Ross Melby

Recognized as a Business Journal Nominee (2021–2024), Presidents Club Award recipient (2023), and quoted in The New York Times, Mansion Global, and Austin Business Journal, Ross has built a career rooted in integrity, precision, and results.

I grew up in Minneapolis in a home filled with music, love, and creativity. My father — a lifelong musician who still plays a few gigs a year — taught me early that the things worth doing are the things you can't help but do. That creative wiring shaped how I see almost everything: art, design, real estate, people.

At 13, my dream was to become a professional skateboarder. I was lucky enough to get recognized as a young skateboarder on the rise in Minneapolis, picked up by Zumiez, and spent my weekends putting on demos and chasing the next trick. Skateboarding gave me direction as a kid who didn't have many friends. One of the best things about it is you don't need anyone else to practice or enjoy it — it's less a sport than a way of moving through the world. That mindset has never left me.

One summer, I started caddying at a country club. It completely changed my life. The members I met became unexpected mentors, teaching me about business, mindset, and the value of working with purpose. It was the first time I understood that you become who you spend your time around — and that a life beyond your wildest dreams isn't a fantasy, it's just a function of the people you surround yourself with.

After high school, I moved to Palm Springs to work at a private golf club where every member owned a home inside the gates. Each property was a masterpiece — custom-built, full of character and intention. That's when it clicked for me: real estate wasn't just an address. It was art and lifestyle, all in one.

In 2008, I came back to Minneapolis with $6,000 in savings and a single goal — to build a real life from nothing. I knocked on doors. I held open houses. I worked like a mentor once told me to: "Work like you don't need the sale, and work until you find something incredible and negotiate the best terms possible." That advice became my compass and it still is.

A few years later, I moved to New York and joined Town Residential, a boutique brokerage in SoHo, while living in the West Village. New York taught me how the best in the world operate — with relentless preparation, deep client intimacy, and a standard for craft that doesn't compromise. When I returned to Minneapolis, I began buying and renovating homes myself, putting my artistic eye into every detail. The renovation years sharpened how I see property — not just as a transaction, but as a story being shaped.

In 2020, I took the leap to Texas for the growth and energy of the market. Dallas felt like home almost immediately, and it's where I've built my practice — though my team, WWG, still operates full-time in Austin. Together, we've closed over $426,000,000 in sales across the Texas markets we serve.

How I Work

My niche isn't a price point or a neighborhood — it's good people. I have a rule in business: if we wouldn't get along over dinner, we're probably not the right fit to work together. I'd rather take on fewer clients each year and give every one of them my full attention than spread myself thin chasing volume. The clients I work with aren't transactions to me. They're people I genuinely want in my life long after closing.

Outside the Work

When I'm not working, I'm with Rosie — my three-year-old English Labrador, and the best decision I've ever made. I rescued my first dog through Lizzy's Hospice Dog Adoption, a charity I continue to support. I thought I was saving a dog. Turns out the dog saved me.

I'm also still chasing a few dreams that aren't real estate. Someday, I want to open a gallery supporting up-and-coming contemporary artists and sculptors. And somewhere down the road, a small hotel — because in my mind, art, hospitality, and real estate all do the same thing. They create spaces that move people, tell stories, and reflect who we are.

The rest is still being written, one home and one good person at a time. If you're someone who values craft, partnership, and a real relationship over a quick close, let's grab dinner first and figure out the deal from there.