Ryan Hinricher's Vision for Wellness-Focused Homes at Accessible Price Points

Written by:

Steve Marcinuk

Date:

22 Jun 2025

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“Wellness real estate is the fastest growing segment of the global wellness space,” says Ryan Hinricher, founder of Oak Avenue Real Estate and the innovative home building brand Sunworth Homes. “It’s disheartening to see national builders commoditizing housing with a ‘here’s a box you’re living in’ approach. Your home, where you’ll spend the majority of your life, should be a sanctuary.”

Hinricher’s vision is transforming the Central Florida housing market by bringing wellness-focused design to attainable price points. Since 2019, his team has built over 350 homes in Ocala and sold more than 1,000 properties, offering an alternative to the cost-cutting approach of national builders.

From Farm Roots to Real Estate Innovation

Growing up on a South Dakota farm gave Hinricher a connection to land that would later influence his real estate philosophy. “I’ve always felt tied to the land as a farm kid,” he explains. “Real estate was always in my thoughts, even during my decade in banking.”

His opportunity came when his district manager at Wells Fargo cashed in his 401K to start a real estate business. Hinricher took a calculated risk, leaving his position as a bank president to join the venture. “It was a significant financial step backward, but I recognized the potential,” he recalls. The gamble paid off, and after getting his real estate license in May, he sold 70 homes by December of that year.

During this period, Hinricher met his business partner in Oak Avenue, Stephen Green, and together they began flipping homes in Tennessee until the 2008 financial crisis hit. “We went from completing 200 homes in the prior year to zero in the next six months. The market essentially stopped with the Lehman Brothers collapse.”

Strategic Pivots Through Market Cycles

Rather than retreating, Hinricher and Green adapted. “With our finance backgrounds, we recognized the market would require capital raising and allocation, rather than no-money-down approaches.”

A move to New York City connected Hinricher with an ex-Lehman Brothers consultant who helped reposition their business for institutional investors. “He helped us refine our approach, and we successfully raised our first private equity fund.”

After relocating to Orlando, a single tweet to an institutional investor seen on CNBC led to an order for 100 single-family homes. This launched a new phase of Hinricher’s business, helping institutional investors acquire hundreds of properties throughout Central Florida.

Discovering Ocala’s Potential

As the foreclosure market declined, Hinricher identified Ocala as his next opportunity. “We analyzed the next frontier in Florida,” he explains. “Ocala had impressive fundamentals, it’s approximately 90 minutes from Tampa and 75 minutes from Orlando, with 7 million people within a 90-minute radius and two of Florida’s busiest highways intersecting.”

Hinricher also valued Ocala’s geographic advantages: “The land elevation is around 80 feet compared to 0-20 feet in coastal areas, that’s a mountain in Florida terms.”

By 2019, his team was building single-family homes in Ocala, focusing on 1,500-square-foot production homes, the essential housing that most Americans need.

Seizing the COVID Opportunity

When COVID emerged, Hinricher recognized a market opportunity others missed. “There was a critical moment when northern states implemented strict lockdowns. Many of my New York metro clients couldn’t even leave their homes to close real estate transactions. Meanwhile, Florida declared real estate an essential business.”

This contrast created ideal conditions for growth. Hinricher and Green liquidated their renovation fund and shifted entirely to buying lots and building new homes. “In 2020, we built approximately 50 homes. Last year, we completed 101 homes in Ocala.”

Quality Over Cost-Cutting

As national builders entered the Ocala market, Hinricher maintained a competitive edge through quality and thoughtful design.

“Smaller builders in the market produce very standard products with minimal innovation, classic concrete block stucco homes with few windows and minimal features,” he explains. “National builders offer similar designs with slightly larger square footage, emphasizing size over quality.”

While competitors reduce specifications to save costs, “a contractor mentioned they were asked to reduce mirror dimensions by six inches on all sides in primary bathrooms,” Hinricher’s team takes a different approach: “We’re asking, ‘How can we incorporate more windows?'”

Sunworth Homes: Wellness at Attainable Prices

This commitment to quality led Hinricher to launch Sunworth Homes, focused on wellness and thoughtful design at accessible price points.

A key feature is abundant natural light. “We take a typical home with 6-8 windows and double the window count,” he explains. “Natural light regulates circadian rhythms, improves sleep quality, reduces eye strain, and decreases stress levels.”

Sunworth Homes also emphasize connection to nature. Unlike competitors who clear lots entirely, Hinricher’s team preserves trees. “Recently, my 13-year-old son and I personally marked 27 trees for preservation on a single lot.”

The strategic use of wood elements is another wellness feature. “Research from a Swiss hospital study demonstrated the healing properties of timber. Simply viewing wood materials benefits the immune system and aids recovery from injuries and fatigue.” Incorporating these findings, Sunworth Homes feature tongue-and-groove wood on ceilings in primary bedrooms and porches.

Even the kitchens are designed with wellness in mind. “Research shows that home cooking contributes to longevity. Restaurant meals may contain similar calories but typically include more sugar and salt. We designed kitchens to facilitate cooking, even in homes priced around $300,000.”

These efforts are gaining recognition as Sunworth Homes recently won “best kitchen under $400K” in the Ocala Parade of Homes.

Ocala’s Promising Future

Hinricher remains confident about Ocala’s long-term prospects. “I follow the Lindy principle, which suggests that things with longevity tend to persist,” he explains. “The fundamentals haven’t changed, they’ve actually improved.”

A recent Wall Street Journal article highlighted Ocala as a “hurricane safe haven” within Florida. “We have the lowest insurance rates in Florida,” Hinricher notes. “A new $280,000-$300,000 home carries a full coverage insurance policy of approximately $700 annually, which is remarkable for Florida.”

These advantages are driving significant migration to the area. “The primary source of Ocala’s new residents is Miami-Dade County, followed by the New York Metro area, Orlando, and Tampa,” Hinricher says, citing mobile data analytics.

Recent U.S. Census data confirms this trend: “The Ocala metropolitan area was the fastest growing in the U.S., with 4% population growth last year.”

A Collaborative Vision

While Hinricher provides the vision, he emphasizes the collaborative nature of his success. “I’m supported by an exceptional team,” he says. “Julie Fernandez, an IIN certified health coach, contributes to Sunworth Homes’ wellness concepts. Mike Morrissey, my land planner, brings a historic preservation background. Bal Bahia serves as our holistic designer, and Steven Green, my business partner at Oak Avenue, has been with me since the beginning.”

As Hinricher prepares to attend the Global Wellness Real Estate Symposium in New York, he looks forward to sharing his approach to making wellness-focused homes accessible to more people.

“Most wellness features are typically found in million-dollar-plus properties,” he notes. “Few developers focus on buyers who want healthier homes at accessible price points. We wanted to make wellness attainable for everyone.”