Meet Stephanie Kroll | Aspen Luxury Real Estate Broker

We had the good fortune of connecting with Stephanie Kroll and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Stephanie, where are your from? We’d love to hear about how your background has played a role in who you are today?
I am a Colorado Native and my family has lived in this state since the 1970s, I grew up in a suburb just outside of Denver. Growing up there, it was very much a small rural town surrounded by farmland, and in present day is more of a developed suburb surrounded by golf courses and equestrian centers. As a child I was endlessly curious and had boundless energy, so my parents put my into every sport they could think of to see what I enjoyed the most.

My dad was an avid outdoorsman who has climbed every 14er in Colorado. He frequently took us camping, hiking, exploring, and more. When I was 7 years old he taught me how to ski and was persistent in getting the family up to the mountains. I will never forget what Colorado ski areas were like in my younger years vs. how they are today. Ultimately I am the most like my dad, who also is a real estate broker and has owned his own brokerage for decades. I am so grateful that he taught me the value of hard work and self motivation at a young age. Before he got into real estate, in his college years he was an aspiring architect. My entire extended family lives in neighborhoods across the Denver Metro and takes the quality of their homes and interior design very seriously, and from this I also became deeply interested in modern design, art, and architecture.

Ultimately, my own love of outdoor adventure and modern design inspired me to start a real estate business in Denver, and then expand my real estate business into Aspen, a town of which is frankly the global pinnacle of both of these things. I can’t think of many other places in the world where one has such abundant access to a variety of outdoor adventures on any given day, which keeps people active and healthy. Aspen is also home to work by some of the most talented modern architecture firms across the globe, the design work and quality of construction is some of the best I’ve ever seen, and these homes are absolutely inspiring to walk through in person.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
One thing I am the most proud of in my business is that I built the entire thing from the ground up on my own. Since my father is also in real estate and we aren’t at the same firm, I never had any hand outs or freebies, in fact, sometimes we were technically competing against each other for business. Everything I have accomplished I have done on my own, but I built it based on my own professional knowledge, strengths, and experience.

But building from the ground up was NOT easy as a first time entrepreneur. There were so many times in the beginning when I didn’t know how I was going to make it, I was scattered and overworking myself. And then finally something clicked, one year I simplified my life, developed a stronger sense of self worth and became laser focused on my major goals, and then all of a sudden my career expanded.

I always kind of joke that in real estate I am less of a salesperson, and more of a marketer, because I am. I believe in authenticity and attracting what is meant for me, I’m not the kind of person to breathe down your neck trying to sell you something, and I am always committed and extremely loyal to my clients for the long haul. It is constantly my goal in my real estate business to be the best marketer in the game, to try new things, and to be innovative and cutting edge, I never want to be stagnant or complacent. I know how to capture people’s attention more than anything. As such, I would say I am the most proud of the online ecosystems I have built supporting my real estate business, and the attention and traffic that they have received.

Not only am I young and ambitious, I also have extremely high standards in terms of how I approach my work and work hard every day to find new ways to elevate their experience. Just because someone else does something a certain way, doesn’t mean I want to do it the same way. I have always been a proponent of not following the crowd – when everyone turns right, I turn left, and if something isn’t working, I always approach the problem from another angle. I thankfully have a creative eye, and so I approach all of my listings by asking myself how can I present a home as a piece of art instead of just a place to live. I believe that even exceedingly logical people still make emotional decisions when it comes to where they live, and that every great home has an interesting story to tell. It is my job to tell those stories and create deep, long lasting and heartfelt connections with the creative and adventurous people who are drawn to these homes.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Aspen is perhaps the most entertaining town of all time, there is such an abundance of things to do on any given day, and we have a vibrant ecosystem within the Roaring Fork Valley, so it’s hard to choose!

If I had to show a friend Aspen in the summer, I would take them to the Aspen Farmer’s Market in the morning to grab pastries at Louis Swiss and coffee at Paradise Bakery. I would either bring them to river float on a paddle board at North Star Nature Preserve, or take them out on a sailboat on Reudi Reservoir. I’d take them out for a round of golf at any of the valley’s amazing courses, go hiking up Smuggler amongst the wildflowers (or visit the Snowmass Bike Park with them if they’re feeling more adventurous.) I would take them to the John Denver Sanctuary, the Snowmass Rodeo, or on an e-bike ride along the Rio Grande Trail, and go out to dinner at Betula or Catch Steak.

If I was showing a friend Aspen in the winter, I would take them to Cloud 9, to ski and hike the Highlands Bowl. I would apres with them at The Snow Lodge at the St. Regis, and take them out to dinner at French Alpine Bistro, Aosta, Casa Tua, or anywhere that feels authentically like a cozy mountain chalet inside. I would coordinate a lunchtime sleigh ride to Pine Creek Cookhouse, do a guided snowshoe hike with ACES, snowmobile at T Lazy 7 Ranch, figure skate at Snowmass Base Village, take them to the Aspen Art Museum, and go shopping with them at any of the amazing boutiques around town.

If I was entertaining a friend in the fall, I would take them for a drive up Independence Pass or Red Mountain. I would take them to hike Sunnyside Trail ins Aspen, or to go horseback riding with Maroon Creek or Snowmass Creek Outfitters. I would pack a fall picnic and bring it to the top of the mountain where we could enjoy fondue, wine, and s’mores by a cozy campfire.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There is absolutely no way I would be where I am today if I didn’t have friends and family who turned into clients who believed in me and supported my real estate journey along the way. I wouldn’t have achieved the success that I have, if I didn’t have support from the online communities that I grew and fostered over years of time. And finally, I wouldn’t have made the leap in personal growth and professional development without the assistance of my extremely intelligent boyfriend Erik Blomquist or my former business coach Katie Mild, both of them were instrumental in my success. I also am so grateful to my Denver team member Lawrence Lippard for picking up that business where I left off and continuing to keep it alive while I built a new business in Aspen & The Roaring Fork Valley, not everyone was the right fit for that role and he has the passion, knowledge, and competency to take it to the next level.

Website: https://avantgardeaspen.com

Instagram: @stephkroll | @avantgardeaspen

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-kroll-05145928/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stephkroll/

Image Credits
Image Credit: Spencer Miller and Sam Ferguson