“What’s not to love? It’s just a great place to live.”
A wise man once said, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.” Coleen savors a wide variety of knowledge and her passion led her to earn a degree with a rare triple major in three very different subjects: Psychology, French and Speech/Theatre. She also minored in History and Government. A career in real estate is perfectly suited to her. As she says, “I am an education junkie, and I learn new things all the time as a real estate broker. My mind continually expands.”
Coleen’s move to Santa Fe was prompted by the offer of a position as the Box Office Manager for the New Mexico Reperatory Theatre, transitioning into the role as assistant to the Artistic Director. She enjoyed seven years with the Rep Theatre before it closed.
Her introduction to the world of real estate came at an early age as her mother and father were both successful real estate brokers, owning their own company in Alamosa, CO. After her tenure with the Rep Theatre ended, she worked as the office manager for two of the big real estate companies in Santa Fe. “My psychology degree definitely came in handy!” Coleen jokes. She has a deep appreciation for the staff at Barker, having been on the other side of the business for many years.
When she and her husband started a family, it was important to Coleen to stay home to raise their children. When they were older, Coleen wanted to get back into real estate and she started her career in sales at Coldwell Banker where she was for 15 years before making the move to Barker Realty a little over 3 years ago. “I was raised in a real estate family, when interest rates were at 18%,” Coleen says. “I knew what was involved and I found I was well suited to it, as my parents were. The freedom of this career is huge. Equally important is that I deal with people all day long. I love talking with people and establishing relationships. Many of my clients have become personal friends.”
“Working at Barker Realty is a great fit for me. The people are professionals. Although we have a lot of fun, when it’s business it’s business and David and Lisa are great at managing those two things. And I love the out-of-box thinking of the staff who supports us. From technology to marketing, it’s fresh. Definitely not an old guard real estate company!”
“Our in-house traveling skeleton at Halloween is the best! You never know where he will be or what he will look like. He could be on the sofa with his arms around David, he could be on a light post in a tuxedo, he could be anywhere. I always wonder who sneaks in at midnight to move him around.”
Her work with Quota Santa Fe helps them provide a scholarship to New Mexico School for the Deaf students, as well as gift bags at Christmastime to give needed items to Santa Fe’s homeless teenagers. She has connected the Women’s Council of Realtors with Quota Santa Fe, and for the last seven years they have been a big provider of materials and funds.
Although Coleen has a passion for travel — and does it well with trips to Bora Bora, all over Europe, Alaska, Greece, Panama and others — she always loves to come back home to Santa Fe. “What’s not to love?” she exclaims. “The weather is phenomenal, culture abounds, you can get any kind of food you want…it’s a little paradise. Almost everything you would go to a big city for, it’s all here. It’s just a great place to live.”
