Owner and Broker, Real Estate Central, LLC
By Samantha Cart
Not many people find their passion in life during their formative years, but Joshua McGrath, owner of Real Estate Central, LLC, started selling real estate at age 18 and has been doing it ever since. A native of Hurricane, WV, McGrath always knew he wanted to be in business with his innate talent for sales and customer service, which he honed on his newspaper delivery route and while working as a waiter.
In 2008, at age 27, McGrath had just depleted his savings building his new house and was riding a real estate wave when the mortgage crisis took full effect.
“The rug was pulled out from under me, and I had no income for months,” he recalls. “I had to lease the house, move into one of my rentals and use my mom and dad’s credit card for a while. I had to make some major life changes on spending and cut back on all the expenses I could. The lyrics of a Wynonna Judd song kept playing in my head during this time: ‘When you hit rock bottom, you have two ways to go—straight up and sideways.’ For me, sideways was not an option.”
The crisis was a huge turning point for McGrath both personally and professionally.
“Up until that point, I had not thought about saving or planning for the future,” he says. “I had been working, making money and spending money. This obstacle inspired in me a determination to start planning.”
The recession also influenced McGrath’s role as a real estate broker. His desire to serve others had always played a role in his success but being personally affected by something that also affected his clients was lifechanging. His servant’s heart also carries over into his relationships with his employees, and he considers his greatest success leading such a large and diverse team of Realtors.
“In a world full of divisive and different opinions, it is very rewarding when I stop and realize that there are 100-plus people who choose to work for Real Estate Central,” he says. “These people come from different backgrounds, religions, beliefs, lifestyles and family makeups, but we all respect one another as people. We treat each other with the utmost kindness, and, to me, this is the very definition of success.”
While he continues to cultivate a loving company culture, McGrath and his team focus this same effort on their communities
“Giving back to the communities in which we live and work is the most important part of the Real Estate Central creed,” he says. “I believe generosity is the driving force of community, and working together with that community to improve it is something we all should strive to do.”
While Real Estate Central tries to diversify its community service efforts from year to year, the company focuses on organizations dedicated to finding a cure for cancer, as it has lost many agents to the disease. With this in mind, McGrath founded the Real Estate Central Kickin’ Cancer Foundation, which raises money to help families within the company offset treatment expenses and cover medical payments. Under McGrath’s leadership, Real Estate Central has also formed teams for the West Virginia chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association and the March of Dimes, raised funds for the Clay Center for the Arts & Sciences, sponsored the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern West Virginia McGala and collected and donated items for Recovery Point West Virginia.
Outside of work, McGrath volunteers his time with Habitat for Humanity, YWCA Sojourner’s Shelter for Homeless Women & Families and Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Central West Virginia, where he served as a big brother for four years. In 2012, he and his partner fostered three children ages 4, 6 and 9 who have since been returned to their mother and who they continue to stay in touch with.
While his life has been wrapped up in real estate for 20 years, McGrath feels blessed to wake up every day excited to do what he loves in the state he loves. “Everyone should find a career they love in a place they love,” he says. “This is home, and I cannot imagine being without the people in West Virginia.”
