by Miranda G. McLeod
Staff Writer
A native of Jacksonville’s beaches, Nancy Maloy doesn’t stray far from home and her office is just west of the Intracoastal on Beach Boulevard.
Maloy is the president of Floridian Lifestyles Realty. She incorporated the company in 2005 and remains confident about the Northeast Florida market.
“We kicked off in September (2005) and it seems like the longest year of my life,” she said. “But it’s been a great year, and I think 2007 will be great.”
Maloy started her real estate career 18 years ago. She said her passion for the industry keeps her going. She’s been investing in real estate since the early 1980s, and she said she’s been through tough times, recalling 18 and 19 percent interest rates.
“I was still selling then,” she said.
There are five factors Maloy said have helped her through the years:
• Passion and love for the industry.
• Hard work.
• Time in the industry.
• A little bit of luck.
• Great connections that have enhanced her abilities.
Maloy passes those factores on to her sales staff, which has tripled in size since Floridian Lifestyles opened its doors.
Maloy said she has sold every kind of real estate, including relocation and commercial.
Maloy served as president of another local realty company and also spent five years as the regional sales manager for Coldwell Banker The Condo Store, where she specialized in converting rental properties into condominiums.
Did You Know?
• Sellers’ satisfaction with their agent was high in 2006. Half of sellers also used the same agent for their home purchase. In addition, 82 percent of sellers indicated they were likely to use the same agent again or recommend their agent to others. (2006 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers)
“I loved the challenge of getting the projects off the ground,” she said.
During her time at The Condo Store, Maloy and her team achieved more than $40 million in sales within a nine-month period for the Plaza Condominiums at Berkman Plaza.
Maloy owned a condo at Berkman and recently sold it. While the current market is different from the past, according to Maloy, it’s more stable.
The market is where it should be and it’s a great time to reenter, she said, though the last ebb of the market went longer than expected with too many speculators.
“We heard the talk for years but now is a perfect time to get back into the market,” she said. “The market needed to do what it did.”
Maloy said it’s necessary to educate the buyer that they aren’t going to steal the deal as they were able to do previously.
“More people are holding out. The market hasn’t done what the media portrayed,” said Maloy. “The media almost killed us. People in California are still saying the Northeast Florida market is strong.”
Maloy sees that strength in the market first hand through her clients. Among others, Floridian Lifestyles Realty began the pre-sales for Waterman’s Bluff community, where homes are priced from $1.2 to $3 million. The company is also the exclusive sales and marketing arm for the planned Salida Del Sol multi-family gated neighborhood in St. Augustine.
For now, Maloy intends to keep building the company. She said her business is very service- and customer-oriented, providing hands-on education. Eventually, Maloy wants her own free-standing building and would like to invest in her own projects.
Maloy’s next step, however, is an Internet real estate company. She’s putting the initial plans together to reach a customer base that uses the Web to find homes in North Florida.
“We’re building goals one step at a time,” said Maloy.