When it comes to real estate, there isn’t much Patrick Sullivan and his team, reRVA at One South Realty Group, can’t do. However, his specialty, the thing that resonates with his soul, connecting everything he’s done in life, involves construction — his development and new construction projects and getting the absolute most out of a preexisting home through rejuvenation, restoration, and renovation.

 

There are many parts of Patrick’s life that go into his passion for building, development, and real estate, in general, however, the one thing that drives him today is the love he has for the Richmond community. “I truly love this city for its unique character, charm, architecture, and amazing history,” he says. “As a fan of all things RVA, it has been important to me to have a role in helping to protect and improve the fabric of my city. Being an active part of local community groups allows me to stay up to the minute with the pulse of current and future developments that are shaping Richmond’s future.”

 

Preserving historical homes through renovation and restoration is just as important to Patrick as building new, quality homes that are not just environmentally sustainable, but will also last the test of time and will someday be preserved and protected for their historical value. In case Patrick is starting to sound more like a builder than a REALTOR®, rest assured, his focus has everything to do with being of the utmost value to his clients — having a team of highly experienced professionals that can meet the full spectrum of real estate needs out there, no matter what the goal is. In short, he wants to be able to solve any problem that comes his way.

 

Patrick has always loved solving problems, ever since he was kid growing up in Rochester, NY. “I wanted to be an inventor like Benjamin Franklin and Leonardo DaVinci. I was always taking things apart and building things. I loved LEGOS, building forts, and just seeing what I could do with a few boards and some nails.”

 

Patrick’s father owned his own construction company, so Patrick always had access to materials. He remembers being on the job site with his dad at a very young age. When he was old enough, he started working for his dad so he could buy things like surfboards, snowboards, and guitars. While he played a variety of sports, he especially enjoyed playing hockey. “Hockey really rewards your efforts,” Patrick explains. “You don’t have to be the most talented to do well. You can still achieve if you work hard. No other sport is like hockey in that way.”  

 

Patrick always valued hard work, something that was instilled in him by his father, who still works in construction today. “My dad is the hardest working person I know,” Patrick says. “Growing up, he was always ready to do the right thing, treat people the right way, and he never took shortcuts. I remember him saying things like, ‘Put in all your effort and you’ll see the return,’ and, ‘If you stick with it, things will prove to work out every time.’”

 

Those sayings resonated with Patrick as he left home to pursue a degree and career in engineering, which he achieved. Patrick worked for two years as an engineer for a design-and-build firm in New York. However, after two years in a highly charged environment, where the smallest error in data could cost hundreds and thousands, even millions of dollars, Patrick was wanting to leave New York and completely reset somewhere else.

 

Patrick had been buying and flipping properties himself for a couple of years and really enjoyed the processes. So after talking with his wife, Melissa, they decided to up and move to Richmond, where Patrick could start a new career in real estate. “Richmond had all the key interests — great weather, low taxes, rich history, great nightlife, museums, food, theaters, and it was also as far as my wife would let me go,” Patrick laughs. “For real estate, I loved the variety, how you could be an independent contractor, and the idea that your pay is based on the work you put in.”

 

Patrick jumped full-time into real estate in 2012 as an individual agent doing independent sales and self-marketing. He thought his first year was going to be hard, going cold turkey and jumping in full time, but he went about it the right way, the way his dad always taught him to be in business — taking no shortcuts. “I didn’t even care if I made money. I just wanted to make sure that I met the right people and that I did all the right things,” he says.

 

Patrick soon outpaced himself and had more work than he could handle on his own, so he started interviewing at a few different brokerages where he could find more support and start a team. His search stopped after meeting Rick Jarvis and Tom Rosman, who had recently started One South Realty Group. “I liked that they grilled me like a real job interview,” Patrick explains. “That experience showed me that I would have a real mentor, that I would be challenged, and that was important to me. I really enjoy the versatility of real estate and wanted to learn all aspects of real estate.”

 

As Patrick began exploring and learning about all the different facets of real estate, he’d incorporate them into his business and then hire someone that he could put in that position and continue the work. And that’s how he developed his team. One of the proudest moments in his career occurred a few years ago when he was presented with the Golden Hammer Award for Best Project and Finest Business Professional.

 

Today, Patrick is 100-percent committed to, and fully enjoying, being a mentor and guide to his team, helping them find their place, their voice, and taking care of anything they may need. “This brings me the most satisfaction,” he says. “We have a higher requirement of professionalism and knowledge. They study stats and trends and are essential as the ‘tour guides’ through renovations or whatever project we are working on.”

 

Outside of the business, Patrick and Melissa enjoy going out on their boat, wakeboarding, paddleboarding, hiking, and enjoying nature. They also love the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, seeing plays, and going out on the town.

 

With everything Patrick has built in his real estate career, and everything he is currently involved with and planning to build and develop, he offers the following advice to those who share the same ambition: “Be committed to the process, not the result. You can’t control the market, and deals may fall through, but if you work hard, keep your head down, and don’t get lost in your own success, it will all work out.”