Business Innovators Radio - Interview with Brooke Gagnon Brooke Gagnon, Realtor Keller Williams Mtn Properties

Episode Date: August 5, 2024

Born and raised in Vail, Brooke has witnessed a small ski town grow into a world-class resort. She is very familiar with the history, lifestyle, and ski areas across the Vail Valley. After high school, she left the Vail Valley to earn a degree in International Relations from Franklin College Switzerland. Post college, she spent 2 ½ years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Asuncion, Paraguay. She is fluent in both Spanish and German. Her travels have taken her to over 50 countries, but Vail is her home and she is eager to make it your home as well!Her vast knowledge of the area coupled with her international experience allows her to assist all local, second home-owner, and international clientele alike. She recently earned The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing’s Million Dollar Guild Recognition for experience, knowledge, and expertise in million-dollar and above residential properties. She is also a Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist! That puts her in an exclusive group of Real Estate professionals who have completed The Institute’s training and have a proven performance in the upper-tier market. When Brooke is not busy marketing luxury listings, she enjoys all the outdoor fun Vail provides –she is currently learning to play golf. She is an avid skier and hiker-she revels in all the activities the Rocky Mountains offer. Brooke enjoys spending time with her two young children and husband, Brett Gagnon, who is a PGA golf pro and an instructor at Beaver Creek Ski School. She has participated in over $165M in transactions representing all types of Real Estate across the valley floor. She is honored to be recognized consistently as a top producer by the Vail Board of Realtors for closed contracts, and she strives to put the “extra” in extraordinary.Learn more: https://www.YourVailHome.comElite Real Estate Leaders Podcasthttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/elite-real-estate-leaders-podcastSource: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-brooke-gagnon-brooke-gagnon-realtor-keller-williams-mtn-properties

Welcome to the Elite Real Estate Leaders Podcast, brought to you by Trailstone Insurance Group, bringing you interviews with the best real estate and mortgage professionals, empowering you to understand the current trends in the housing market so that you make the American dream your reality. Enjoy today's episode. Welcome to the Elite Real Estate Leaders podcast. Today we have with us, Brooke Gagnon, who's the realtor with Keller Williams Mountain Properties. Brooke, welcome to the program. Thanks for having me, Mike. Hey, you're welcome. And Tia and I will be just having a nice conversation learning all about what you do, how you do it, and why you do it. So get us started first with what's your story and background. How did you get into the real estate industry? That is a great question. I am one of the lucky few that is actually born and raised in Vail, Colorado. So I have seen our sleepy little mountain town change a lot and kind of fell into real estate after I finished two and a half years in the Peace Corps down in Paraguay. came back home to my hometown, had met my husband before I left, and got the opportunity to get my license and start working as an assistant for a top producer and just took it to the next level from there. So very grateful, very blessed to just continue to live in the beautiful mountains and sell real estate. Awesome. You know, growing up in the area, I wonder if you have this,

the thought crossed my mind. Like, if you go to a new area and you've just been there for a short period of time, you're really attuned to, oh, this one is cool and this is cool and this is a cool area, but you probably need to focus hard on not taking things for granted because some new person coming through Vail might go, oh, my word, this is so amazing right in this area. And you're like, oh, that's, I grew up with this. So do you find yourself trying to make sure that you keep things fresh? Absolutely. And it's funny you say that because there are times where I walk into homes and I'm like, have I been in here before? Did I babysit in this house or come to a party here in high school. This looks familiar. But, you know, it is a small community, great connections

with folks. And I am kind of curious, you know, when I go to big cities or look at real estate in other places, you know, thinking, oh, it would be very different to do real estate in that area because it really is a lifestyle that we're selling up here. And my family and I truly embrace that. But it's a special place to be. If people have been up here, they know skiing's incredible, but people stay for the summers. And so it's just so much fun. So talk about the lifestyle because I really do think that that's a huge piece of it because I think when we can look at the 30,000 foot view of something and get a big picture for the emotional connection, meaning of the lifestyle versus this is a piece of real estate that will bring you a great investment or, you know, the school district for the kids. But the lifestyle is something that is very different than Arvada or Littleton or other areas in Colorado. Yeah, that's very true.

I mean, there is a huge, you know, working community here in the mountains. We have to have our worker bees, our first, you know, first responders, teachers, service industry. So in addition to all of our, you know, guests that come and enjoy this lifestyle, there is a huge community of people, you know, that have put roots down and want to own real estate in this area. You know, the 30,000 view is more of a 10,000 foot view when we're on top of the mountains. And I do take my client skiing. My husband is a ski instructor with their resort.

And so we've done some unique things by actually showing ski and ski out property by skiing folks to the place. I'll meet them there with slippers. They can pop off those skis and boots, you know, take a tour, then pop their skis back on, go back down the mountain. So we're trying to be really unique in how we approach our business and marketing. But we truly do live the lifestyle. I mean, I've been seeing since I was out of diapers, something that I still love to do today with my family and my kids. That's just showing off right there now. Come on, other real estate agents are like, wait a minute, we're driving around in a hot minivan.

You're skiing people into showing and putting your slippers on. You got to keep it fun, you know? Right. Well, you know, I've really made that experience special for the client. Yes. You've said two words so far that I key in on lifestyle and experience because so many times people are going to forget what you say about them. And this is a Maya Angelou quote, but they'll never forget how you make them feel.

Well, if you're expounding on the lifestyle and giving an experience, you're making them feel something different than just walking through cold walls of a house. Yeah, don't just tell them. You have to show them. And I agree with you. That's one of my favorite quotes. So we really are showing them, you know, how they could experience this with their family. Is it the legacy property that they're going to have for years? You know, what are they going to do with it during the off season?

What are the best times to be here? So, yeah, we truly embrace that. And then when we have time off, we're doing all the same things that we're telling our clients to do. You know, my kids are up at Sylvan Lake paddleboarding with my husband today. Well, I'm in the office and grateful to be chatting with you. But, you know, we really do get to do all those really fun things. And that's what makes quality of life pretty special up here. Yeah, I'm actually curious.

What is the, you know, the demographic and what type of properties are you seeing purchased? And what I'm talking about more is like, is it a lot of second. home, people who are looking for investment, or do you find a lot of primary buyers in that area? You know, I'm fortunate to work with a lot of primary buyers. I do really like to dig into some of the special programs that we have up here, whether they're, you know, funds that come from Avon or Vail to make certain price points more affordable for full-time year-round residents and just also just my fear of growing up here. But of course, it's really fun to sell luxury properties, ski and ski out.

Obviously, you have top feeder states and, you know, love our Texas and Midwesterners that come. California, New York, you know, there's a lot of people that come here to escape the heat, you know, from the southern states in the summer and come here and just enjoy all the, you know, biking and hiking and hiking and outdoor activities that this affords. So, you know, we do have a price point that is, you know, higher.

And so that comes with kind of some unique challenges as well, whether that's cash or financing, if someone's buying something to do a short-term rental, if that's allowed, what are the restrictions? So it really takes, you know, it's kind of a special skill set in a variety of markets to bring a high level of service to our clients. And we really do try to have a full hands-on approach to that as well, since there are so many like at homeowners making sure that they get in touch with great property managers and other advocates and resources in our community.

So that's important to us as well. Yeah, well, and besides skiing with your clients, what is the most fun part of your jobs? You know, I love just sharing this community with folks, just telling them about the different nuances of different neighborhoods, if there's golf courses associated with them or school districts, you know, getting back to some of the vintage veil stories just from growing up here that we know wildlife encounters. I mean, there's just never a dull moment in this business. So every day is different and super grateful for that. And, you know, people come up here for a weekend. And so the fact that we get to live here, your route is not something we take for granted. Yeah, you know, I imagine you have some really awesome personal experience stories that you get to share with your clients.

And that probably helps them envision their lives, you know, in that community a little bit better. It does. It really does. And I think that just kind of helps further strengthen the relationships that we have with our clients. You know, we are here. we're always ready to help, always ready to give, you know, resources and they really truly do become friends. So that's so cool. With the level of buyers that you are dealing with buying at that higher level, the more affluent level, what are you seeing as far as the trends are going, meaning, you know, like rates are what the rates are?

And we can't control that. But are you finding people that are buying at that level? just kind of like saying, I got to buy a house, I want to buy a house. So the rate, I get the rate, and then I'll improve on it later. Or is that impeding things? And then secondly, what are you seeing trends as far as the market growth and appreciation in the Bayle Valley? Yeah, that's a great question.

I mean, I don't think it's any secret. We do have a fair number of cash buyers. So rates aren't always impacting someone's decision whether to buy. But it is, you know, it is a global view what's happening in other markets. So that is something that certainly comes into play. There are a lot of other carrying costs that people have to consider that are kind of unique to our market, whether those are transfer taxes or HOA fees, different things that are associated with, you know, homeownership in the Valley.

You know, appreciation just went through the roof, as most people will tell you, especially as they saw their tax bills come in the last few years. So definitely trending a lot higher than the traditional kind of 3 to 7% people like to see. We definitely saw some, you know, some neighborhoods see over 50 to 70% appreciations in certain markets. So, you know, one of the things that we have that's a little bit of a challenge, probably different to other markets, is that we just have a land scarcity. You know, there's only a certain amount of land that hasn't been developed. So we still are seeing some new construction, which is super exciting. You know, you see some big tear gongs and remodels.

But, you know, we are somewhat capped in terms of what's left and available to develop. So we're excited to see some new developments. And a lot of those do really have a focus on the local component because that is really key to our market is being able to make sure that we can keep locals here, that locals that are going to be the bread and butter of our community and the kids, people that are going to take it to the next level and not just guests visiting. So that's super important to have a balance of both an exceptional guest experience for seasonal folks and also affordability for locals. that's one of our biggest challenges, I think, moving forward. So when people move into the area after they get settled in, what are you hearing is the most surprising aspect that they come back to you and go, you know what? I knew I wanted to move the veil, but this is surprising, you know, in a positive way.

That's a great question. I think one of it is just truly just the neighborhood, you know, niceties. It's just truly having that neighbor that you can go get a cup of sugar for or that will help you dig your car out if it snows or. you know, just just a very friendly, you know, familiar face because. Now, you said if it snows? Well, you don't want. Let's clarify that. Yeah.

That's awesome. We, you know, that's our white gold in our market is, yeah, for sure. So, yeah, we are grateful when we got those powder days and, you know, maybe secretly happy if we'll pass closes and we get it all to ourselves. No, I'm just good. Right. That's awesome. So I think that a lot of times when people come to the area and maybe they don't know people to, you know, get a direct referral to a real estate professional.

So what do they do? They go online or they go look at some of the magazines in the stores, you know, the real estate listings. What do you say separates you from the other 800 plus brokers in the area? Because everybody would say the same thing. I'm the best because and come see me. What is it that separates you and you can put the fourth? lag on the ground to say, here's why you should work with me. Yeah, that's a great question. I mean, we do truthfully have more real estate agents than homes for sale. So we do need to be able to

differentiate ourselves from the other agents. You know, this is something that I've been doing for over 17 years. This is my full-time profession. This is all I do and really what I'm passionate about. So something that separates me is probably that over 90% of my business does come from personal referrals. So just people being satisfied. side with the service that I've given them and the report that we've built in a relationship and just continuing that for years so that they sing praises without being asked. But always doing the right thing for clients, you know, putting their needs above anyone else's, you know, being extremely honest with them too. This is, I'm not a one-trick pony. This is what I like to do.

And I want to continue to just have that good relationship with the clients. And also great relationships with other brokers, you know, just constantly being in communication with them about upcoming listings that they have and being the broker that other brokers want to work with, especially if you're in a competitive market, you know, little things like that can help edge out an offer if it's very similar, knowing that you can get the deal done and make everybody happy at the end of the day. I'm glad you brought that up. I don't know that a lot of people bring up having good relationships with other brokers

rather than, you know, competing against other brokers. I think it's a very, very important piece regardless if you're the, seller agent or the buyer's agent. That relationship piece is so important. And that actually got me thinking, you probably have to do a certain amount of unique marketing because, you know, here in the, you know, Maine Denver metro area, people are just kind of moving from one city to another. But I imagine you have a lot of out-of-towners and you really have to pull some of your relationships to bring in some of those buyers. Can you tell me a little bit about your process there. Yeah, I mean, we don't have billboards and, you know, park benches here that we can put

our faces on. So we certainly do just really try to take a really, you know, belly to belly approach with meeting people, whether that's, you know, skiing and being out in the community or attending events. Last night, we were at the dance festival with my daughter. And, you know, so truly being part of the community that we sell, I think that's super important. And also, like I said, just creating raving fans so that, you know, when people talk about coming to bail, The first thing they're going to say is, I've got the perfect relitter for you. So, and, you know, just really establishing that relationship throughout the years, too, you know, it's not that, oh, the house, you know, you bought your condo, buy.

We're constantly checking in with them, you know, seeing how things are going. Are their grandkids coming up? Are they using it as much as they thought they would? You know, did they end up replacing that couch that they were talking about? So we're constantly staying in a relationship with them and being of service. So, and willing to do that. It's not phony. It's honest.

It's what we like to do. We love hearing their stories. We love getting Christmas cards from our clients. And, you know, it's just, it's really special. You know, you've said relationship several times, which I think is really powerful. And I think I've heard a statistic once, and I'll probably butcher it, but you know where we're coming from, where people maybe polled or surveyed people that just bought a house. Hey, would you use that real estate age again? Yes, of course.

but then 20% of the time they do. And why is that? Because no one stayed in touch. So when you're talking about building relationships, that's all fine and good on the front end to get the deal and get it closed. But afterwards is where the true character of that agent comes in. And what you're talking about is, wow, if you're building a relationship enough to earn the right to get Christmas cards for people, you know, that shows that you're doing it right. Yeah.

No, I appreciate that. that it really is and that's you know what we strive for excellence every day the school day we're always trying to improve um you know do things better faster you know how can we improve wanting to improve but like i said yeah just being generally interested in what our clients are doing and you know if that property if they're ready to do a step up if it's time to move it to an LLC do they need a different property manager you know whatever it takes um and knowing that they can always call us and that they'll get a quick response so And you're probably dealing with the affluent clientele enough to where you might need some even more specialized tools in your tool bag, so to speak.

So you might need to bring in, you know, attorneys or CPAs or strategists to help some of those things, right? Because certainly you're not the one to spearhead that, but you can bring people into that conversation for your clients because of their specialized needs. Yes, absolutely. I mean, my assistant is tired of hearing me. I'm not an attorney and I don't say one on TV, but I have some good ones when you need them. So, yeah, you know, again, that just really goes into the resource list. And instead of them going to Google, we want them to come to us. And we also want to make sure that the people that we are referring and uses resources are calling

our clients back and constantly updating that the information that we're sharing is correct. And if they're not, you know, giving the level of five-star service that we expect that it won't be on our resource list any longer. So, you know, the relationships are not just between us and a client. It's really our entire, you know, database of professionals that we want to encourage folks to work with that we that we have good relationships with as well. So, yeah, and, you know, things are always changing. There's always different, you know, text laws and, you know, things that are coming down the pipeline. And we want to make sure that we're aware of them and making sure our clients are aware of them as well.

Well, Brooke, I tell you it's been really eye-opening to hear just what you do. and why you do it. And I can almost envision in my mind your home tour on skis and then slip it on the slippers. So I'm certain that that exists somewhere out there on social media. So I think that is just spectacular. But if someone is interested in learning more about what you do and reach out connecting with you, what's the best way they can do that? Absolutely.

You know, I'm not a secret agent. You are always welcome to call myself 970-68-915 or check out my website, searchfailhomes.com. But yeah, we love sharing this incredible community that we live in. And so I'm happy to answer any questions, real estate or otherwise. Excellent. Well, Brooke, thank you so much for coming on the show today. It's been a real pleasure talking with you. Thank you for having me. Appreciate your time.

Thank you for listening to the Elite Real Estate Leaders podcast. Brought to you by Trailstone Insurance Group. To learn more about the topics mentioned on today's show or listen to past episodes, visit www. www.org.com. Thank you.