Ackerman Group ranks No. 1

For Barbara Ackerman and her son, Ryan, becoming 2015’s top-ranked real estate group in Sarasota and Manatee counties for sales volume was a combination of hard work and differing approaches.

“The energy that comes from Ryan’s point of view being the age he is, 40, is really energizing and takes another angle to the market,” Barbara Ackerman said. “His energy and younger perspective works well with my experience.”

The Ackerman Group had a total sales volume of $77.7 million in 2015, a 30% increase from 2014.

The group formed in 2013, and Ryan Ackerman joined his mother in 2014, after working in commercial real estate in Miami.

“The idea of having a family group is really appealing to some people,” Barbara Ackerman said.

Barbara Ackerman earned her Master of Arts in speech pathology from New York University and moved down to Sarasota in 1972. She decided to obtain her real estate license when she realized speech pathology was not a career fit for her in Sarasota.

“When I came to Sarasota, there was only one speech pathologist, and she had the job,” she said. “I had to adjust to what was available here in Sarasota.”

She has now been a Realtor in the Sarasota area for more than 25 years.

The choice to move back to Sarasota from Miami was an easy one for Ryan Ackerman.

“Ryan was born and raised in Sarasota and really saw the incredible growth and energy that Sarasota had developed while he was living in Miami,” Barbara Ackerman said. “He wanted to come back here to raise his family.”

The Ackermans’ goal for 2016 is to keep the No. 1 ranking and sell even more homes.

“Now we have the pressure of this year to keep this ranking, but it’s a good pressure to have,” Barbara Ackerman said. “We’re extremely grateful for the business we had last year and hope to keep that up for this year.”