Realty Plus Gets Back to Business

Mark “The Big Kahuna” Short is no stranger to Moreno Valley; in fact, most people recognize him from his various commercials that have aired over the years. For over 25 years he has not only been a proud community member, but a businessman involved in real estate, loans and has owned multiple locations, including Realty Plus, within the Moreno Valley area. However, after suffering a stroke on Jan. 6, 2011, his life and successful career was put to a sudden halt. Only four-and-a-half years later, Short is back to business. Realty Plus opened Thursday, Aug. 13, and will have its official grand opening to the community in the near future. “There’s no stopping this guy. He’s superman,” Steve Healton, Short’s cousin and business partner - also known as “Sidekick Steve” - shared. After suffering a stroke, Short spent the next two years of his life in various hospitals including Riverside County Regional Medical Center, Loma Linda, and a hospital in Phoenix, where his brother lives. Short was in a coma for about six months but has been working hard to get better ever since he came out of it. When he was transferred to Loma Linda Hospital, he began physical therapy, which consisted of long hours of constant practice to get him up and moving again. It wasn’t even until about a year ago that he could speak as fully and clearly as he does today. "The people over there at Loma Linda are amazing...I still go over there and visit," Short said. Although Short is still completely paralyzed on the right side of his body, which keeps him in a wheelchair, it doesn’t stop him from progressing every day. Short explained that he goes to the gym on a regular basis on his own to get stronger and to even practice walking. He has already accomplished standing up on his own and briefly walking as long as he has some type of support to lean on. Aside from his work, one of his favorite things to do was to ride quads. “I miss it so much, but I’m going to figure out a way to do it again,” he shared while looking at old pictures of him on his quad. “If anyone can do it, it’s going to be this guy because nothing stops him,” Healton added. Aside from owning multiple businesses throughout Moreno Valley, including Affordable Home Loans, Round Table Pizza, Red Zone Computers, and more, Short and his partner “Sidekick Steve” have done a myriad of commercials that have made them well-known throughout the area. They also hosted their own radio show, “The Mark & Steve Show,” on KCAA 1050 AM. “It amazes me how well-known he became,” Healton said. However, the attention he gained slowly deteriorated over the past four-and-half-years. “Moreno Valley is a lot different than it used to be. A lot of things have changed but I’m going to get it back to how it used to be,” Short shared while explaining that he will start where he left off and become well-known around the community again. He added, “I’m going to get back to doing commercials, real estate, loans, back in to the radio show, all of it.” Throughout the years, Short has developed extremely strong ties within Moreno Valley since he was involved in many community events and businesses. He plans to expand those ties even further as he starts his business back up after nearly five years. Short added, “I don’t plan on changing or doing anything differently. I’m going to get things the way they were before.” ‘Sidekick Steve’ shared, “I’ve been with a lot of companies and I have never had so much fun than working with Mark. It is an absolute delight.” Realty Plus will hold its official grand opening soon but in the meantime, their doors are currently open for business. It is located at 24893 Sunnymead Boulevard, Suite A, Moreno Valley.