by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff Writer
Peter Mallory, broker and owner of Castilian Properties Inc. in Fernandina Beach, is a free spirit.
He worked in a corporate real estate environment for several years and didn’t like it. So, two years ago, he decided to open his own company.
“I just decided I would be happier with my own little company where I could be on my own,” said Castilian. “I don’t have to worry about my schedule fitting someone else’s expectations.”
Castilian Properties is a full-service real estate company.
“I will do any kind of real estate including residential, commercial and land,” he said.
Currently, his office consists of him and one agent, Doug Mackle, but he is looking to expand.
Though he can’t offer Realtors a company name with national exposure, he can offer the flexibility to work at home with a better commission split than most offices require.
“There are a lot of agents out there that really don’t want to be a part of the office environment where there is of competition, so they work out of their home or their car,” he said. “I wouldn’t even mind having part-time agents.”
He said would like to have about 20 agents under his office.
Mallory said he came up with the name Castilian because it means Spanish, his Spanish heritage and the fact that Amelia Island was previously under Spanish rule.
The building that houses his office is located off the beaten path near Centre Street in downtown Fernandina. He uses the back of the building as his office and workshop while he rents the front of the building out to a private residence.
Mallory focuses on Nassau County including Amelia Island and Yulee area.
“The island isn’t completely built out, but it is pretty close,” he said. “I do see a lot of redevelopment. There are a lot of older properties that need to be retrofitted or demolished and rebuilt. The price of oceanfront is skyrocketing because it is based on the land cost.”
Mallory said he gets clients from word of mouth and from the little bit of advertising he does do in local newspapers.
He really doesn’t try to compete with the larger companies located a few blocks over from him.
Mallory has had his real estate license for 20 years.
“I got the license for personal knowledge when I was buying my first home,” he said. “I just wanted to know about real estate.”
Prior to starting his real estate career per se, he worked as a county administrator and then moved into the city planner position in Georgia for 12 years, but kept his license active on and off during that time.
“I decided I didn’t want to be a public servant anymore because you have to be willing to relocate in that field,” he said. “Or you have to be prepared to move up by moving to bigger and bigger cities. The work schedule really just didn’t appeal to me anymore.”
He started his official real estate career with a Coldwell Banker in Athens, Ga.
When he moved to Fernandina Beach in 1999, he decided to join Coldwell Banker Jasinsky and Associates because he was already familiar with the Coldwell Banker routine.
Mallory has a bachelor’s degree in urban studies from Hobart College and a master’s degree in city planning from Georgia Institute of Technology.
He is a member of the Amelia Island/Nassau County Board of Realtors and the Amelia Island/Greater Nassau County Chamber of Commerce.
When Mallory is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family or being on the water fishing or boating.
He has been married to Lisa, a Florida registered landscape architect, for 11 years. They have three boys: Sam, 9; Ben, 7 and Tom, 5.