praying the whole time, saying, ‘You know what, God? If
I’m supposed to stay in Iowa, I’ll make the best of my life, but if I’m not, I want a sign today.’”
She returned home, got ready, and headed to work, raw with emotion. Later that day
she got a call from her brother, Del Rounds, the former owner of RE/MAX Fine Properties.
“He said, ‘I’ve been thinking a lot about you lately and I feel like you should put your
house up for sale and once it closes, put in your two-week notice and move out here to Arizona, get your real estate license, and start working with me.’”

That was her sign.

THE DEL ROUNDS EFFECT
Del Rounds and his wife Lisa built a real estate empire in Arizona between 1994 and
2021. Then, devastatingly and unexpectedly, Del passed away in 2021. “When I first moved out
here, he had 49 agents,” Mary Ann tells me. “When he passed away, he had over 350.”
Del was magnetic, pulling talented people into his orbit and then training them to be the
best real estate agent possible. “Del was not only my brother, he was my best friend. There’s not a day that goes by where he isn’t truly missed. He lived a life full of so much love and energy.

He knew the real estate world better than any other person I’ve known, and his energy was
contagious. Growing up, we always played games and Del never liked to lose. He was very
competitive in a loving way. No matter where you were, Del was the life of the party, meeting
— everything. I feel honored to have had the best brother.

“Within one year, our family lost three amazing men,” Mary Ann continues. “Our dad,
our other brother, Donald, and Del. Never take a moment for granted. Say ‘I love you’ more
because you never know about tomorrow.” “Del also summoned me to Arizona,” Gabriel says with a laugh. “I was happy working in the world of luxury retail [in Los Angeles], but Del said ‘You’d be great in real estate because it’s the largest investment that a person will make in their lifetime.’”

After learning about the business with his uncle, Gabriel explored the world of real estate on his
own. He was interested in broadening his abilities and paving his path.
Still, he was within the RE/MAX ecosystem that Del had built.

“It was a large team my uncle Del was the leader of, and working with so many accomplished agents was awesome for me as a new agent,” Gabriel says. “In 2021, obviously after losing Del unexpectedly, that large team — that was number 1 in the state for years with RE/MAX and ranked nationally — that team, unfortunately, decided to go their separate ways. My mom and I were faced with some difficult decisions as far as what our team dynamic would
look like.”

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS
Gabriel and Mary Ann decided to stick together as a mother-son duo with Stephanie
Brewer working as their transaction coordinator. They’re an agile team willing to get help from
the people they met along the way to provide the best experience for their clients.
“We stay on top of being very competitive with our follow through and our creativeness,”

Mary Ann tells me, explaining their unique approach. “Gabe, in his generation, knows so much
about social media and different platforms. When he presents ideas to our clients, it’s a wow
moment. Then, it’s so important to communicate with your clients, stay in touch at least once
a week, and follow through on everything we do. We believe the personal touch is the key to
success.”

“I believe clients recognize immediately after meeting us that we try to lead with
authenticity,” Gabriel adds. “I’m excited to see what the future holds for us because of the great
position we’re lucky enough to be in.” “Being in real estate is never going to end,” Mary Ann says. “We look forward to carrying on the Rounds-Petratis legacy. Our hearts are full because we know Del would be so proud.”