Alitha Young and Jim Matel
Farrin Properties recently welcomed two realtors to its ranks. James “Jim” Matel and Alitha Young, known as Team Round Pond, recently joined the Damariscotta-based agency.
Both Matel and Young are year-round Round Pond residents who connected at Matel’s business, Round Pond Coffee. Young, who grew up spending the summer at her family’s home in Round Pond, was childhood friends with Sarah Matel, Jim’s wife.
“We got to talking about the future and about real estate, and it just made sense that we should be partners,” Matel said.
Matel and Young decided to brand themselves as “Team Round Pond,” because they are a team through and through, Young said.
“We really cover each other’s strengths and weaknesses,” Young said. “Jim’s strengths are inspections and systems, and mine is with contracts, so we can help our clients in all ways.”
“As partners we can work on a project together and share different ideas of how to solve it,” added Matel. “In this case, one and one equals way more than two.”
Matel and Young chose Farrin Properties as the place to grow the Team Round Pond brand due to the experience of broker-owner Wayne Farrin. Matel has known Farrin a long time, as they coached their sons’ basketball team together.
“We wanted a place to grow Team Round Pond and do it the way we wanted, but we also wanted someone with a lot of experience in the business to guide us and allow us to pick his brain,” said Matel.
For Farrin, the addition of Team Round Pond complements the rest of his staff well.
“Teams like this are becoming a more prevalent thing, I think,” Farrin said. “I really get two for the price of one, and they are a great fit with the people who are working here already.”
Matel and Young are focused on becoming the dominant realtors in Bremen, Bristol, and South Bristol, but they will travel wherever their clients need.
Matel has a family history in real estate, as both his brother and mother have experience in the industry. Prior to opening Round Pond Coffee, he worked as the general manager at the Boothbay Harbor Yacht Club. He and his wife, Sarah, have two sons, Teddy and Seward, as well as a dog, Willa, and a cat, Clyde.
Before relocating to Round Pond, Young was the CFO of a commercial real estate lending company in California. In addition to being a realtor, Young is an artist and designer. She and her husband, Jim Barnes, have a dog named Lulu.
Farrin Properties is located in the Pine Grove Plaza at 767 Main St. in Damariscotta. More information is available online at farrinproperties.com.
