Meet Eric Clanton: Real Estate Appraiser and Children’s Pastor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Eric Clanton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Eric, what do you attribute your success to?
There are a number of factors that has led to the success of my company. As a real estate appraiser I believe the first and foremost factor is to understand what you do not know. Real estate changes market to market. While it is true that some neighborhoods are homogeneous and do not require a ton of knowledge beyond the basics, that is not the case for all areas. As a result, its important to understand your limitations and not take assignments that are outside your area of expertise. No one assignment is worth your career/reputation. 

What should our readers know about your business?
I am a real estate appraiser, focusing primarily in Dallas and its surrounding cities. Having been in this market for almost 20 years, I have seen my share of market changes. As the information age was rushed in, the appraisal industry went from stagnant, to a constant change. During my tenure I have seen the industry flipped on its head with the Home Valuation Code of Conduct, the swings as the result of recession and recovery. Every year has brought new challenges. Surviving the fluctuations means learning to adapt, to rules, regulations and technology changes. I have learned the best approach is to be teachable. Embracing the changes, rather than pushing back on them. As a children’s pastor, my measure of success is to stay true to God’s word. There are not tangible ways to measure success as a pastor in this lifetime in my opinion. I have no control over anyone’s faith, I can only be faithful and constantly planting seeds. It is not my job to save anyone, it is my job to be obedient to Christ.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I am not going to lie, this is not the easiest question to answer. I generally tell people that Dallas is a great place to live, but a terrible place to visit. I don’t know that we have much that’s going to wow you, as there really is not great scenery to be seen. We do however have great places to eat (Taverna Rossa’s in Plano is my favorite) and a pretty awesome craft beer scene (Tupp’s in McKinney is my go to). But really, you would have to try hard to go wrong with finding a place to go (unless you prefer corporate places, which case, that is on you 🙂 ) Check out Yelp, the city is pretty active rating places and showing what to expect.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Without a doubt, my success is tied to my Lord and Savior first and foremost. Who I am today is a direct reflection of what Jesus has done in and through my life. After Jesus, my amazing wife Danielle deserves a tremendous amount of credit. She has stood by my side, been a sounding board, a constant encouragement and loved me through all of my flaws.

Instagram: @bigethundermonky

Image Credits
These are all personal photos