No matter where your leanings take you, Platinum Real Estate and the Luxury Home Experts has a property waiting to be called home
By Patricia Nugent
Buying and selling luxury homes, which are defined in Lake County as those over $500,000, takes a special brand of finesse.
Heavy hitters Mark and Denise Zervos, and specialists Erin Paglio and Lee Jarocki, of Platinum Real Estate the Luxury Home Experts, have spent years becoming local leaders in the high-end market.
“Our strategies come down to doing our research when it comes to marketing and tapping into the right segment of buyers fit for each home,” says Denise. “The buyers are truly unique. Some want to be ultra-secluded and others want to show the world they’re the biggest house in the neighborhood. Some have specific collections they need to accommodate. For instance, we sold one that had a two-story space for up to 18 cars with a lift, and another with a 5,000-bottle capacity wine cellar with the technology to chip every bottle so it can be recorded.”
Home sales in the Lake County luxury market have been robust this summer. As seen in the chart, during June, July and August, 58 homes were sold or are pending sale, with 34 currently on the market.
Every Home Tells a Story
Through collaboration, the team puts together a narrative for each luxury property.
“We appeal to people’s emotions and make connections, bringing a story to life a buyer would want to make their own,” she says. “When we identify the kind of buyer a home will appeal to, we use our research to strategize how to get it in front of their eyes. We put our homes in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, the Robb Report and Dupont Registry, as well as other niche places like Mansion Global and MarketWatch. On the international front, we work with websites such as Barron’s International and Juwai.com, which is the leading overseas property site that will translate our home’s selling points in different languages across China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore to name a few. As part of MLS Global, we make sure our homes are featured to discriminating buyers in more than 70 countries.”
Denise points out that with the major hospital systems, and big companies moving into Northeast Ohio, the area has become a hub for international home buyers.
The team also researches the provenance of a home’s finishes and materials, finding out where they are sourced, which artists may have painted murals, etc. “Even down to the appliances, if we see a La Cornue range, which can run upwards of $100,000, we’ll be sure to position that home to gourmet food lovers,” she adds.
Available Now
Two of the properties Platinum is currently offering for sale couldn’t be more different.
“The ultra-secluded, seven-bedroom estate on a lush, 5-acre lot in Kirtland Hills shown here offers an escape from bustling city life,” she says. “There’s plenty of space, with 13,000 square feet spread over three floors accented by marble and natural stonework throughout. With a home theatre, wine cellar, pub and spacious pool, this oasis feels very much like a private resort.” It’s priced at $2.1 million.
And the two-story penthouse home on one of Cleveland’s toniest addresses—Lakeside Avenue—also seen here, is a crown jewel overlooking downtown Cleveland, with sprawling views of the lake, the stadium and the rest of downtown.
“Its contemporary setting was recently renovated, including jaw-dropping elements of natural woods and metals, a super modern 8-foot linear fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows to take the panorama in,” says Denise. “You can call it home for $2.4 million.”
Waterfront Living at Its Best
“Wherever you are in the world, situated along a coastline will be the most expensive homes in a city,” explains Denise Zervos. “With sweeping views and beachfront access, it’s like buying your own resort. In Cleveland, we are particularly blessed with lakefront homes that are proportionally much more affordable per square foot than other places like Chicago or the East Coast. What would cost $1 million here would cost $10 million elsewhere.”
Lake County offers abundant neighborhoods stretched along the lake, from the cities of Willowick and Eastlake to Willoughby, Mentor, Painesville, North Perry and Madison Township.
“Our Group has a reputation for ‘selling lakefront,’ that’s grown over the past years especially,” says Denise, noting this spring and summer, they have sold the majority of lakefront homes in the area. They are also often among the first to see opportunities before they unfold. “We’ve recently gotten the inside track on land along the shore in downtown Cleveland within a sheltered cove that would make the perfect spot for an investor to build high-rise condos. It even has boat docks.”
Headquartered within The Platinum Center, at 7200 Mentor Street in Mentor, Platinum Real Estate has offices in Ohio, Florida and South Carolina. To get more information, call 844-LUX-PROS or visit ClevelandLuxuryExperts.com. For information on the Kirtland Sanctuary home, go to KirtlandSanctuary.com and for the penthouse, visit CLEPenthouse.com.