eXp Commercial advisor Clifford Blanquicet Jr. is not one to shy away from hard work and discipline, citing playing competitive golf for 14 years to give him the drive to succeed, which is perhaps among the reasons why he was chosen to GlobeSt’s “50 Under 40” list.
“The ones who grind, kill it,” said Clifford, who joined eXp Commercial in July 2021.
Clifford’s Golf Career Ended and He Turned to Managing Properties
Clifford competed on the PGA’s Latin American tour, but when that ended, he needed a job. His girlfriend’s mother recognized his hunger and hired him to manage her four buildings, comprising 100,000 square feet. He was the property manager, leasing agent, janitor, HVAC repair person, roofer and well, you name it. She needed a workhorse and found it in Clifford.
“I was caulking roofs, evicting people, fixing things I didn’t know how to fix,” he says with a laugh.
An astute tenant who happened to be a commercial broker observed his work ethic and suggested he look into getting his commercial real estate license. Clifford took the advice and became a broker in 2014.
“The thing about my mentality after being a pro golfer is that there is nothing you can’t overcome without hard work.”
The Start of Blanq Real Estate and a Successful CRE Career
In the first four months, he made $8,000. Then the next full year, $54,000, doing “20 little leases.” The second year he made $300,000, and it all started to click. That’s when he opened his own firm, Blanq Real Estate in Charlotte, North Carolina in 2015.
Since then, he has grown to 38 brokers, three full-time staff, has sold more than 140 properties, executed more than 400 leases and closed more than $400 million in transactions. In 2021, he earned his SIOR designation (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors) – one of only 3,700 in the world with this credential and perhaps the youngest.
While the firm was profitable, it also brought on headaches most independent brokers face: high insurance, costly overhead, fickle brokers and risk, which is why he joined eXp Commercial.
> See why independent brokerages are flocking to eXp
“Business development and coaching is my passion. I don’t do deals myself; I work on deals with junior brokers. My happiness is making other people happy and teaching them. They’re learning and hopefully one day they will return the favor and join eXp Commercial. You hope for nice reciprocity,” said Clifford, who also owns two buildings in Charlotte and Greensboro, North Carolina that contain a coworking business, “Blanq Canvas.”
While he is honored to receive the GlobeSt award, he is more excited to spread the word about eXp Commercial.
“I’m excited to get the eXp Commercial name out there with this honor,” said Clifford. “Top-tier brokers are coming to eXp Commerical and we are validating that our brokers are closing deals and succeeding in big ways.”
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