Westlake real estate company expands and celebrates 20-year anniversary

WESTLAKE, Ohio — The Ed Huck Team of Keller-Williams Realty celebrated its 20th anniversary in Westlake Oct. 14, holding a red ribbon grand opening of its new offices.

Mayor Dennis Clough wielded the scissors.

“Our new office is the culmination of hard work and the loyal support of our clients and partners,” commented Ed Huck, the company’s president.

“For the past 20 years, the Ed Huck Team has been growing and evolving,” he said, “and we have been working diligently to change the way real estate is sold in Northeast Ohio.”

Huck said the complexity of the sales process has been streamlined for customers, but behind the scenes a lot of people are involved in customers’ transactions “due to technology that is made more simple now for the customer.”

The new, 6200-square-foot office is located at 24600 Detroit Road, Suite 100, in the Teal Building. The move gives Ed and his wife and partner, Julie, vice president of business development, a lot of room for their 20 employees to move around in, compared to the 3,200 square feet they had on Clemens Road.

Huck said the real estate industry has been “a fun ride.” He said his mother and stepfather were Realtors. At first, when he was in high school, Huck said he wanted to become an architect. Then he went into the U.S. Air Force for five years, and when he came out, he went back to school and obtained his real estate license.

By that time, his parents had gotten out of the business and moved into varied other businesses.

“I saw if you work 60 hours per week, you get a return,” Huck said. “And I love houses and construction. I saw it as an outlet.”

He obtained his license in 1992 and began with Realty One and stayed there up until about 2007, when he left with his team already built.

The new office space, though, is not just space for Huck’s team. It is for past clients and even community organizations to use as well.

The office includes traditional work spaces and conference rooms, but also boasts a more than 1,000-square-foot community room, complete with a full kitchen that can be reserved by past customers and partners.

“The space is ideal for hosting small events,” said Huck, “including parties and meetings, and comfortably accommodates up to 40 people, with full audio and visual capabilities, too.”

Part of the mission for the Ed Huck Team, he said, “is to provide unparalleled personal service, and that extends far after a client buys or sells a home. The number one complaint on the listing side was lack of communication with their agent in the past, but we have follow-ups now to address that every few days.

“And we have tailored our communications around what the customer wants. For buyers, we sit down with them for an in-depth meeting in the beginning — a deep dive to know what they really want.”

In the end, he said, “We want to become a trusted adviser and create an ongoing relationship to become their Realtors for life.”

Currently, about 70 percent of the Ed Huck Team sales come from past customers. The industry average, he said, is less than 30 percent.

But, statistics aside, Huck gave a more personal view of helping people to buy and sell homes.

“Today, moving is so stressful,” he said. “It is rewarding to guide someone through the process, be a bit of a counselor and have an ongoing relationship with them.”

One might end an interview with Ed Huck by saying, “Good luck.” But it doesn’t look like he will need it.

For questions or more information, contact Mindi Carr, marketing director for the Ed Huck Team, at [email protected] or call 440-529-4151.

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