As a native Washingtonian, Charles View Jr. has had the rare opportunity to watch his community change and evolve right before his eyes. The changes he has experienced have led him to a career in the real estate and development industry. Keep reading to learn more about Charles View Jr. and his journey.
From Intern to Full Time Employee
In 2008, Charles was looking for an internship that would combine his love of real estate and finance. If he had it his way, he would have become a licensed real estate agent as soon as he was old enough to work, but because he had to wait until he was 18, he had to look for other ways to pursue his passion. He was introduced to two members of his hometown community that were making waves in the real estate industry, and he was so invested in their work, that he became one of the company’s first interns (Charles was #2!). The two men that Charles ended up working for were Bo Menkiti and Martin Weldon. At the time, Bo and Martin were working to launch The Menkiti Group into the larger Washington DC development community. The opportunity to intern for them gave Charles firsthand experience working in the real estate industry with others who were just as passionate.
Charles interned at The Menkiti Group every Summer and Winter while attending Morehouse College. When he graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in Economics, he focused his career path on roles where he could fine tune his real estate and development skills before ultimately making a return, years later, to The Menkiti Group.
A New Perspective on Education
Upon graduation, Charles hit the ground running. He leveraged the skills he had acquired from his internships and college courses to expand his knowledge and experience. In one of his roles, he managed over 400 units and oversaw turning each of them over when leases ended. He led a team of 10, many of whom did not have a formal education. Regardless of their educational background , they were able to leverage their skills, talents, and experience to create their own businesses. Their journey reminded him of his time in college when he worked as a mentor for College Bound to middle and high school students. Some of these students looked to acquire jobs straight after high school that did not require traditional collegiate education. They chose to evaluate the best decision for themselves post high school, whether that be a college degree or to just dive into a career path. Either way, they were determined to be successful and the team that Charles supervised proved that to be true.
Teaching Others About Property Investment
As Charles dived deeper into the real estate industry, he became dedicated to helping others gain financial freedom through real estate investing. He urges people looking to go into real estate to investigate all the avenues that the industry has to offer. From home inspectors to management to being a real estate agent, there are so many ways someone can be involved in real estate without following a traditional educational path, and still make a comfortable living. He likes the fact that MG Residential takes into consideration the person, rather than their background when looking for agents. He also loves that The Menkiti Group is a heavily integrated company where people are encouraged to try new things. He says that “going into property management at the beginning of my career allowed me to get my foot in the door”. He urges others to follow what he did so that they can also get themselves into real estate.
More Than Just Real Estate
In his personal time, Charles likes to relax with friends, travel with his fiancé and renovate his current home, which was purchased in 2021. He and his fiancé are set to be married this year, and when not planning his wedding, Charles is focused on achieving the professional goal of helping 40 families buy, sell, or invest in real estate.
