GC Realty Investments

I seldom if ever write  reviews, but it would be a great disservice to Mark and his hard-working team at GC Realty if I didn't share this honest review with the Yelp world. I've held 10 units across 4 properties in Chicago as investment properties from a 'turn-key' provider who was anything but turn-key. This company utilized every tool under their belt to convince me to stay them, with empty promises that their systems would improve, their staff would shape up, and the property would be stabilized and perform. About 3 years and tons of repairs, vacancies, city issues, and deferred maintenance later, I'm reduced to shambles and only 2 out of my 10 units are effectively collecting rent. My rental properties have grown to be a source of frustration, anger, and bitterness. I lost trust and respect for my property managers.

When I spoke with Mark many months prior, he impressed me by taking immediate action--- the very next day he helped me by driving by the property on his own, to see that the property was not only unsecured by my current 'property management' but that the walls were gutted, mold damage was abundant, and sewage was seeping everywhere. He walked through the filthy putrid muck himself JUST so he could record a detailed video and commentary to send to me. This is BEFORE I even committed to asking him for his professional services or provided any form of monetary payment. Finding my property in this condition, as you can guess, was my worst possible nightmare that would have been averted with a responsible management team. Let this be a lesson to you out there, that TRUST and RESPECT are earned, never demanded. That very day, Mark's actions spoke far louder than any other words my past PM has been promising for the past 3 years. He earned my trust and my respect, as well as my business. 

I have a long, arduous road ahead of me, but I'm doubtlessly confident that Mark and his team will handle the situation with ownership and care, and diligence and communication that I've been desperately devoid of with my current management team. Do yourself a favor and please consider Mark's team at GC Realty, they'll keep it real and won't sugar coat things unnecessarily and throw out false promises, but will also take care of you like family. 

If you are still on the fence about Mark or GC Realty, his commitment to earning your business, or about the great lengths he will go to bat for you, check him out at the website Bigger Pockets. com. Search his name. He is a local authority and expert who knows his stuff better than anyone else in this challenging space, and provides tons of value, insight and wisdom to help people like me and you. 

-Ray

Working with GC Realty has been a great experience.  Early in 2017 I was looking to buy a turnkey property as my first foray into RE investing.  I was initially led to GC by their great reputation on the internet message boards I was studying.  I narrowed it down to two companies and contacted both of them.

My email to their competitor went unanswered, but Bryan Sonn from GC promptly replied and we set up a time to talk over the phone.  I had a very positive impression from our first conversation.  Bryan was friendly, knowledgeable, and came off as confident in the work he does.  Most importantly I could tell that he cares much more about doing a job well, with honesty and integrity, than he does about making a quick dollar.  I also share these values and it got me really looking forward to working with GC.

The next step was driving out for a meeting with Bryan to see the operation at work.  I brought along two family members who were thinking of contributing some capital for my purchase.  Bryan took all of us to houses in various stages of repair and it was very interesting to see the transformation from completely gutted to pristine condition.  He was upfront in answering all of our questions and I learned a lot, not only about GC but also about RE investing in general that day.

I came away excited to purchase a home with GC and got to work with a contact Bryan provided to get the financing set up.  We were set to close everything mid-April, but long story short, due to a string of odd hang-ups and technicalities the financing kept dragging on and on.  I felt bad as it got later and later into May and I still hadn't been able to complete the transaction I committed to with GC.

I called Bryan a few times to apologize for the delays but he was very patient and understanding, even taking the time to contact the lender himself and help move things along.  This was the most impressive aspect of my experience with GC.  Being in business myself, I know it's easy for people to be agreeable when things are running smoothly, but not so much when there are problems.  But GC's support never wavered despite the delays and having to hold the house for me much longer than planned.

Eventually we got to the other side and completed the sale!  I just received my first rent deposit along with a detailed statement of all the activity on the property for the month.  From start to finish, GC has gone above and beyond the typical level of service and I feel very fortunate to have ended up working with them.  Already I have plans in the back of my mind of how I can raise more capital for another purchase once I get a six-month track record on this property that I can present.  The numbers are very promising!

Can't recommend GC enough! 

I wanted to wait to write this review.  I have seen plenty of reviews from people that have just closed on their property and are excited but I wanted to see what the performance would be before writing a review. 

My first purchase from GC Realty Investments was at the end of 2014 and the experience has been great.  I am currently in talks with Bryan about purchasing another property.

But let me start from the beginning.  In the fall of 2014 I went to Chicago and met with Mark.  Mark picked me up from my hotel and drove me around to all the different neighborhoods that they buy in.  Mark took me through 5 different projects that they had going on.  Each of the projects were at different stages of construction, so I got to see behind the walls and all the work that gets put in.  Mark answered all of my questions and never tried to push me into buying.  It was very informative and no pressure.  All in all we spent almost 4 hours together looking at properties.

After talking with my wife, I decided that I wanted to work with Mark and his team.  I picked a property.  They sent over a contract and away we went. 

The next step was ordering my house inspector.  They had some recommendations but I went with someone else because I wanted to make sure they were impartial.  I got the report back and was pleasantly surprised that there were very few issues on the report.  I spoke with Bryan their construction manager about the inspection report.  He walked me through the report and agreed to take care of all my concerns.  Within 72 hours, Bryan had sent over pictures of all of the completed repairs that were on the list.

After that the appraisal was ordered.  Appraisal came in $5,000 above my purchase price so I was happy with that.  Closing went smoothly after that.

18 months later, the property still has the original tenants.  There were some minor repairs that have come up.  One tenant was section 8 and the annual inspection required some repairs but everything has been fine.  Currently my returns are higher than what was projected but I think that is because I haven’t had any turnover and my repairs have been minimal. 

So far everything has been very good.  The staff is quick to respond to all my questions and concerns.  Both Mark and Bryan are always available when I need to talk to them.  I look forward to my next purchase.

We purchased two properties from GC earlier this year and have been very pleased.  The process was seamless and the level of service provided by Mark and GC has been great.  

I would highly recommend anyone interesting in investing in Chicago to contact Mark for a property tour, as the time we spent with him touring properties and neighborhoods was invaluable.  His knowledge and investing experience in the South Side was extremely impressive.  We learned a lot about each neighborhood's current and future rental market potential as well as their history.  There was so much great info packed into just a couple of hours!  After viewing many properties, seeing the different stages and types of rehabs, and getting to know the neighborhoods GC invests in, we knew we wanted to invest with GC.  After the tour with Mark, there were two other turnkey providers we toured with but none of them were able to top the level of knowledge Mark had about the area. Initially going in we assumed we would end up purchasing properties from multiple providers, but we instead decided to go with GC for both of our purchases.

While under contract, we hired an outside inspector who is known to be tough and he described the properties as clean, solid homes, which apparently is not the norm for him.  The items in the report were either taken care of by GC or negotiated to be taken care of in the future if any issues came up.  In addition, they have replaced and upgraded major items on their own (e.g. a new roof, furnace, and stair railing) and continue to keep our best interests in mind.  

It has been about three months since we closed on our properties and it has been a good experience.   GC has always been very fair and honest.  The rent for one of the properties ended up being less than expected, but we were pleasantly surprised when Mark quickly came up with a potential solution to make up for the lost rent. Whenever we have questions, Mark is always quick to respond and offer help.  It is comforting to have a PM we can rely on and have confidence in.  It has been a pleasure to work with Mark and GC and we look forward to continuing our relationship for many more years!

My wife and I have been investing in real estate for over 16 years.  For many years, we self-managed our properties while working full-time jobs.  About four years ago, it got to be too much and we decided to hire a management company to manage the properties for us.  We cycled through several different companies for the first three years.  We just couldn't find one that paid close enough attention to our properties and tenants.  We found we needed to spend almost as much time managing the management companies as we did managing the properties ourselves. 

About a year ago we found GC Realty Investments.  Right from the start, Mark and his team were very attentive and responsive.  They answered our questions quickly and made us feel very comfortable.  We decide to give GC a try with the purchase of a single property and we'd see how it would go from there.  Well, the experience with the first property went so well, we quickly followed up with the purchase of a second property and then a third.   

Working with GC was very easy.  They truly operated with our best interests in mind. Shortly thereafter, we ended the relationship with our old management company and switched our entire portfolio over to GC.  It was one of the best decisions we've made with our business.

All along the way, GC has made it easy for us.  They respond quickly - whether its a question from us or a problem at a property.  They provide guidance when asked, and most importantly, they treat our business as if its their own.  I will definitely continue to work with GC Investments in the future.

Having purchased a single home from Mark Ainley and the team at GC, I was really impressed with the quality of product, the ease of transaction, and their outstanding ongoing management. This led to purchase number 2, and recently this was followed by another 7 homes, with 9 more now in the pipeline. I have such trust and confidence in Mark and co, and the proof is in just how easy they make every part of the process, and the fact the money really does come in as expected every month. An absolute pleasure to deal with!

What a pleasure it was working with Mark Ainley and the GC Realty Investments team.  I was hesitant at first to work with a "turnkey" provider but after seeing their whole process from beginning to end, I couldn't help but wonder why more people don't invest this way.  

I took a trip to Chicago and met Mark.  He took me on a 3 hour tour of the neighborhoods that he buys in and showed the projects that he had going on.  All of them were at different stages so I could see how thorough a job they do.  We emailed back and forth a lot right after that trip.  I had TONS of questions, but Mark handled them in stride and never once pushed to close a deal.  

After about another month of communication I finally decided to move forward on a single family home.  Everything went smoothly.  He recommended a few home inspectors but ultimately I decided to use one that I found on my own.  The inspection report only had two things on it.  Low soil against the garage and an interior door that was sticking.  I asked Mark if he could address those issues and within 24 hours the soil was added and a video of the door opening and closing was sent to me.  It couldn't have been easier.

The thing I was most concerned about was the appraisal but to my surprise the house appraised for 7,000 more than what it was going to be sold to me for.  

I can't say enough what a great experience this was and I look forward to buying another property from them in 2016.