Meet Madison Colley | Real Estate Developer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Madison Colley and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Madison, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
Through entrepreneurship, Saint’s Properties can fully execute our vision. We enjoy the process of creating something from scratch and watching it grow, leaving a lasting legacy, something that outlives all of us. To achieve extraordinary outcomes… that could be a lot of money or whatever it means to you, in our case it meant building something that will outgrow us, or in hamilton (which I’m a fan of) he defined it as “planting a seed in a garden you’ll never see bloom”. Most people want to see immediate results, the fruits of their labor, but, when you’re legacy driven you have to take a long view, you can’t do average work, you HAVE to do the most. We want our community to reap the benefits of the sweat equity that we’re putting into the company.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
We develop and rehab residential real estate with the intention of providing affordable housing that’s; safe, comfortable, and ultimately is a sanctuary for its residents. As a company, we feel that there is a misconception that people who are in the market for affordable housing should just “accept” whatever sub-quality housing that they have access to, but we all have standards and we all have the right to come home to our sanctuary. We’re excited about setting a different tone when it comes to what affordable housing looks like. Not only changing the perspective of the residents, but also changing the perspective of those in the proximity of affordable housing who often have a “N.I.M.B.Y” ( not in my backyard) attitude, being averse to living near affordable housing, or who may fear a negative impact to their property values. Before we purchased our first property, we had a vision, but looking back I realize how challenging rehabbing distressed properties could be. But trial by fire is often the best teacher when I realized I needed some support. Fortunately, I was able to lean on my father and together we worked through the challenges and learned a lot in the process. A lot I have learned from summer courses and frankly, youtube. As well as networking and connecting with others because the reality is you’re not going to be successful on your own, you’re only as strong as your support network.

There is also this perception that going into real estate is this, hot, sexy, glamorous thing, but the reality is there is a lot of sweat equity needed upfront, a lot of long days, you’re required to be very hands-on in these early days, for example, we’ve been driving around in the back of my dad’s car with a double sink for almost a week, because of weather delays and frankly, I wasn’t strong enough to help move it. It’s all about doing it yourself and gaining that experience.

We want people to know that Saint’s Properties is entering the real estate market head-on, tackling the culture and perspective that affordable housing can only be profitable if you cut corners and provide sub-standard quality.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’ve been in Atlanta for over a decade, since Atlanta is such a transient area, I know a little something. I know Atlanta is known for being a “hip” “cool” center for the music and film industry but, Atlanta also has a cool outdoor scene, I frequent Vickory Creek waterfalls, bamboo forest in sandy springs, festivals, and of course, Atlanta’s culinary scene, particularly brunch, which is always great when friends are in town. My favorite is Maple Street Biscuit Company, Grips Good Eats, and of course Homegrown. Although I don’t participate in the nightlife scene as much, I’ll always stand by my favorite clubs Vivide and Vision Lounge.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I always say I’ll never win the lottery (partially because I don’t play it often), but, I could buy a lottery ticket every day, I could bet my life’s savings, and I would NEVER win. That’s because I’ve already hit the jackpot once, so what are the odds of me hitting the jackpot twice, and by jackpot I mean my parents. Not only do my parents set an amazing example for me, but they have provided unconditional love and support for all of my endeavors, they’ve never questioned my ability to succeed with a project, they’ve just done their best to provide me with the tools that I need to succeed, and giving me space to experiment, fail, and change my mind if needed. And for me, you can’t buy that, you can’t put a price tag on that. I recognize that it’s a privilege that not everyone has, I don’t take that for granted and make the most of it.

Instagram: @saintspropertiesllc