Today we’d like to introduce you to Tammy Young.
Hi Tammy, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I’m Tammy Young, the founder and owner of SEED Property Group and SEED Development Co. in Austin, Texas. I’m a real estate broker and developer, and while our SEED team covers the entirety of Austin, I really specialize in North Central Austin—especially my home neighborhood of Hyde Park and the surrounding historic pockets that give this city so much of its character.
I grew up in Arizona and moved to Oklahoma during high school before finding my way to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. At the time, I was convinced I was headed for a career in fashion – I was obsessed with clothes – so I majored in Fashion Merchandising and minored in business. I come from a long family history of makers and creators—my father was an architect—so design, structure, and how things come together have always been part of my world. That foundation, paired with my love of storytelling and brand-building, led me through a series of roles with national and international clothing brands and retailers in my early career.
Eventually, I found myself in software development and product management within the fashion world—work that allowed me to lean fully into my strengths: envisioning, organizing, building, and launching software products for brands across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. That path ultimately took me to Paris, where I spent several years leading a product marketing team. Living and working abroad profoundly shaped how I think about design, cities, homes, and the way people live in them.
When it was time to move back to the States, my husband and I chose Austin. It felt like the best of everything—walkable urban living like we loved in Venice, California and Paris, paired with our Texas roots and an unbeatable quality of family life. Once we landed in Austin, I launched an import and wholesale distribution company focused on independent European fashion brands. I built exclusive partnerships and grew those brands into more than 250 points of sale nationwide including Anthropologie, ShopBop, Barneys, Nordstrom.
Then 2008 happened. As the Great Recession took hold and the indie designer fashion industry became increasingly unstable, I knew it was time to pivot. I had earned my real estate license the year prior… casually, thinking I might use it one day to buy some houses for investment… without fully realizing just how many doors that decision would open for me professionally. Turned out, selling houses was an even better match for my skills than fashion. It immediately clicked and I loved it. I sold my first home in 2008 and began building my business — one relationship, one client, one referral at a time.
That period of my life was also marked by immense personal challenges. My daughter was born in 2005, and in 2008 we welcomed our first son. That same fall—just as I was starting in real estate and the US financial markets were collapsing around us—our daughter was diagnosed with leukemia. It completely rocked our world. From that point forward, I would value blessings, health, life so much more and so much differently. While juggling my daughters countless doctor and hospital visits, surgeries, and treatments (I sometimes still wake up in the middle of the night worried I forgot one of the many medicines she needed every day), I continued to grow my business quietly and steadily. I never wanted clients to feel sorry for me or worry that they didn’t have my full attention. Resilience became part of how I showed up, both personally and professionally.
Thankfully, our daughter went into remission, followed by two years of maintenance, and she’s now been cancer-free for 17 years. She remembers very little of that time—mostly the happy parts: smiling doctors and nurses, therapy dogs, and unlimited mac and cheese. My husband and I remember it differently. Those years taught us how quickly life can fall apart, and how much faith, prayer, love, and perseverance it takes to put it back together.
By 2012, Austin began to emerge from the recession, and residential real estate picked up—if selling homes is ever truly easy…that might have been the time. I consistently ranked among Austin’s top producers, earning recognition from the Austin Business Journal, the Austin Board of REALTORS®, and Platinum Top 50. In 2013, we welcomed our third child, another son.
In 2016, ready for a new challenge, I founded SEED Property Group as an independent boutique brokerage. From the beginning, my goal was to create something different. In an industry with low barriers to entry, I wanted to build a collaborative team of like-minded professionals who value expertise, integrity, and truly hyper-local neighborhood knowledge. That vision became reality. In 2020, SEED Property Group joined forces with Compass Real Estate, giving us nationwide power and the most robust real estate technology platform available for our buyers and sellers. Most recently, SEED Property Group was named the #2 Large Real Estate Team in Austin by the Austin Business Journal. We’ll celebrate our 10-year anniversary in March 2026.
Along the way, my husband and I have built a portfolio of long-term rentals and high-end short-term rentals. I love houses—especially homes with character and history. Every property we buy has something special about it, a real wow factor. The hardest part? I never really want to sell them. In hindsight, a handbag addiction probably would’ve been more affordable and far less maintenance-intensive.
My next professional chapter is focused on residential real estate development. I’m launching a development arm of SEED focused on infill construction and thoughtful remodels in Hyde Park, the neighborhood I’ve proudly called home for years. I want to give back by preserving older homes whenever possible and, when they can’t be saved, by bringing high-quality design and architecture to new construction. I’m honestly exhausted by seeing poorly designed spec homes strip Austin of its character—and I know we can do better.
At the core of everything I do is my love for Austin. Its neighborhoods, historic homes, creative energy, and sense of possibility continue to inspire me. SEED isn’t just a brokerage—it’s my way of contributing to a city I love and helping it grow with intention, care, and respect for what makes it special.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Some of my toughest seasons have come at moments when life felt like it was piling on all at once.
When I had just started in real estate, our daughter was diagnosed with leukemia at the exact same time the economy was collapsing. We were young, early in our careers, and the financial outlook felt incredibly uncertain. It was a season defined by fear, exhaustion, and a lot of faith. I showed up every day anyway—sometimes quietly, sometimes imperfectly—but always determined to keep moving forward for my family and for the clients who trusted me.
Residential real estate is also a profession that never really turns off. It’s high energy and high service, 365 days a year. My children grew up with a working mom who sometimes stepped away from family vacations to take a client call or handle a real estate emergency. I’ve felt guilty about that more times than I can count. But as my kids have grown, I’ve also seen their resilience, independence, and work ethic—and I’m proud of that. I truly love my clients. I wouldn’t answer my phone seven days a week if I didn’t. Helping people make big, meaningful decisions about their lives and homes is work I care deeply about, and that makes the sacrifices worth it.
I’ve also worked through two major down markets in residential real estate—2010 and again today. Those periods are uniquely challenging. There’s no crystal ball. You’re guiding clients through uncertainty, leaning on history, data, and experience, knowing that sometimes the news isn’t what people want to hear. Being honest in a down market is hard, but it’s essential. I’ve learned that trust is built not by optimism alone, but by clarity, transparency, and steady guidance—even when the answers are uncomfortable.
And then there’s the reality of negotiation. I get to choose who I work for—my buyers and sellers—but I can’t always choose who sits across the table. Some of my most stressful deals have involved individuals who didn’t operate with the same ethical standards I hold myself to. Unfairness hits me at my core. I work hard to shield my clients from that tension, even when it means carrying the emotional weight myself. Protecting the people I represent is part of the job I take most seriously.
Those experiences shaped how I work today. They’ve taught me how to stay calm under pressure, to lead with integrity, and to show up as a steady presence when things feel uncertain. I don’t take that responsibility lightly—and I never will. I am the “emergency contact” for more people than I can count!
As you know, we’re big fans of SEED Property Group + SEED Development Co. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
SEED Property Group is a boutique Austin-based real estate team. Our team of 15 agents + support staff goes everywhere in Austin. I am very proud of SEED’s reputation. We’re known for our hyper-local expertise (each of our agents hails from a different pocket of Austin), collaborative approach, advocacy, and steady guidance. We tell clients the truth, even when it’s hard. We don’t chase trends—we focus on long-term value, good design, and strong relationships. Our business is largely referral-based, which I consider one of our greatest achievements. It means clients trust us enough to send their friends, families, and neighbors our way. In 2025, we were named the #2 Large Real Estate Team in Austin by the Austin Business Journal.
SEED Development Co. was a natural extension of the brokerage and is focused on thoughtful infill construction and sensitive remodels that respect Austin’s architectural character. Rooted in a deep love for the city and my family’s history of designers and makers, my projects are guided by integrity, good design, and the belief that growth should make neighborhoods better—not dilute what makes them special. I care deeply about floor plans that live well, materials that age gracefully, and homes that feel grounded in their place.
How do you think about luck?
I do believe luck has played a role in my life and career—but I’ve learned that luck tends to show up once you’re already in motion. Taking risks, launching a business, and choosing an entrepreneurial path means living with a certain amount of uncertainty. I often joke that I’m in a perpetual state of unemployment—I never truly know where my next paycheck is coming from—but that’s also what keeps me engaged, adaptable, and hungry to do good work.
At the same time, I’ve come to believe that optimism, effort, and integrity create their own form of luck. Even the hardest seasons in my life eventually revealed themselves as turning points, shaping me in ways I couldn’t see at the time. I trust in the greater good, and I’ve learned that while rough patches are unavoidable, they often lead to smoother ground ahead if you keep showing up and doing the work.
Pricing:
- Our team goes everywhere in Austin – we are not bound by any specific neighborhood
Contact Info:
- Website: https://seedpropertygroup.com
- Instagram: @tammy.austinrealtor and @seedaustin
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tammy-young-a999264/
Image Credits
Brian Cole – Images 7, 9, 10, 11
Ramblr Media – Image 1
Alison Eden – Images 3, 4
Jeff Jones – Image 5
Bailey Toksoz – Image 6
