Maurice Russell Grey lives by the credo, “to whom much has been given, much is expected”. It’s a motto passed down to him through his family who immigrated to the US from the Caribbean. Through hard work and a dedication to education, they managed to build a successful real estate business which has spanned over 90 years and three generations in the historic community of Harlem. They believed in property ownership, entrepreneurship and giving back. Those are the core principles Maurice embraces to this day.
Born and raised in the village of Harlem, Maurice was surrounded by successful black professionals and business owners. He was encouraged to apply to Rutgers University by his mother, who attended Douglass College years earlier after she immigrated to the United States from her native country of Jamaica. Rutgers awarded him a James Dickson Carr Scholarship, and so began his 29 year relationship with Rutgers University. Rutgers is also where he met his wife, Tashna Lilly Grey. He graduated from Rutgers College in 1996, with a degree in Political Science and Africana Studies.
Maurice always had an interest in property ownership, and upon completing his first small sale as an agent, he took that money and purchased his first investment property. The property literally had “a hole in the wall” and was located in one of the worst neighborhoods in Harlem, but it was his. He owned something! Over the next year, he renovated the apartment and gained crucial knowledge and experience in rehabbing and investing in properties. He utilized that formula to buy and renovate several other properties, ranging from small co-ops to large multi-unit apartment buildings. Today, he oversees a multi-million-dollar portfolio of properties in 7 different states and 2 countries that range from, single family homes, to large multifamily properties, to commercial restaurant properties, to development projects, to vacation rentals in Jamaica. Maurice also went on to co-found ESRA Realty LLC, a Harlem brokerage company, and ESRA Holdings LLC, a real estate investment company. ESRA Realty has helped facilitate over $30 million in property sales over the last 14 years and is still one of the few black owned firms in Harlem.
Maurice has been intentional and deliberate in sharing his knowledge and expertise to encourage entrepreneurship and home ownership. He has served as guest speaker on various real estate panels and conferences, as well as having hosted various real estate webinars to train people how to build successful real estate portfolios. He is currently serving as the president of the Greater Harlem Real Estate Board, the oldest black real estate trade association in the country and serves on the executive board of the Harlem Business Alliance. The village of Harlem is never far from his heart, and Maurice is always looking for opportunities to enrich the community. He has coached in Harlem Little league, and today is an anchor sponsor of a team in the organization. Maurice has a belief that financial education at a young age is a key to closing the racial wealth gap, and relishes being invited to travel around the city, speaking at schools and at youth events on the value of financial education and the power of acquiring and building generational wealth through real estate. Last year he was honored by the Harlem Alphas as one of their Martin Luther King jr. “Living the Dream” awardees for his service and dedication to the Harlem community.