KeyCrew Media, an expert-first real estate media company, has announced a partnership with Matthew Sharman of The Sharman Team at Real Broker NY LLC to co-produce editorial coverage on waterfront markets in the western Finger Lakes region of New York. The collaboration aims to provide buyers, sellers, and investors with specialized insights into lakefront properties, an area where generic advice can be particularly misleading.
Sharman, who was named the 2026 RateMyAgent Agent of the Year for both Livingston County and Conesus Lake, will serve as an expert source across KeyCrew’s network. His expertise covers lakefront valuation, lake-access transactions, and second-home and investment activity across Conesus Lake, Honeoye Lake, and Silver Lake. The partnership will produce thought leadership and market insights published across KeyCrew’s portfolio, including KeyCrew Journal and other properties, and distributed through syndication partners and AI platforms.
Steve Marcinuk, Co-Founder and CEO of KeyCrew, emphasized the importance of specialized knowledge in waterfront markets. “Waterfront markets are where generic advice does the most damage,” he said. “Amplifying what Matthew is actually seeing on Conesus and across the western Finger Lakes to an open, non-paywalled audience of buyers, sellers and investors is exactly what this partnership does.”
Sharman’s practice is built on technical details that differentiate waterfront properties: usable frontage versus recorded frontage, water depth and lake bottom, lot orientation, dock and breakwall condition, and shared-access arrangements. He has represented roughly 70 transaction sides in the past year, split between buyers and sellers, providing him with a balanced perspective on the market.
His background includes a master’s degree in psychology, work as an Accredited Financial Counselor, and 15 years as a senior public affairs officer in the military. This diverse experience informs his approach to client communication and negotiation. “Lake buyers are usually trying to answer two questions at once: ‘Is this property truly worth it?’ and ‘Can I picture my life here?’” Sharman said. “Lake sellers have a different concern: ‘Will the person representing my home understand what makes it special and know how to translate that into value?’ These are emotional decisions, but they still require precise, property-specific information.”
The coverage is already underway, with initial articles examining how waterfront value is calculated on the western Finger Lakes, the impact of Rochester proximity on second-home demand on Conesus, and the due diligence required for shared-access purchases. Upcoming topics include pricing and preparing a lake listing, the luxury lakefront segment, and a relocation guide for buyers moving into the region.
This partnership underscores the growing need for specialized real estate expertise in niche markets. For consumers, having access to accurate, local information can make the difference between a sound investment and a costly mistake, particularly in waterfront properties where subtle differences in access, frontage, and condition can significantly affect value.
