Mallett Real Estate reaches 50-year milestone

DOVER-FOXCROFT — For a half century the family owned and operated Mallett Real Estate — which has had included three generations of the Mallett family over five decades — has served Dover-Foxcroft and the region as the community’s hometown agency.
Mallett Real Estate was launched by Pauline Mallett in 1967, when she was one of the first two women in Piscataquis County to become a licensed real estate broker. A few years later the business was operated out of the Lincoln Street home of Mallett’s son and daughter-in-law Neil and Patsy, who continue to own Mallett Real Estate today.
Patsy Mallett said she got her real estate license in 1983 and Neil Mallett would later finish teaching high school English to work in real estate full-time when the Mallett Real Estate office space was moved from Lincoln to North Street.
Patsy Mallett said the former site of a laundromat and the American Legion, which were destroyed by fire, near the intersection of North Street with Lincoln and West Main streets became available. After appraising the parcel she made the owner an offer and purchased the site of the new home of Mallett Real Estate.
“In January 1994 we moved in,” Neil Mallett said about the building they had constructed. “And we have been in every day since,” Patsy Mallett added.
When asked what she likes best about her job, Patsy Mallett said, “Meeting people and getting the deals to close.”
She added, “It’s something different each day, it’s not boring. It’s pretty much fun most of the time.”
“No two days are the same,” Neil Mallett added, saying this is different than teaching in the classroom.
“We have met a lot of really nice people,” Patsy Mallett said, adding that another perk is she gets to work with her family every day.
Among the Mallett Real Estate staff are the Malletts’ daughters Julie and Laura, who are both part of the family business on a part-time basis. Julie Mallett serves as a broker and consultant for the agency between her work as an attorney for Legal Services for the Elderly in Bangor. Laura Mallett is a part-time associate broker in addition to being a guidance counselor at the Penquis Valley School in Milo.
The four Mallett family members each grew up in the area, graduated from Foxcroft Academy and live in and are active in their community today.
The Mallett Real Estate staff also includes Walter Boomsma, Gilman Glover and Tom Rukszinis, each of whom shares the company’s philosophy of hard work and has brought to Mallett Real Estate their own talents and experiences in providing the best service to clients.
“There’s not many independent companies left, we know no other way” Patsy Mallett said about one of the changes in the industry over the decades.
Neil Mallett said when they started transactions were completed with a single sheet of paper and in the years since the amount of necessary paperwork has increased as has the complexity of advertising, marketing and financing. He said the brokers and banks they dealt with were at one time all local and today are located across the state and beyond.
The Malletts feel their stability and reputation of providing personal service, with returning and new customers, has made the agency a success for five decades. “We are hometown, loyal, real, honest and we are just everyday normal people,” Patsy Mallett said.
Neil Mallett said the official 50th anniversary of Mallett Real Estate will be in July. He said when his mother launched the agency in the summer of 1967 he and his brother Dave — who has gone on to become a nationally acclaimed singer/songwriter — were on tour performing as the Mallett Brothers.
The two said no formal celebrations are planned for the 50-year milestone. “Probably we will be working,” Patsy Mallett said. “This is what we have always done and we will keep doing this as long as we can.”
“It will be a pretty regular day,” Neil Mallett added about the approaching 50th anniversary date.
For more information on Mallett Real Estate, please call 564-8073 or go to www.mallettrealestate.com.

Observer photo/Stuart Hedstrom
A HALF CENTURY FOR MALLETT REAL ESTATE — For 50 years Mallett Real Estate of Dover-Foxcroft has served the community. Owners Neil and Patsy Mallett, pictured in their North Street office, are part of three generations involved in the agency. Mallett Real Estate was started by Neil Mallett’s mother Pauline in 1967, and today Neil and Patsy’s daughters Laurie and Julie are both involved in the family business.