Grady Carter

AGENT FEATURE

PHOTOS BY NESTED TOURS | STORY BY ZACH COHEN

IT’S ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS

Grady Carter was raised around the real estate and home-building business. His dad, Kent, was the president of Citywide Mortgage for several years, and Grady grew up watching his father grow his lending business. 

Kent was active with the Oklahoma Mortgage Bankers Association and served as the president of the OMBA in 2013. That role allowed Grady to accompany his dad on five trips to Washington ,DC, where Kent lobbied at the United States Capitol on behalf of Oklahoma mortgage lenders. These experiences were formative for Grady, offering him a deep connection with his dad as well as the real estate industry.

Despite his connection with the real estate industry and his father’s encouragement to get licensed, Grady chose another path forward after graduating from college. Yet, real estate would eventually come back into his life.

“In college, I had this aversion to being a salesperson,” he reflects honestly. “I feared people thinking I was inauthentic or pushy or anything like that. So, I avoided getting my license for a long time.”

By 2012, Grady was living in Little Rock, Arkansas, running a small retail store. He began helping his mom with her house flipping business from afar, which roped him back into the real estate world. But this time, Grady recognized an opportunity for him to carve out his own path.

“She and I would hop on the phone at night, and I’d help her with the numbers. I was ready to move back and be closer to family anyway, so this opportunity to work together was fascinating.”

Grady returned to Oklahoma in December 2012 to work alongside his mom. As he assessed the real estate business from an adult perspective, he saw how many REALTORS® ran their business with integrity and a consultative approach. He recognized an opportunity to be of service to his community.

By the end of 2013, Grady got licensed, and he began actively selling the following year.

“I realized it could truly be done with trust and honesty.”

Building a Business

Grady began his career at Metro Brokers of Oklahoma, where he learned the foundations of real estate. His then broker, Gwen Holmes Arveson, and others taught him how to sell real estate ethically and helped him get his business off the ground. By 2020, after six years with his real estate license, he was ready to take his business to the next level so his wife could join his operation. They went in search of the best training and resources they could find. That’s when he transitioned to Keller Williams Realty Mulinix, the brokerage he felt gave him the best chance to run a high-powered real estate business.

Grady closed over 50 deals in 2020 and 2021, cementing his status as a top tier agent in Oklahoma. In 2022, his first year as a father, he closed 42 transactions for nearly $24 million, including a few luxury deals for a well-known football coach that were a focus.

Grady runs a relational business. He prides himself on being a resource and a guide, not a salesman.

“Where a lot of people get their business from online leads, I prefer spending my time and money loving on my clients,” he explains. “We’re helpful. We love the people we work with, and that breeds more business.”

It’s All About Relationships

If there’s one thing Grady wants others to know, it’s how much he cares about the people in his life. That includes his clients, REALTOR® peers, friends, and family. 

“I care about people, whether they like it or not. I want to take great care of my clients and do my best to make sure that our industry remains a place where good people belong,” he says.

Grady’s wife, Mallory, joined him in real estate toward the end of 2020, leaving her teaching job to become his director of operations. In 2022, she stepped back from real estate as the couple welcomed their first child, Nora, to the world. The Carters hired Grady’s childhood friend, Lauren, in Mallory’s absence. Now that he’s a father, family has become more important than ever to Grady.

“At this point, it's all about family. I'm a social guy, so once in a while, we'll go to an event or see friends, but at this point in life, we're together at home a lot more,” Grady says with a telling smile.  

Grady and Mallory have a two-year-old miniature goldendoodle and live in the same neighborhood as his mom and two sisters. While Grady’s dad passed away after contracting COVID-19 in 2021, his memory lives on through Grady’s work and life.

“I’m a community-minded person. I have plans to be like my dad and stay involved in our community,” he says.

Grady is proud of his work in real estate, and he plans to grow his business for many years to come. Even more importantly, he’s devoted to his family, his community, and the pursuit of a happy life. His most meaningful goals are related to the type of person he wants to be.

“I am ambitious, but I really want to live a good life that's super family and friend-focused… We don’t need tons of material wealth, and because I’m driven, I will have some. I want to travel and raise our child to be a sweet person. I want to create financial peace and fun experiences. I want to live a life filled with peace and joy.”

Fun fact

“I love karaoke. If we're going to have a night out, I am likely looking up our options that have us  ending up at karaoke. I’ve got a pretty mean falsetto. My go-to song is 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight.'”