We live in an industry obsessed with speed. How fast can you close? How quickly can you turn a listing?
But after nearly three decades in luxury real estate, the most meaningful (and most lucrative) work of my career has unfolded over years, sometimes decades. Here are the lessons I keep coming back to.
5 things to know about playing the long game in luxury
1. Your best client relationship may span a decade before it produces your biggest deal
One of my current listings began with an email in 2017. A client wanted to find land. We identified the right parcel, guided them through the purchase, then spent years alongside them through design, layout decisions, finish selections, contractor relationships and the evolution of their vision.
Now, in 2026, we closed one half for $8.2 million, and we’re representing the developer’s residence, 1872 Christie Drive, for sale. That’s nine years of trust-building before a single “for sale” sign went in the ground.
In today’s tech-forward and AI-obsessed world, I can confidently say that no algorithm surfaces that kind of opportunity. It comes from showing up consistently and long after the commission check cleared.
Courtesy of Dan Tullos, Mountain Home Photography
2. Complexity is a competitive moat, if you’re willing to lean into it
Not every agent wants to navigate a 14,000-square-foot ski-in/ski-out duplex with significant shared amenity spaces, where one side had to be sold unfurnished because the art and furniture were valued at or above the home itself. That’s not a listing; it’s a puzzle.
Finding a single buyer who understood the value proposition and appreciated both sides of that residence took time and patience. The first listing agreement on that property was signed 10 years before we closed.
Agents who build the appetite for complexity earn a competitive advantage that’s nearly impossible to replicate. For the buyer who has the creativity to work through a challenging transaction, there is opportunity on the existing resale to remove complexity and realize value.
Courtesy of Dan Tullos, Mountain Home Photography
3. Market knowledge compounds, and so does your value to clients
Over nine years, I watched design trends evolve in real time. Markets like Los Angeles, New York and Houston are consistently on the leading edge of finishes and the use of space, and those influences trickle into mountain resort markets.
Working with experienced real estate clients from these markets keeps our team at the forefront of trends. Staying educated on what buyers in other markets are doing isn’t optional anymore. It’s part of the job.
Courtesy of Dan Tullos, Mountain Home Photography
4. Replacement cost is a story most buyers won’t hear unless you tell it
One of the hardest parts of representing a truly exceptional property is helping buyers understand what it would cost to recreate it. In the case of this ski-in/ski-out duplex, the property was priced at what I’d argue was $5 million or more below replacement cost.
That’s not a selling point you can put in a headline. It requires a trusted advisor who can walk a buyer through the numbers and help them see the value in irreplaceable real estate.
Data matters. Relationships and true local market knowledge make data land.
Courtesy of Dan Tullos, Mountain Home Photography
5. The deals that take the longest to close are often the ones that define your career
When my client reflected at closing that our first emails dated back to 2017, it wasn’t frustration; it was pride. We built something together over nearly a decade. In 2025, we closed three transactions on special properties, each with upward of 10 years of work.
Everyone sees the closing but misses the true commitment it takes to accomplish the goal. That’s the nature of luxury real estate done right.
The agents who will thrive in the next cycle aren’t the ones chasing the fastest transaction. They’re the ones building relationships deep enough that clients come back, not just to buy, but to build, to sell and, eventually, to do it all again.
All July, it’s Luxury Month, and we’re going deep — surveying the market, spotlighting the top producers who own it and bringing you the playbook for breaking into high-end deals. The month caps off at Luxury Connect in San Diego, where we’ll announce this year’s Golden I Club honorees.
Chris Paoli is managing partner at The Agency Steamboat Springs. Get connected on Instagram and LinkedIn.
