Agents Jason Castro and Liz Mello made a big announcement this week — well, actually, two big announcements. Castro is moving to Compass Real Estate, and Mello is joining forces with Castro as co-principal, along with her team of agents.
daltxrealestate.com readers (and anyone paying attention to Dallas real estate) will know Castro from our coverage of his renovations and upcoming Big Bear Mountain vacation property.
A former English teacher and literacy specialist, Liz Mello is a third-generation East Dallasite with strong ties to the community. Mello has worked with both Dave Perry Miller and Meyer Group Real Estate brokerages. Liz and Jason met when their children attended school together, and they later became colleagues at the Lakewood office of Coldwell Banker Realty. When that office closed recently, and many of the agents found themselves asking, “What’s next?”
Jason said, “What if we could do something together?”
daltxrealestate.com sat down with Jason and Liz to talk about the move and the future of The Castro Group at Compass Real Estate.
How did the two of you come together?
Castro: For a long time I have been saying that we need someone who can lead and guide our agents. Liz has a passion for nurturing and mentoring people, and that same kind of relational-driven attitude that she takes to her clients, she also brings to working with agents, so that was a missing piece I saw within our organization that was a perfect fit.
Mello: It happened super organically. Our families know each other, and we did a deal together at Coldwell that went very smoothly.
Castro: That deal — we had found a client through Instagram. Liz had a listing that was perfect for our client, and we were able to do the deal together and make it work. And now we are helping that couple design and add on to that house as well. And in that moment it was like, OK, this is what I’ve been trying to do.
Why Compass?
Castro: The tech is superior. From the app to the CRM, it’s very impressive. Their network — where we’re building projects and renovating — I think Compass has one of the largest partner shares, with their Compass Exclusives, which opens up a lot of opportunities for us.
Their network, the ability to presell, there’s just no comparison. I’ve been a fan from the very beginning… it’s amazing since we’ve gone into the onboarding, how turn-key it is. Their proposition is “We want to give you your time back,” and that’s the key for any agent.
Mello: The Lakewood office of Coldwell Banker recently closed, and Compass Lakewood is extremely high-performing, so from that perspective, it was a no-brainer.
What will The Castro Group look like going forward?
Mello: I came over with three other agents and Jason had two at the time, and we’re onboarding two right now.
daltxrealestate: Are Castro Stays and Castro Casa separate from The Castro Group?
Castro: Yes. I’ve been so focused on the design/build stuff, that I don’t have the time for the agent work, and Liz is so plugged in on all the agents. Liz has the pulse on everything that’s going on with agents and in the market. We really complement each other in that way.
Castro: I think there’s an endless amount of business to chase and produce, and you have to be efficient with your time, or otherwise it will just own your life. So the heart behind the team is to give them the power and the path to a career that they love and to fast forward through all of the hard times in the beginning when you don’t know what to do. What does it mean to create a place where agents can thrive and how can we bring people together? That’s what we’ve always been working toward.
Soft Launch Party
Join the new era of The Castro Group at their soft launch party, which will take place at one of their recent renovations, currently listed by Liz Mello.
What we’re doing is creating community, whether it’s through the homes we’re building, or the team were building, or the clients we’re serving.
Jason Castro
