He sold them a house. She sold them a house. He sold them another house. She sold them another house. After numerous years of each being a top real estate professional in the City of Cleveland and beyond, there was bound to be some overlapping of clients.
“There were times we were on either side of the transaction,” says Realtor Carolyn Bentley, co-managing partner of Ted & Co./The Bentley Group with Howard Hanna Real Estate Services. “Recently, we have been reviewing 20 years of clients, and we noticed it’s happened three or four times in some cases.”
The other half of that “we” is Ted Theophylactos, co-managing partner of Ted & Co./The Bentley Group, and also with the Cleveland City Office of Howard Hanna. Theophylactos is classified as the real estate company’s “very best of the best,” top 1% of agents.
These two could have been fierce competitors, but they are smarter than that. At the end of February of this year, Bentley and Theophylactos joined forces and created a real estate power partnership. They combined to operate under one team name because each has a strong brand and impeccable reputation. Also, each brings certain related real estate groups and repeat clients to the table.
But their combined teams are working together, creating what some in the residential real estate market are calling “the merger of the decade.”
“Ted and I have had parallel careers for about the past 15 years,” says Bentley. “We both focus a lot on new construction and particularly in Cleveland neighborhoods. We have built up our expertise in these areas and are passionate about what happens to people and their neighborhoods.”
But Bentley and Theophylactos are not twins, and that works to their advantage and ultimately to the benefit of those looking to buy or sell homes. Bentley brings an intense respect and understanding for systems, organization and recordkeeping needed for a successful real estate career. Theophylactos’ upbeat personality, networking and negotiating skills, as well as his connections to just about everyone in Cleveland’s urban real estate world, are well known. He often concentrates on big builders and larger housing developments, sometimes with 20 or 30 units, while Bentley specializes in smaller builders and architects.
“Combining things allowed us to streamline the process. That really gave me more time to spend with my clients,” says Theophylactos. “We took the best of both our systems and that made it easier because we became more efficient. Clients appreciate that.”
City Living Spotlight
Realtors Ted Theophylactos and Carolyn Bentley of Howard Hanna’s Cleveland City office invite home buyers to contact them for more information about these new construction opportunities:
Harbor Whitman Ohio City Townhomes W. 44th St., north of Lorain Ave. – Each of the four townhomes, designed by architect redhouse studio llc, and built by Keystate Homes, features two bedrooms with en-suite baths. Private balconies, 10-foot ceilings and wood floors add to the homes’ desirability.
“These are smaller units that start in the $400,000s, but they have efficient layouts,” says Theophylactos, whose listings frequently qualify for the City of Cleveland’s tax abatements. “Harbor Whitman brings a product to a market that has really been underserved.”
The Vantage, 5217 Herman Ave. – Located in the Detroit Shoreway neighborhood, these five, larger contemporary residences feature three bedrooms and three full baths. Priced between $719,000 and $760,000, the units are currently under construction. The homes are minutes from Edgewater Beach and Gordon Square Arts District.
“The Vantage brought innovations to new townhome construction here, including three-car attached garages and side terraces,” says Theophylactos. “And the views of Lake Erie are great.”
Stand-alone single-family homes, corner of Monroe Ave. and W. 30st St. – These seven new single-family homes (two complete and five under construction) range in price from $600,000 to $678,000. All feature attached two-car garages. Bentley will also be showing several new single-family homes ($600,000 to $700,000) in Duck Island this year. These homes are being built by neighboorhood favorite custom home builders Berges Home Performance.
