Burton Young

Burton Young is a founder of Sperry Equities and Sperry Commercial, real estate firms formed in 1998 with Rand Sperry and Jack Carroll. Sperry Equities describes itself as a private real estate firm focused on investing in office, industrial, retail and apartment sectors throughout the United States.

Young’s firm biography says his experience spans brokerage, asset management, leasing, acquisitions, dispositions and finance. At Sperry Equities, he oversees company operations, partnership formation, property acquisitions, asset management and leasing across more than 10 million square feet of office, industrial and retail property.

Earlier in his career, Young was active as an investment broker, closing more than 150 escrows from 1990 to 2000, including more than $350 million in retail sales and more than $650 million in office and industrial sales. Sperry Equities says he has personally brokered more than 150 transactions exceeding $1 billion in sales and is managing partner for approximately 50 investment real estate partnerships.

Young’s LinkedIn profile lists Sperry Equities & Sperry Commercial in Irvine and education at the University of Southern California from 1987 to 1989.

• Invests in commercial real estate rather than startup equity; Sperry Equities’ stated focus is office, industrial, retail and apartment assets across the United States.
• Uses an owner-operator model: Sperry says its leasing and property-management capability is central to building portfolio value through lease-up, physical improvements, redevelopment and active management.
• Pursues 100% fee-simple acquisitions, equal-control partial interests and debt positions that may lead to ownership.
• In retail, Young told ICSC in February 2024 that Sperry Equities would consider grocery-anchored centers, strip centers and big-box centers in solid markets, with good sales, cap rates between 7% and 9%, and 80% to 90% in-place occupancy to allow upside.
• The firm explicitly markets tax-efficient real estate investing, including 1031 exchanges, and says its model is grounded in the idea that “we don’t make money until” clients do.
• Sperry Equities’ recent public activity indicates a bias toward assets with operational upside, vacancy lease-up potential and relationships-driven sourcing.