The residential real estate market is seeing a shift in how properties are bought and sold, especially in areas where lifestyle and amenities matter more than proximity to job centers. Jay Olshonsky, founder of Forty Two Plus LLC and CEO of Sea Glass, a recently expanded residential franchise, sees the main opportunity not in challenging mega-firms like Compass or Anywhere, but in serving a buyer profile that large national platforms often ignore.
Olshonsky identifies a pattern among affluent buyers: many own multiple homes across different lifestyle destinations. “Someone who has a home on Cape Cod might have a home in the Caribbean or in Florida,” he explains. This network effect creates natural ties between geographically distant markets, especially for high-performing teams.
Unlike traditional residential buyers who move for work, these high-net-worth individuals are making decisions based on lifestyle preferences. They often purchase in places like Martha’s Vineyard, Charleston, coastal Maine, or mountain ski towns, and typically own more than one property across regions.
Sea Glass was established to serve this group. The company began in the Caribbean and, in the past 15 months, has opened 15 new offices in similar markets. Olshonsky says the brand is about more than just real estate: “All of the real estate where Sea Glass was born is around lifestyle. People live on the islands not because there are huge job opportunities. They want to be near the water. They want to be in tourist areas.”
A Deliberate Geographic Strategy
Sea Glass is expanding into locations that fit this lifestyle-first approach: Amelia Island, the Connecticut shoreline, the Ozark lakes, Fort Myers, mountain communities in Virginia, and coastal markets from Maine to the Gulf Coast. The company is also seeing interest along California’s coastline, in the Finger Lakes region of New York, and in ski towns from North Carolina to the West Coast.
According to Olshonsky, this strategy differentiates Sea Glass from large national firms. “We’re creating something new to the market,” he says. The company is investing in technology to support its agents, but emphasizes that local expertise and younger leadership are equally important.
National platforms tend to focus on suburban metropolitan markets with high transaction volumes, but lifestyle markets require specific community knowledge and relationships built over time. Olshonsky argues that boutique operators can develop this expertise because they are not stretched across every market. This focus creates an advantage that larger firms struggle to match.
Franchise Model
For teams considering a franchise, Olshonsky says the main appeal is ownership and access to infrastructure. “If you own your individual business, you control commissions and team structure,” he explains. The franchise model provides legal structure, training, onboarding, technology, and brand identity, which Olshonsky calls “a business in a box.” This support enables teams to focus on clients without building these systems from scratch.
The network effect of a multi-location franchise is particularly valuable in lifestyle markets. Buyers who own homes in multiple regions create natural referral opportunities among franchise offices—something independent local teams cannot easily offer. This interconnectedness is a key selling point for agents serving clients who move between seasonal homes or invest in several destinations.
Attracting the Next Generation
Olshonsky also sees a generational opportunity. “Older operators own most real estate firms,” he says, leaving room for new leaders to appeal to younger agents and franchisees. His partner, Nick Van Assche, is 39 and owns both Sea Glass and the recently acquired commercial franchise Sperry. Olshonsky says their focus is long-term: “We’re building for the next 20 years, not just the next few.”
This generational shift is aimed at attracting the next wave of real estate professionals who value both innovation and lifestyle-driven markets. By positioning Sea Glass as a forward-looking brand with younger leadership and modern infrastructure, the company hopes to draw agents and franchisees who want to serve a changing buyer demographic.
Looking Ahead
The future of this franchise model depends on how quickly other boutique operators recognize the advantages of focusing on lifestyle markets rather than competing for suburban business. Sea Glass is betting that affluent, multi-property buyers will continue to drive demand in resort and amenity-rich destinations, areas that national platforms have often treated as secondary.
If this approach succeeds, it could reshape how residential brands define their territories and target their growth. For now, Sea Glass stands as one example of how tailored networks and a focus on lifestyle buyers are beginning to redraw the map of residential real estate.
