We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Guillermo Granier a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Guillermo thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Early in your career, how did you think through the decision of whether to start your own firm or join an established firm?

As a Junior at the College of Charleston, I decided to join Lee & Associates Charleston as an intern. It was the best decision I’ve made for my career. I obtained my South Carolina real estate license during my Senior year of college. This May of 2023, I graduated from the College of Charleston and became a full-time Associate at Lee & Associates Charleston. My experience with the firm throughout school showed me that they had the team, the tools and the market knowledge I needed to succeed. To be honest, after I had been working at the firm for more than a year during school, I didn’t see myself working with anyone else. It definitely helped getting that experience before I graduated. As I mentioned, I finished school May of 2023. Now, I am on a team focusing primarily on Retail real estate throughout South Carolina. We are the Palmetto Retail Group.

Guillermo, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

My name is Guillermo Granier and thank you for your interest in my story. I was born in Caracas, Venezuela and moved to Atlanta, Georgia when I was 7 years old. I was an athlete growing up and ended up at the College of Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina to be a pitcher on the baseball team. During my Junior year, I knew I wasn’t going to get drafted and really began thinking about what I wanted to do with my life after college. My dad is an architect and I always felt drawn to buildings and their different designs. Personally, I love modern architecture. This is when I decided I wanted to go into the real estate world and brokerage seemed like the perfect fit.

Starting out as an intern helped me understand the basics of real estate and really prepared me for now. During my Senior year, I obtained my South Carolina real estate license and became a Junior Associate at the firm. I feel very fortunate I was able to get a head start on my career and close some deals while still in school.. Most people don’t recommend going into brokerage straight out of college, but I felt I was ready because of what I had done in advance.

Now, I am a full-time Associate at Lee & Associates Charleston. We are a full-service brokerage firm in Charleston, South Carolina. I can assist with Site Disposition & Acquisition, along with Leasing. We also have a full Property Management team. Although I can handle any asset class, I recently joined a team focusing primarily on Retail real estate. We are the Palmetto Retail Group.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

To begin, I believe that immersing myself in the local market was essential. Charleston has its unique characteristics and dynamics, so understanding the nuances of different neighborhoods, property types, and market trends is required. Additionally, I recognize the significance of networking in this industry. Building relationships with other real estate professionals, property owners, and potential clients is a priority. Attending industry events, joining local real estate associations, and actively engaging with local networking groups to establish meaningful connections is crucial.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

Client retention is crucial In my opinion, this makes or breaks a business. Those who you have done business with in the past, you need to do everything in your power to keep them as a client for a very long time. Those are relationships that really count. Now a days, we need to make sure we have the systems in place to keep track of all of our industry contacts and the emails or phone calls between us. Personally, I use a software called Cloze. Cloze has helped me keep track of everyone I talk to and also gives me reminders on when I should reach out to certain people. There are many different softwares out there, but definitely try multiple out to see which one works best for you. Repeat business is the best business.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.lee-charleston.com/people/?brokerId=GGranier%40Lee-Associates.com
• Instagram: @guillermogranier_cre
• Linkedin: http://linkedin.com/in/guillermogranier