Charles Castellon is the founder and managing attorney of CPC Law as well as Esquire Title Company in Orlando Florida and has been using Realty Commander since 2012. Esquire handles all our short sale negotiations as well as processes and closes as title agent all short sale and other deals. He founded the firm in 2008 and built the business by representing hundreds of consumers and investors affected by the market collapse and foreclosure crisis.
Through their high volume foreclosure defense practice, we developed a case load of short sales, which has been the most common foreclosure alternative our clients have pursued. They have a team of three negotiators and processors handling all aspects of the short sales, from intake through approval and closing
What did you do before 2008, before you founded the firm?
I began my career as a public defender in New York in 1992. I learned great courtroom and people skills during that time. In 2003, I returned to Florida, where I had lived previously and attended college. I was in a partnership that practiced real estate law, among other areas, from 2004—2008 and then founded the CPC Law firm.
What advice would you give someone coming up in the industry? Be it short sales, real estate investments, or any of the various other practice areas you specialize in.
Follow Warren Buffet’s advice and be greedy when others are fearful and fearful when others are greedy. Never lose your hunger and think you’ve “arrived” because that will be the start of your downfall. When business is strong, prepare for the next downturn and always seek to be innovative while avoiding what everyone else is doing.
What was the hardest part about founding your own firm?
The biggest challenge was building a new business on my own after splitting from the last partnership. I was fortunate to ride the foreclosure wave during that historical crisis and we’ve been able to help hundreds of homeowners and investors. Several years later, the decline of foreclosures presented new challenges that have forced our firm to be adaptive while diversifying the practice.
Any interesting stories you can share?
Good and bad outcomes often fail to come to those who deserve either. I do believe in something resembling karma, but it’s not readily apparent when it will strike. I’ve seen people continuously land on their feet despite themselves and really hard luck cases who can’t catch a break. On multiple occasions, our firm has represented borrowers sued by two different lenders on the same note and mortgage, a product of the criminal behavior of the Wall Street and the lending industry. As Mark Knopfler wrote, “two men say they’re Jesus, one of them must be wrong.”
What do you do for fun? Any family? Golf? Rugby? Cage fighting?
I currently don’t have much of a life besides the business and my family, but the latter is all I need. I have a great wife and a 7-year-old and 7- month-old. Every now and then, I’ll play some golf and sleep. That’s ok because I’m building toward an exit plan in 2022 when I intend to sell out the business to a team of insiders we’re grooming to take over the firm. At that point, I expect to spend time with my family, manage investments, do good deeds and play more golf. Stay tuned.