Don and his nephew Mike Pellicer opened Pellicer Properties in Jacksonville’s St. Nicholas area at 2223 Atlantic Blvd. in January. The new company which offers various options in commission splits.
You may recognize the Pellicer name from the Century 21 Mann-Pellicer real estate company. Mann-Pellicer Inc., as it is now known, dropped the Century 21 franchise last year because they didn’t want to renew the franchise for another five or 10 years. “It just didn’t make any sense for us at our age,” said Don, who is still involved in both companies. Mike was with Century 21 Mann-Pellicer, but left to start Pellicer Properties.
Who does what?
Don is the broker/owner and handles the office management, recruiting and working with agents. Mike is an owner/agent and he lists and sells, recruits and works with agents as well. The company handles listings, sales and property management.
The staff
Christy Pellicer is the property manager. Agents include Katherine Hush, Kim Canaday, Carol Burnes, Jay Tejera, Dave Pellicer, Rob Fankhauser, Les Ford and Larry Jackson.
The new office
“I had worked for Century 21 Mann-Pellicer for 18 years and I got to the point where I needed to make more money off my splits,” said Mike. “What I was thinking is that if I’m feeling that way I guarantee you that a lot of other people feel that way. So, what we decided to do was to put together an office where you are really working for yourself. You are working under a broker’s license, but we offer several commission split options for the agents to help maximize their income potential. It’s very cut and dried and simple.”
Don adds, “We think the real estate business has changed irrevocably and I don’t think it will ever go back to the way it was. The reason why is because of the technology in the business now with the iPads, smartphones, Internet, scanners and computers. The idea of coming to an office to work every day is not what agents think about anymore.”
Working space
Don said they have a large bullpen area in the back of the office with cubicles, computers and printers so if the agents need to work in the office, they are more than welcome.
“What we are trying to do is to give them a situation where it’s up to them,” said Mike. “They want to come in and work, come in and work. If they want to stay home and work, stay home and work. We are here if they want us, but otherwise we stay out of their way. We want to be all things to all people.”
The routine
The company does not have sales meetings or floor duty. “At Pellicer Properties we give our agents the tools to be successful in a dynamic real estate market,” said Mike. “Unencumbered by broker commissions, weekly sales meetings and floor-time, our agents are free to expand their individual networks, explore leads and appease their clients. What we are offering is for agents to be able to work for themselves at a better number.”
Type of agents you hire?
Don said they only hire seasoned real estate agents. Thus, there’s no training for new agents.
Expansion?
“We want to become the biggest single real estate office in Jacksonville,” said Don. “We feel we can do that because of our concept. We feel the business is such that if you are not working with buyers or sellers or generating buyers and sellers, what is the sense of going into an office? We feel that we can put as many licenses here to work under our brokerage if we can use cutting edge technology to help them and stay out of their way.”
Area your office covers?
Since they are located in the St. Nicholas area, it allows easy access to service St. Nicholas, San Marco, Riverside, Avondale, Springfield or wherever their agents want to cover. “We are situated right in the heart of Jacksonville which allows us to do that more easily,” said Don.
Compete in this market?
“The more people you see, the more business you do, so it’s all about contacts,” said Don. “What we want to do is to understand our mix of agents and do whatever we can to help them.”
— by Michele Gillis