Today we’d like to introduce you to Carlton McCrary.
Hi Carlton, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Serial Entrepreneur is a term that’s been used a lot lately, one that I can certainly identify with. I’ve success in network marketing, private transportation and Real Estate. I’m currently involved in a restaurant partnership with my family, running a logistic business and Real Estate development company. However, Real Estate is my passion. I was initially introduced to Real Estate investing as a Wholesaler in 2005. A real estate wholesaler is someone who places a property under contract and then sells that contract to an investor for a fee. Fees range between $5000 to $20k+. I started out working for a small company in SW Atlanta. There I learned how locate off market property, analyze potential deals and skip trace owners to make offers. I worked for that company for about six months before starting my own wholesale business. By being able to source my own deals, this lead to me becoming an investor. I was able to cherry pick which deals to wholesale and which ones to keep and rehab and flip for myself. The natural trajectory for me was wholesaler, fix and flip investor, buy and hold investor to now doing single family new construction and small apartment development. Two years ago, I started buying land and building spec houses. I’m currently building three homes; two in my SW Atlanta community and one in Druid Hills. My Fiancee and I are also prepping to build a 17 unit apartment building in Grove Park.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Ha! Definitely not! To start… my transportation business Buckhead Executive Car Service was started in 2012 and had immediate success. I was able to grow the business from one car to four cars in less than a year. My clientele consisted corporate travelers, hotels, athletes and entertainers. Things were great until a little company called Uber came to Atlanta. You may have heard of them. Once my drivers realized they could drive their own Hondas and Toyotas for UberX, they all quit on me. At that point, I sold my fleet and returned full-time to Real Estate. (I had taken a break in 2010 after the 2008 market crash). My return to Real Estate was in 2015. The struggles with Real Estate usually come with being undercapitalized. It’s a cash heavy industry. You must have access to capital, either cash, credit cards, lines of credit or cash partners. I was able to leverage their solvency with my experience to get back in the game. There will always be challenges investing in RE, you just have to become a master at mitigating them. For me, that has come in the form of new construction. It’s been a much cleaner experience and less surprises than doing rehabs.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about McCrary Property Group, LLC?
I started MPG as a requirement to owning rental property in Philadelphia. When I purchased and rehabbed a triplex in Philly, I had to get a rental license to accept tenants. So I started MPG to avoid having it in my personal name. Since then, my company has grown far beyond my imagination. From doing my own rehabs, doing GC work for my friends’ projects to new construction and now preparing to build apartment buildings. Out of all of my endeavors (Car Service/Trucking/Restaurant), I’m definitely known more for Real Estate. What sets me apart from others is that I give information freely. From family/friends to complete strangers that DM me regularly on IG. That may change though… As soon as I find the time to monetize my knowledge. What I’m most proud of is my ability to navigate the ebb and flow of being an entrepreneur. As glamourous as it may seem on social media, everything ain’t always rosy. As well as being a role model for my children. They don’t have to look past our front door for inspiration. They see the lifestyle that I’m building and maintaining and can see that you don’t have to dribble a ball or write raps to be successful. I’m constantly networking, making “New Friends” so that I can learn from and be inspired by others doing what I want to do. I don’t want to be the smartest guy in the room.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I wouldn’t call it luck. It’s definitely blessings and preparedness. I’m a firm believer in “Chance Favors the Prepared Mind.” There have been plenty of opportunities that I’ve missed out on because I wasn’t prepared mentally or financially. Rather than take a sour grapes mindset, It just made me more focused on recognizing the next opportunity. Lately, it appears as though I have a “hot hand.” Everything that I’ve been involved in has been successful. That’s definitely Favor and Blessings. Being in alignment with my purpose. Because I believe in God/The Universe, I don’t subscribe to good or bad luck. What’s for me is for me. What isn’t just isn’t.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: househunterofatlanta
