Meet the Colorado Foothills Team

 

By Amy J. Born

“We are more interested in getting the deal right than just closing the sale.”

There’s a new real estate team in town made up of four professionals with some surprising credentials that definitely set them apart from the competition.

Julia Purrington, Nick Melzer, Rebekah Massaro and Becky Smith make up the Colorado Foothills Team, the first formal team established at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Elevated Living Real Estate, Evergreen’s local Berkshire Hathaway brokerage.

Julia Purrington, PE

Julia is the team leader. She has been at BHHS for seven years and has lived in the area for over 20 years. “It’s the only real estate office I’ve worked in and I wouldn’t consider working anywhere else,” she said. “We have a great managing broker and a collaborative group of REALTORS®. We don’t compete with each other, we help each other.”

Before becoming a real estate broker, Julia worked as a structural engineer, owning an engineering firm here in Evergreen. Her background gives her particular expertise in land transactions which require a deeper knowledge of issues like construction, grading, permitting, setbacks and variances. She explained that this area of real estate can be more complicated than selling or purchasing a house, and typically pays less, so not all brokers choose to do it, but she enjoys navigating its complexities and working with builders who were her former clients at her engineering firm. As a result of being an engineer, “I have a lot of the necessary connections and knowledge,” she added.

Nick Melzer, JD

Prior to becoming a real estate agent, Nick was a practicing attorney with several large, national law firms. Most recently, he was a partner in the litigation group at Holland and Knight, LLP in Denver. After moving to Evergreen and welcoming a third child, he decided it was time for a career that required less travel and allowed him the flexibility to spend more time with his family. He thought real estate would be a natural fit and a way to continue using many of the skills he had developed over his 14-year legal career.

Having worked in large, collaborative teams as an attorney, Nick liked the idea of partnering with other real estate agents and was drawn to Julia because of her non-real estate background. He knew that his law experience paired with her engineering know-how gave them a unique skill set, and they quickly agreed that they should create a formal team. Coming from a large law firm, Nick was used to leading teams to collectively solve complex problems and he understood the logistics of making it happen. As a team, Nick knew that he and Julia would be able to put their respective expertise to work on more complex deals and efficiently handle more transactions than they could individually.

Rebekah Massaro, CMAS

Rebekah became a real estate agent six years ago after studying mechanical engineering. “I got started in real estate when the real estate agent who helped me purchase my first home offered me a job and I’ve never looked back. I love it,” she said.

Rebekah has worked with Julia from the time she joined BHHS and it was a great fit from the start. She appreciates working with research-based professionals. “It’s in our nature to research—that’s how our brains work,” she said. Rebekah believes that research mindset is an asset to their clients because they are always willing to do the hard work of finding additional, creative options and solutions for clients’ problems.

“Our backgrounds are more technology- and detail-oriented. We are more interested in getting the deal right than just closing the sale,” Julia agreed. “We see our job as fixing problems, doing things right, and making sure the details are taken care of.”

Becky Smith, JD

Becky joined Berkshire Hathaway in July and was excited about the prospect of working with a team to gain additional experience. She earned her law degree in Washington State before becoming a consultant in Washington, D.C. She also owns a restaurant, and has extensive experience managing her own real estate investments, which led her to her current career as a real estate agent. Having come from a legal and consulting background, Becky sees the value of having diverse, non-real estate perspectives on the team. In fact, when a client recently told her that she treats real estate like law, Becky took that as a compliment.

Each member of the Colorado Foothills Team genuinely enjoys the work they do in real estate. Julia’s enthusiasm for living and working in Evergreen is quite evident and is shared by the entire team. “It’s much more fun getting to help people find their new home. I love Evergreen. Getting out on a bike, on skis, on feet… I’m selling what I love. I want everyone to experience living in a place they love as much as I do.”

Mark Footer, BHHS Elevated Living’s managing broker is equally excited about having the new team at his brokerage. “We are excited for the members of Colorado Foothills Team and their continued growth and success at providing the high level of service that the Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices name stands for.”

Everyone on the team agrees: “Working together allows us to get the details right by collaborating and supporting each other. With the breadth of experience our team has, we’re ready to tackle any challenge someone might face in a real estate transaction, whether it’s residential or undeveloped land. When you work with the Colorado Foothills Team, our whole team will be working behind the scenes to ensure you receive the best possible experience from start to finish.” Contact them with questions about buying and selling, specific neighborhoods, and anything to do with foothills real estate. Email CFTeam@BHHSElevated.com, visit ColoradoFoothillsTeam.com or call 303.679.4117.