Graystone – A+ Rated by the Better Business Bureau

One of the first places people check is the Better Business Bureau. The BBB has been around forever. Older folks grew up with it. Younger folks hear the name and think it is some kind of superhero group. Either way, it has become the place people visit to see how a business treats clients.

So let me tell you exactly where Graystone stands with the BBB. We are ranked A plus. That is the highest rating they give. And we’ve held that rating for years. Now let me also explain something most people don’t know. Being “accredited” by the BBB is completely optional and it actually has nothing to do with your A plus ranking. Accreditation is a paid program. The rating is based on performance and transparency.

Graystone never paid for accreditation. We don’t need it. The rating itself is the real proof of how we operate.

And that is what this article is about. Why we have an A plus rating, what it means, what the BBB actually says about us, and why our company continues to stand out in an industry where trust is often in short supply.

Let’s break it down in a simple way, the same way I would explain it to a friend sitting across from me with a cup of coffee.

What The BBB Actually Shows About Graystone

If you go to the BBB page for Graystone Real Estate LLC, you will see a few things right away.

Our business address is listed as 3001 N Rocky Point Drive East, Suite 200 in Tampa because that was our original location for almost five years. Today, our new primary office address is 7825 N Dale Mabry Hwy, Suite 204, Tampa, FL 33614.

https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/tampa/profile/real-estate-agent/graystone-real-estate-llc-0653-90308455

You’ll also see a note on the BBB page saying we are not a BBB Accredited Business. That word “not” throws people off sometimes, but here’s the reality: accreditation is optional, and thousands of companies choose not to pay for it. Apple isn’t accredited. Tesla isn’t accredited. Many multi-billion-dollar firms skip it simply because they don’t need the sticker.

Accreditation means you filled out paperwork, paid the annual fee, and agreed to follow the BBB’s guidelines. The rating, however, is a whole different story. Ratings are earned by actual performance.

When you scroll down, you will see our rating. A plus.

This rating is determined by things like how many complaints a company gets, whether they respond to them, how long they’ve been in business, their licensing, and their transparency. Our file with the BBB was opened in 2017. For eight years we have maintained an excellent rating even while doing thousands of transactions, dealing with tenants, investors, wholesalers, title companies, and every personality you can imagine. Anyone in real estate knows how impressive that is.

The BBB file also lists my name as the manager. Jason Fix is listed as broker. Our company license number CQ1052717 is shown under the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. That means we operate legally, our brokerage is properly licensed, and our records are up to date. Not every company can say that. You would be surprised how many “real estate experts” forget to renew their license and then try to give advice online.

The BBB also states that our industry may require licensing or registration and encourages people to check with the state. We welcome that. Our licenses are public. My personal broker license (BK3334101) is public. Everything we do is above board.

That brings me back to the part that matters most. The A plus rating. You don’t get that by accident.

Why We Hold An A Plus Rating

I tell my team this all the time. You don’t get an A plus from the BBB because you are perfect. Nobody is perfect in real estate. Show me a perfect company and I will show you one that has done zero deals. You get an A plus because you handle issues correctly.

Real estate is messy. Tenants move out and leave surprises. Investors get emotional. Sellers change their minds at the last minute. Appraisers are sometimes having a bad day. Inspectors always find something. And yet through all of that, we still keep our rating at the top.

Here is why.

We respond. We solve problems. We don’t hide. And we don’t brush people off.

A lot of companies ignore complaints, pretend they never got the message, or send someone in circles. That is how you get a bad rating. At Graystone, we take pride in running our business the right way. If an investor feels something went sideways, we get on the phone. If a tenant has an issue, the property management team jumps on it. If a seller has a question, we answer it honestly even when the answer is not what they want to hear.

The BBB rates companies on how they handle tense moments. Anyone can look great when everything is going smoothly. The test comes when something unexpected pops up. Our A plus proves how we show up when it counts.

The Truth About BBB Accreditation That Most People Don’t Know

Now let’s talk about this word accredited because this is where people get confused.

When a business is BBB Accredited, it simply means they paid a fee and agreed to the BBB code of conduct. That is it. Accreditation is not the rating. The rating is the real measure of performance.

Think about schools for a second. If you go to a college, one thing is the tuition bill. Another thing is your actual grades. Paying tuition does not mean you get straight As. You still have to do the work.

Same thing here. Accreditation is optional. But the A plus rating is earned by how you treat people.

Graystone doesn’t need the badge. We let our track record speak for itself. We have closed more than 3,500 deals across Florida. We handle properties from Tampa to St Pete to Lakeland to Jacksonville. We help investors from around the world. And we have been doing it for years.

A fancy label means nothing if the service behind it is weak. We focus on performance, not stickers.

What The BBB Actually Says About Complaints

People love to peek at the complaint section on businesses. It is like social media gossip. But here is the thing the BBB makes very clear. You have to read complaints in context. A company that does two transactions a year and gets one complaint looks terrible. A company that does hundreds or thousands of transactions and gets a few complaints looks completely different.

The BBB even says this on their page. They tell users to consider the size of the business and the volume of transactions. They also say the way a company responds is often more important than the number of complaints.

And that is exactly where Graystone shines. The reason we hold an A plus is because of how we answer, how we communicate, and how we fix things. Not because we never had a challenge. Any real investor will tell you that challenges come with the territory.

Why Transparency Matters More Than Ever

Real estate today is loud. You have TikTok gurus telling you they made millions in two hours. You have people flashing sports cars they don’t own. You have wholesalers trying to lock up deals without understanding what a contract actually means.

In the middle of all that noise, the BBB is one of the few old-school platforms where transparency still matters. There are no filters. No edited screenshots. No marketing tricks. You either run a solid business or you don’t.

Graystone has always believed in documenting everything. We do our deals legally. We use compliance. We show our licensing. We protect our clients and tenants. We train our agents the right way. And yes, we still pick up the phone like normal humans.

That is why our BBB record looks clean. It reflects how we operate day after day.

The Bigger Picture For Investors

If you are an investor looking at different companies online, here is the truth. Most of them will never show you their BBB record. Some avoid it on purpose. Others do not want people to notice that their rating is low.

We have nothing to hide. If anything, we want people to check us out. We want people to see the A plus. We want people to see the licensing. We want people to see that we have been in business since 2017 under the same structure, same leadership, and same brand.

The reason we highlight it in our Awards section is simple. It is one more trophy that shows our consistency. Not in a loud or braggy way. Just factual. When a company can maintain an A plus rating while handling thousands of deals across so many moving parts, it says a lot about integrity and the systems behind it.

My Personal Take After 20 Plus Years

If you know me, you know I always keep it real. I have seen everything in this business. The good days, the bad days, and the days where you look up and wonder if the universe is testing your patience on purpose.

So when I say our A plus rating matters to me, it is not because of the award itself. It is because it proves something I tell the team every single day. Do right by people and business will take care of itself. Follow through even when it costs you. Choose the long game instead of the quick dollar. Stay transparent. Stay consistent.

You cannot buy an A plus. You earn it.

Closing Thoughts

The BBB is not the only measure of success, but it is one that carries weight with the community. It tells people that when they deal with Graystone, they are dealing with a company that is stable, licensed, experienced, and committed to doing things the right way.

Whether you are an investor looking for your next rental, a seller wanting a smooth closing, or a buyer trying to get into your first house hack, our A plus rating is a sign that you are in good hands.

And if you want to talk directly or explore opportunities, here is my calendar link. Book a time that works for you.

https://graystoneig.com/ceo