Shawn Simonds has lived in the Grand Lake area since she was in third grade, so she brings a depth of local knowledge to real estate sales that few people can match.

Simonds' biography and philosophy follows:

Born: Simonds was born in Fort Collins.
Hometown: Simonds moved to Grand County when she was in third grade and settled in the Grand Lake area. She said Grand Lake was a great place to grow up, although the town was a very different place than it is now. She said it was much quieter and everyone in town knew each other. Simonds said she was recently sitting in a local restaurant having dinner with a friend when both of them looked around and realized they knew precious few of the people in the room. But, Simonds said, she is in the business of progress, so she accepts the changes in the town as inevitable.

Education: Simonds graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in animal science. She said she loves horses and rides in shows when ever possible, but said there is very little industry in Grand Count as far as breeding and training horses.

Spouse: Simonds is married to Ken Bruton, a local log homebuilder. Bruton specializes in hand-hewn, hand-peeled logs for the rustic look.

Kids: Simonds and Bruton have a two-year old son, Thomas.

Interests and Hobbies: Besides riding and raising horses, Simonds loves to ski and especially to hunt. She said she hunts for elk in Grand Lake, deer out by Kremmling and antelope near Craig. She and her husband hope to take their son on his first hunting trip this fall. Simonds was lucky enough to get a five-point elk on her property a few years back and has the head mounted in her home.

Past Business Career:  Simonds taught skiing at the children's center at Winter Park Resort and worked at Rocky Mountain National Park as a fee collector. She also was a mule tender for the trail crew in the park and said she enjoyed getting to hike most of the trails in the park, but does not miss moving large rocks after a many-mile hike.

Moved to Grand County: Simonds has been in Grand County since the third grade.

Resides: Simonds is lucky enough to live on an acreage tract near Rocky Mountain National Park. She said the parcel is a dream with national forest and a 22-acre lake adjacent to the plot.

Real Estate Affiliation: Simonds is a broker associate for Grand Eagle Properties in Grand Lake.

Recent Trends in Real Estate: Simonds said Grand County is being discovered at a rapid rate. She said years ago people were satisfied with a little 600 square foot summer cabin, but now everyone is building large, luxury homes for year-round use. she said the demand for unique properties with water (lake or river) continue unabated. Simonds told the story of one four-acre riverfront parcel, which the owner bought for about $100,000 two years ago and was recently offered over half a million for it.

Most unusual request from a client: Simonds said she occasionally gets requests from people who would like to buy a secluded piece of Rocky Mountain National Park to build their dream home.
Real Estate

Philosophy: Simonds said she wants to help people through the whole process of buying a piece of property. She said the process can be daunting, but with her knowledge and integrity, she can help buyers get what they are looking for and negotiate smooth sailing through the toughest of deals.


Reprinted from Sky Hi News
Grand County Real Estate Weekly
July 20-26, 1999