These days, successful partnerships seem like a rarity. But Paul Pekar and Carol Ellis, the duo of Pekar/Ellis Real Estate Group fame, have found the secret to team chemistry.
The two have been a top real estate team for 28 years, providing Pacific Palisades with top-notch service and a collaborative passion for helping people achieve their dreams of home ownership.
Rich Schmitt/Staff Photographer
In this interview with the Palisadian-Post, they open up about how they got started in the industry, their long-term partnership and their recent move to join Gibson International in its new Palisades office.
Jacqueline Primo: Where did you grow up?
Carol Ellis: I’m from Boston and grew up with great New England values, including loyalty and commitment. I started working for my mother at age 12 doing filing for her insurance brokerage business.
Paul Pekar: I was raised in the Palisades from the age of five. My dad was an engineer and my mother was a housewife in the Village.
Primo: What were your favorite hobbies growing up?
Ellis: I loved to paint, cook and go to open houses with my girlfriend. We would pretend and do floor plans.
Pekar: I was heavily involved in Boy Scouts.
Primo: Did you have a business mind from an early age?
Ellis: I did. I always thought I would be in the design/art world, but the combination of skills I got in college and my interests all came together in real estate.
Pekar: I’ve always had a strong work ethic and sense of responsibility. I’ve always worked. My first job was working at a Christmas tree lot at Hughes Market at age 11 or 12, and by the time I was 18, I was managing it.
Primo: What were some of your activities or passions in high school or college?
Ellis: I started collecting vintage clothing in 1970. I wore a dress a few days ago that I’ve had for 50 years.
Pekar: I traveled through Western Europe with two friends and did cross-country touring all the way to the East Coast.
Primo: How did you get into your career in real estate?
Ellis: I started in 1971 with Huntington Realty, which was purchased by Jon Douglas Company, and that’s where I met Paul.
Pekar: I got my real estate license and went to work with my cousin. He retired six months later, and then I came to the Palisades with Jon Douglas.
Primo: What has been your proudest moment as a real estate professional?
Ellis: Many years ago, Jon Douglas asked me to do regional training for his company. I have great pride in seeing people I trained doing enormous business today.
Pekar: What makes me proud is when I’m negotiating for a client and there are multiple offers. I’ve done my best and worked my hardest and then I call them and tell them they got the house, and they burst into tears.
Primo: How has the real estate business changed in the last 5 to 10 years?
Ellis: It has gone from an extremely depressed market to an extremely active market with skyrocketing prices. Now anything that’s priced right and exposed properly will move.
Pekar: If everything was priced right, there would be no inventory.
Primo: What are the top reasons your clients give for wanting to purchase homes in the Palisades?
Ellis: The proximity to the ocean, the air quality and the strong family-oriented community somewhat isolated from crime. We still have the hometown feeling.
Primo: How did you come together as a team?
Ellis: We worked in the same office for a few years with a marvelous manager, Fred McMillan, who suggested we become partners since my previous partner had just retired. Paul became closer to me than a brother.
Primo: You recently made a move by joining Palisadian Scott Gibson’s firm, Gibson International. What prompted the change and how has the transition been?
Ellis: Working for a large corporation didn’t work for us anymore. We were seeking a local owner, and it has been the best move we ever made. Pat Heller [Gibson’s executive vice president and sales manager] is a great mentor, and this company is everything we ever desired.
Pekar: Scott had been trying to recruit us for many years, and the time was right to make a move. This is a fantastic company, and it’s a pleasure to come to work. And we didn’t lose one client.
FIVE THINGS YOU LOVE ABOUT THE PALISADES
Paul Pekar
1. Seeing the changes over the years
2. The weather
3. Convenience of the Village
4. That people have the opportunity to live in one of the best communities in the country
5. Living where I grew up and touching thousands of lives
Carol Ellis
1. Family-oriented community
2. Situated by the ocean
3. Low-crime and protected in its topography
4. Wonderful schools
5. Ambience of the Village
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