Real Estate Is in My Genes

My father spent 35 years in Commercial Real Estate in San Antonio. Multiple relatives on my mother's side built careers in the industry as well. I grew up around it; car conversations on the way to games, trips through warehouses, dinner table talk about landlords, tenants, deals, and market cycles. I  still vividly remember learning about squatter's rights at fifteen during dinner after working at a Lumber Yard downtown.

What I didn't fully recognize until recently was how much of that daily mindset had taken root. Once I noticed I was spending more of my personal time thinking about real estate, driving past a vacant space and wondering about its highest and best use, reading about market cycles, the decision became easy. This is the work I want to do for the rest of my career.

What Engineering Taught Me About Expertise

In my engineering career, I became a genuine expert in fasteners and bolted joints. It sounds narrow, but the deeper I went, the more I realized most people only scratch the surface. The real knowledge is diverse, nuanced, and valuable across a huge range of applications. That expertise opened doors and earned trust in ways that general competence never could.

I carry that lesson into real estate. I'm not looking to know a little about everything — I'm looking to find my bolted joints. The specific corner of this market where I can go deep, add genuine value, and become the person people call because they know I know. I don't know exactly what that specialty will be yet. But I know how to pursue it, and I know what it feels like when you've found it.

The Four-Plex Story

Right after college, I was living at home, working as an engineer, and saving for my first home. My dad offered to represent me at a discount, but said I'd need to scour the MLS myself. He also said that if I found a duplex or four-plex that made financial sense, he'd consider buying in together.

What I heard was: find the right deal and we'll do it. So I started combing the database. I was tracking a wave of development around the Pearl Brewery in San Antonio where the area was experiencing intense revitalization. After about six months, I found what looked like the perfect four-plex: fully occupied, stable building, priced below the surrounding appreciation. We put in an offer hours after it hit the market. They accepted. We went to inspection together.

What I hadn't done was set expectations upfront. I never had the conversation about financing structure, projected returns, or how a partnership would actually work. When we got home from the inspection, I found out I had no leverage, and I was out of the deal.

My father honored his word and waived my realtor fees when I eventually bought a home. And honestly, it was the right fit for where I was in life. But I hold that four-plex close, not with bitterness, we laugh about it now because of what it taught me; ask your questions early, set expectations with investors before you fall in love with a deal, and do your viability homework before the offer goes in. And even in losing the financial outcome, I genuinely enjoyed the process; learning the market, identifying an opportunity, executing on information. That enjoyment told me something.

My Father's Real Estate Legacy

My dad started in San Antonio in 1980 at one of the larger local developers, working under a hard-driving man we referred to at the dinner table simply as Melvin. Melvin trained him to be a human database of local businesses and their buildings, knocking on every door in the city, identifying growing companies through foot traffic and firsthand observation. He'd roll by my dad's office and call out "Carroll Report" — and it was expected my dad would give a live rundown of everything he'd learned since they last spoke.

Growing up, I absorbed that through proximity. On the way to a game we'd lay eyes on a building. On busier days I'd roller-skate through vacant warehouses while he measured and documented space. When I started a lawn business in high school I serviced some of the warehouses that other companies would not take.

He's now retired from CRE in San Antonio and has passed his relationships on. I won't benefit from those directly, but the legacy of mentorship he built gave me people I can seek guidance from as I get started. He navigated his career simply by providing valuable information to his clients, being involved throughout the process, and above all, having integrity, especially when it costs you.

Where I'm Headed

Colorado Springs is my home, and I'm committed to building something real here. I'm licensed, embedded in the community, and actively seeking brokerage affiliation. My focus will be on deepening my market knowledge, building relationships, and developing a specialty where I can become genuinely valuable, the way a good engineer becomes the person everyone calls about a specific problem.

I know this is a cyclical business. I know the first years are mostly about establishing habits, learning, and earning trust. I grew up watching someone do exactly that ,building long-term relationships through consistent value, continued involvement, and above all, integrity. That's the standard I'm holding myself to.

If you're open to a conversation, I'd welcome it. You can reach me at jmichaelcarrolljr@gmail.com or connect with me on LinkedIn.