COMMUNITY INVESTOR
INVESTOR PROFILE
Hand on the Pulse BRYAN BLANKENSHIP THRIVES IN CINCINNATI AND DAYTON MARKETS WHERE HE ‘FEELS’ THE MARKET MOVING FORWARD.
by Carole VanSickle Ellis
B
ryan Blankenship describes himself as a “boring Ohio guy,” but the “general contractor at heart” is much more than that. With multiple roaring real estate investing businesses that literally run the gamut of the industry from retail fix-and-flips to commercial development, and a thriving turnkey rental property organization, Blankenship is anything but boring. With a story that begins, “I was homeless at 19 and had made my first million in real estate by 26,” he is full of surprises, focus and plenty of insight and praise for
his home market in the state of Ohio.
in Illinois (where he met his wife) and Colorado. “I came back to Ohio, though, because I know it better than anywhere— and anyone—else. I can feel the pulse of the market here.” Blankenship’s investments in the Midwest are located mainly in the Cincinnati and Dayton areas where, as he describes the situation, “There is a ton of revitalization [that has] been underappreciated for a long time.” It’s easy to hear the pride in his voice as he notes that these two cities represent markets in which it is “easy to sell and
PUTTING DOWN ROOTS IN THE INDUSTRY While most real estate investors eagerly espouse the concept of investing where business is good, changing that location when appropriate and living wherever you please, Blankenship has a very different philosophy. He has traveled all over the country, starting out at 19 in Florida after leaving Ohio because it was “too dull” and moving from state to state, including stays
64 | think realty magazine march :: april 2017
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