A sampling of lovely, luxury homes sold in 2020 by The Young Team. Photographs courtesy of The Young Team, part of Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan

It’s been 11 years since Ryan Young, a trained chef, joined his parents Jeff, a custom home builder and Terry, a realtor, in working in the housing industry in Northeast Ohio. Since then, he’s convinced his brother, Josh, a professional equestrian, to join the business as well. Today the Young team has 10 full-time realtors plus a unique specialist-model group of support staff, a sort of boutique set of services aimed at the team’s focus on the luxury market.
“2020 was the year we just decided would be our breakout year,” Young states. “We made a commitment (before the pandemic) that we would go all out and spend more money on marketing homes, and work on techniques that are more standard in other parts of the country, but aren’t really seen in this market. Our clients deserve the same kind of services as clients in big metropolitan areas, and we are trying to change client expectations with each seller that we help.”
Bottom line? Young estimates the team sold over $120 million in real estate last year. “That’s an increase of over 30 percent compared to 2019. We are also selling more properties over $1 million, and that has also helped the growth of our luxury division,” he states.
Young’s take is that the luxury market here is fragmented as well as a bit archaic in the way leads and properties are handled. “So many industries are seeing so much growth and change,” he says. “But I don’t see that here. Agents continue to do business the way they always have, and that’s a huge opportunity for us.”
Young describes how his team relies heavily on technology, videography and virtual reality. “It’s easy to market to people looking for a house, but I need to invest my money to address people who don’t know they’re looking,” he says. “Buyers in the luxury market don’t necessarily want to buy a house, but rather, a lifestyle. They are already comfortable in their current living situation, but if that one house comes up with a view or has been totally updated, our job is to get that inventory in front of them.”
He gives the example of someone surfing the web for, say, the cost of in-ground pools. Currently the wait in this area for installation is two to three years. But should the team have a property available with a pool in place, the objective is to get that property in front of that family. Young admits techniques like geo-tagging and IP retargeting are over his head. “I don’t know much about it, but I provide myself with experts, which allow us to gain better results – better for our clients, and better in creating opportunities.”
Young describes his team’s main territory as within an hour’s drive of Cleveland, and perhaps a bit farther if the property is extraordinary. Beyond that the team will recommend one of the partners they work with to help facilitate the best experience possible. Naturally, part of the Young team works on houses in the same territory at lower price points as well.
As for the coming year, Young states: “I am one hundred percent certain 2021 [sales] will be massive, as long as interest rates are low and people continue to put an emphasis on comfort in their home. With less money spent on travel, more money spent on your property will be a major trend this year and in fact into the next decade.”
For more information contact Ryan Young at 216.378.9618 or Ryan@TheYoungTeam.com. The Young Team is part of Keller Williams Greater Metropolitan.