Stephen McManus grew up in New Jersey watching his father scale a construction company, and that upbringing left a permanent mark — a commitment to craftsmanship, integrity, and doing the job right even when no one is watching. After 12 years in the Marine Corps, which included time with MarSoc (special operations) and officer commissioning through The Citadel, Stephen settled in Charleston, transitioned into corporate project management, and began flipping homes on the side. It was the cost of realtor commissions on those flips — on both the buy and sell side — that pushed him to get his license. He never looked back, and he's been practicing full-time for six years. From the start, Stephen was thinking long-term. Rather than brand under his own name, he launched Coastal Collective Group — a deliberate choice designed to attract like-minded agents and build something scalable. Today his team shares a background rooted in construction, project management, the military, or corporate life, and they operate by a strict set of core values that are front and center every time someone logs into their tech stack. On the Charleston market, Stephen is candid with clients in a way that sometimes surprises them. Unless the stars align perfectly, most investment properties in the area will break even on a long-term rental — and he considers that a win. Short-term rentals are a different story, with tight regulations downtown, grandfathered-only access in many areas, and Isle of Palms and Edisto Island being the most viable STR markets. The city's crackdown on STRs isn't surprising to Stephen — Charleston is a hospitality town, and lodging is core to its economy. On the tax side, he's quick to point out that the shift from a 4% to 6% property tax rate for secondary and investment properties sounds minor but hits nearly three times harder in practice. Insurance costs have risen, but they haven't driven people out — if anything, Charleston has the opposite problem, netting an estimated 20 to 30 new residents per day. When it comes to advice for newer agents, Stephen keeps it simple. Go in with a "work for free" mentality — not because you won't get paid, but because that mindset will make you serve your clients better than anyone else, and word of mouth will take care of the rest. Shadow experienced agents relentlessly, even when it feels unglamorous. And start marketing yourself from day one. He also lives by the phrase "how you do anything is how you do everything" — this week alone he had offers go out on a $5 million property and a $150,000 property, and he was up late working hard for both. That $150K client, he notes, could be a $5M client someday. Stephen rounds out the conversation talking about the power of small daily wins, the compound effect of consistent effort, and the importance of protecting your integrity over chasing commissions. As he puts it, his team doesn't eat until their clients approve the kill. Connect: https://thecoastalcollective.com/ @coastalcollective.chs on Instagram Mentioned: Atomic Habits by James Clear _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Epic Agents Podcast https://epicagentspodcast.com/ Produced by: Jeff Hamm - SEO & Digital PR for Realtors https://aidawerks.com/
