Christopher Allen has been a site agent with Admiral Homes for a year.
WHERE IS HE LOCATED?
He currently sits in a model in Timber Point off Argyle Forest Boulevard, but since that development is sold out, he is mainly selling for OakLeaf Plantation, which is less than five miles away from his model.
“We are one of five builders out there.” He said he stays in the model because they get a lot of traffic because of OakLeaf Plantation. “I’m sitting here to pull in some of that traffic and then I take them to OakLeaf. It works out very well because there are still a lot of people who don’t know where OakLeaf is or what is going on there. So, they see my sign, pull in and that’s where I can get them. I also sell in a community called Hawks Pointe which is also Argyle Forest area.”
WHERE WAS HE BEFORE?
He did a short stint with Vanguard/GMAC Real Estate in general real estate.
WHY GO INTO SITE SALES?
“The money. In general real estate, it takes so long to get paid. My wife was wondering when I was going to make some sales. General real estate is definitely a different market. I wanted something more hands on that I could control and go out there and market myself.”
WHY GET INTO REAL ESTATE?
“I came from corporate America. I used to work for Prudential Life Insurance downtown as a claims adjuster.” Allen didn’t like corporate America and all the restraints that came with it, so he left Prudential to get into real estate investing. Finally, he decided to get his real estate license and jump into real estate full time. “In corporate America, you always knew how much you were going to make. I didn’t like that. No matter how hard you worked or how many hours you worked, you always knew exactly how much you were going to make. I wanted to be able to set my own destiny. If I work harder, I make more money. If I’m a slacker, then I make less money.”
MILITARY EXPERIENCE
He was in the Air Force for four years and when he got out in 1996, he moved to Jacksonville and got the job with Prudential.
WHAT’S ADMIRAL DOING IN OAKLEAF?
Allen said they are currently selling around 200-300 homes in various communities in OakLeaf Plantation. “We are more of a production builder, but we have over 30 different floor plans for customers to choose from. We have an in-house architect, so there are some changes that we can make to a particular plan. Our square footage ranges from 1,200-3,644 square foot. Pricing ranges from $140,000 all the way to $300,000.”
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT YOUR JOB?
“The customer service. I like the interaction with the people to help them find a particular plan that they like. I like dealing with the different types of people who come through the door. It’s always amazing to see the different types of people who come here.”
WHAT HAS HELPED YOU MOST TO GET YOU WHERE YOU ARE TODAY?
“My personality. I’m a people person as far as dealing with people so they can see the genuineness in my spirit. I say it like it is and people know that if I said it, I meant it.”
LESSONS LEARNED?
“Not to pre-judge and not to assume anything.”
ADVICE FOR NEW SITE AGENTS?
Allen said to be aggressive because it is not going to just come through the door. “You have to set your goals and if you have a goal in mind just go get it. It’s not going to happen overnight. There are a lot of changes in this industry. Find a mentor. Find someone that you can look at and say ‘I want to be like that person’ or ‘I like those skills that that person has’ and take those things from that individual.”
MARKETING?
“As a site agent, I don’t like to sit here and wait for people to come to me. I want to be able to get out there and say ‘Hey, come to see me.’”
Allen attends a lot of Realtor meetings and events. “I also bring breakfast to a lot of Tuesday morning Realtor meetings and do presentations. I’m constantly networking.”
HOW ARE GENERAL REAL ESTATE AGENTS IMPORTANT TO YOU?
“They are the lifeblood of my business. Those Realtors have so many different clients that they deal with every day. If they like you and they know you have a great product they will bring those people to you.”
HOMETOWN?
Chicago.
MOVED TO JACKSONVILLE?
In 1996.
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
Northeast Florida Builders Association and its Sales and Marketing Council.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO WHEN NOT WORKING?
He enjoys doing projects around his house, playing basketball with his son and reading.
RESIDES
Southside.
FAMILY
He has been married to Tiffany for eight years. He has one son, Deandre, 12.
FAVORITES
Two movies that he saw recently and enjoyed were “Duplex” and “Sixth Sense.” A book he recommends is “Trump: The Art of the Deal” by Donald Trump. When relaxing at home, he enjoyed tuning into “The Apprentice,” but now that that is over, he likes “CSI” or “Third Watch.” “I actually tried to get onto ‘The Apprentice’, but my sales manager wouldn’t let me go.” A place he enjoys visiting is Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios and his favorite restaurant is Carrabba’s Italian Grill.
-by Michele Newbern Gillis