(Brothers Tim (L) and Ryan Buccola, owners of RE/MAX Key Properties in Bend | Photos courtesy of RE/MAX Key Properties)
Growing up, brothers Ryan and Tim Buccola had such a great relationship that their father would often have to come into their room at 2 in the morning to break up their friendly ping-pong matches.
Since that time, the brothers, as well as other members of the family, have pursued careers in real estate, following in their father’s footsteps. “Our father has been a broker our whole lives, so we were raised this way; he was a fantastic mentor,” says Tim. “Our sister is a broker and office owner in the Bay Area, and our mother, Cande Buccola, is CFO of RE/MAX Key Properties Oregon. This really runs in the family; it runs deep in our genes.”
In 2015, Ryan and Tim were working in the industry and say they sensed a shift in the market following the recession, so they purchased RE/MAX Key Properties Oregon. “We saw a good business opportunity, and wanted to expand our field and experience, having had a large real estate group prior. We were ready to apply those principles and culture to a broader spectrum,” says Ryan. “From an ownership standpoint, we are second-generation real estate brokers. We grew up in the business, and we really know what a real estate office should look like, how it should feel, etc. We were ready to share that with others from a broker’s standpoint.”
Ryan says their model in taking ownership of RE/MAX Key Properties Oregon — a full-service real estate brokerage specializing in residential, luxury, commercial, new construction and ranch and land properties — was to provide a platform for drama-free, producing brokers. “Our marketplace has seen exponential growth in numbers in terms of licensed brokers, but that doesn’t necessarily translate into quality brokers. Our challenge is aligning with and recruiting top-notch brokers to our brokerage.” Tim adds, “This is not just from a numbers standpoint, but from an ethics and work ethic standpoint; we are not necessarily looking for the most top-producing brokers; we are looking for quality and people who are in it for the right reasons; they will rise to the top. It just takes time and work.”
So far, business is fantastic, agree the brothers. “We’ve had excelling growth since the purchase,” says Ryan. “We’ve been in ownership for six years. It’s taken that long to re-establish RE/MAX Key Properties Oregon as dependable and trustworthy operators, and we truly work on behalf of our brokers as a family.”
In October 2021, the company announced the purchase of its new Bend headquarters at 42 Greenwood Avenue. Renovations are under way, with an expected opening date in August 2022. The 9,468-square-foot site will nearly double the operational space of RE/MAX Key Properties’ current location on Franklin Avenue and provide an elevated experience for brokers and their clients. “This project is an exciting step forward, for our brokerage and for this section of Greenwood Avenue within the downtown core,” says Ryan. “For us, it is an especially unique opportunity to honor the history of the building, while being a stakeholder as planning for this area moves forward with improved connectivity between the east and west side of Bend.”
Tim, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Southern Oregon University, began his career as a mortgage lender, then obtained his real estate license and joined the Buccola Group at the Hasson Company. Ryan is licensed in Oregon and has extensive experience in OREO (other real estate owned) transactions, as well as in-depth expertise in land development, entitlements and new construction marketing. He began his sales career in the outdoor sports industry working as an independent sales representative for several manufacturers. Covering this territory helped develop his knowledge of regional markets. Switching his focus to real estate, Ryan continued his career with Schneider Homes, Windermere and John L. Scott, and has consistently been in the top ten percent of producers of his peers since being licensed.
As their company grows, Tim says he and Ryan have worked hard to maintain and keep the company culture aligned with their values. “As we grow, our challenge is to provide an environment and the support that brokers really thrive in. Some of our greatest successes are knowing where we want to be internally, from our operations and management to the front office and marketing,” he says. “Over time and through pointed decision-making, we have come to a point where our operations and employee culture are in line with the values of the company we wanted to be when we purchased RE/MAX.” Ryan adds, “I would add that our greatest triumphs are seeing brokers who are in line with our vision and culture coming to RE/MAX and thriving; seeing production and commissions increase; and being successful and having the resources here 24 hours per day to be successful.”
When they aren’t working, the Buccolas enjoy the recreational activities Central Oregon offers. Tim loves camping with his wife and three sons, hiking, whitewater rafting and fly fishing. He also enjoys horseback riding, lavender farming, ranch sorting and team penning and raising cattle and quarter horses. Ryan is an avid snowboarder and fly fisherman, and is active in a number of professional memberships as well as volunteer work.
In owning, running and developing a business with a family member, Tim says there are a lot of highs and lows, but that having a partner who is a brother makes the journey better, easier and more fulfilling because of the successes they get to share with each other and their family. “I would say that we have a really strong relationship,” says Ryan. “We continue to work together to check each other and work through hard things and fun things from different perspectives. In the end, we think we have a really good balance.” He adds, “Since we were young kids, we have shared rooms, bunk beds, offices, etc. We are in step together a lot. We really enjoy what we do. This is a lot of fun for us.”
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