Snowmass Village

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Shannon Francis is a native of Aspen and has unique insight into the fine details of real estate in the Roaring Fork Valley. With her husband, Shannon has successfully started and developed Glenwood Springs’ only Tandem Paragliding operation, demonstrating the skills required to thrive and grow in the market's tourist-driven economy. She believes that each and every client deserves the highest standard of care regardless of budget, timeline, or desire.

Shannon talked with Haute Residence about how she got started in Real Estate and about running her successful tandem paragliding business.

How did you get your start in the business?

I originally started in the real estate business because I was working with a residential developer in the central valley of California. I thought that having my license would help me understand the business better and be able to work with more knowledge in my job. I was also selling my condo in Aspen and wanted to avoid real estate commissions on the sale. That was in 2005. I then let my license go inactive while I focused on raising my son and working for our paragliding business. As we transitioned during the Covid pandemic I decided to reactivate my license and start getting back to real estate.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

How did you go from tandem paragliding to real estate?

In essence, I do both. I am a managing member of our paragliding LLC and spend every morning from May 1 to September 30th working for the paragliding business. I then transition to real estate in the afternoon. I believe my paragliding business provides access to people that I might not encounter in everyday life and that in effect helps my real estate business.

What sets you apart from other real estate agents?

I am personally involved in all my transactions. I don't have people that I hand work off to in order to take on more clients. All my clients are my top priority so I do not overload my plate because I want each client to get the personal attention they deserve during their transactions. I was born in Aspen and know the ins and outs of our valley better than anyone I know. I have submerged myself in the community and think outside the box to get my clients the best possible outcomes in any situation.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Why do you consider Roaring Fork Valley not just a city, but a lifestyle?

The Roaring Fork Valley is a lifestyle because here we really enjoy nature, culture, and health. It is not simply a place to own property but really it's a place to live, in every aspect of the word. All of our communities are relatively small but offer world-class food, cultural events, schools, outdoor activities, and sports. The people you meet here are invested in living well-rounded, healthy lives.

What has been your favorite memory throughout your real estate career?

I have great memories from all my transactions, but the most significant lately is that I helped a good friend get into the perfect house while he was going through a very difficult divorce. By finding him the house and helping him get financing, it allowed him to stay in the valley near his kids and get out of an impossible situation.

For more information, please contact Shannon Francis at 970-319-7430 or aspensmf@gmail.com

Shannon Francis is the exclusive agent representing the Snowmass Village, CO real estate market as a member of the Haute Residence Real Estate Network. View all of her listings here.

The post From Paragliding To Real Estate, Top Realtor Shannon Francis Does It All appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.

The panelists were hosted by Haute Living's Seth Semilof, going deep into the latest on the luxury real estate market in their respective areas. They were:

• Sue Nickason, Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Dart Real Estate, Cayman Islands
• Nancy Almodovar, President and CEO of Nan and Company Properties, Houston, TX
• Sonja Cullaro, Executive Vice President at Christie’s International Real Estate Northern New Jersey, Westchester and Hudson Valley, NY
• Alex Jansen, Principal at Christie’s International Real Estate Aspen Snowmass, and Coastal Properties Group in Clearwater, FL
• Brian Meier, Principal of Meier Estates and Ventures at Christie’s International Real Estate Group, New York City, NY

Watch the webinar below.

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Wednesday, July 15th at 4:30PM EST / 1:30PM PST

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A Conversation on the Importance of Interior Design with internationally recognized designers including French-Moroccan interior designer Rita Chraibi of International Designers, Julien Bigan Director of Roche Bobois, and Nicole Fuller of the international interior design firm Nicole Fuller Interiors. REGISTER

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The Benefits of Investing in the Tax Neutral Caribbean. Join us for a webinar with Christie’s International Real Estate as they discuss the benefits of investing in the Caribbean real estate market. REGISTER

Highlight quotes from today's webinar:

Dan Conn: "This market dropped harder and faster than any market that I can recall, and it has rebounded quicker than any time I can recall... More people in the luxury end are focused on having another home. I think that's a permanent change... If you're into the New York life, you're in the New York Life. You don't leave it... We're not just focused on global real estate. We are focused on luxury goods and the sale of the greatest art objects in the world...

Sue Nickason: "What's interesting is the interest and the inquiries that we're getting from new markets. So obviously Hong Kong, mainland China, India, some parts of Latin America that, historically, [from which] we hadn't received a lot of interest. Those inquiries are coming through trusted advisors, such as private client lawyers, accountants, and affiliates and agents in other jurisdictions. It comes back to globally mobile affluent individuals looking to future proof in terms of residency and in terms of having a place of safe refuge such as the Cayman Islands."

Nancy Almodovar: "Christie's International Real Estate [has] been such a great resource not just on educating myself and my team on what it is to offer not only luxury properties but also luxury service. That has been great, and then being able to connect with so many of our affiliates all around the world, and be able to service our clients when they're looking to move to those parts of the world."

Sonja Cullaro: "We have seen an influx of buyers and renters from New York City into our markets across northern New Jersey and Westchester and the Hudson Valley. It started more for short-term rentals and then it quickly morphed into buyer interest. We have seen people looking for both primary and secondary residences. When they're looking for secondary residences, it's always with an eye on the school system and the fact that the secondary residence may become a primary residence in the future.

Alex Jansen: "The Aspen market came back with a vengeance. Aspen has seen at least 100% uptick as far as under-contracts right now compared to the same time last year because there was this big lag. In April and May, the closings were very anemic, but we're seeing lots of very large properties go under contract north of $10 million, and some north of $20 million in that market. In Clearwater, the month of July is slated to be the best month on record based on volume for the Tampa Bay Area.

Brian Meier: "Since the reopening of New York City, we've been very busy. We have not seen prices drop dramatically. There have been some adjustments. It's going to need a little more time to tell where it's going to shake out, but the people who are leaving Manhattan, most of them are putting their properties on the market for rent. We have had a very slight increase in the saturation on the sales side, but we do have a lot of demand."

Watch more real estate webinars curated by Haute Residence at https://dev.hauteresidence.com/.

Top: Alex Jansen, Brian Meier, Dan Conn. Bottom: Sonja Cullaro, Nancy Almodovar, Sue Nickason

The post Watch: The State Of The Luxury Market With Christie’s International Real Estate appeared first on Haute Residence by Haute Living.