The Truth About Growth in Colorado Mountain Towns | Ep 6

Colorado mountain towns are changing rapidly, and the conversations around growth, housing, affordability, and community identity are becoming more complicated than ever.

In this episode of Real Estate in the Rockies, Ashley Kappel and Jessica Chariton sit down with top Colorado Realtor and business leader Treasure Davis for a thoughtful and candid conversation about what’s happening across Colorado mountain communities and why so many residents feel tension around growth and change.

Treasure Davis is ranked in the top 1% of Realtors nationally and is the founder of the Treasure Davis Team at eXp Realty, Zillow’s #1 Team in Colorado Springs. Her team has sold more than 3,500 homes and built a reputation around leadership, customer service, and community impact.

But this episode goes far beyond real estate transactions.

Together, Ashley, Jessica, and Treasure explore:

•  Balancing Growth and Affordability in Colorado’s Real Estate Market 
• Colorado mountain town growth
• housing affordability
• workforce housing
• tourism and second homes
• property rights
• customer service
• leadership transparency
• community planning
• mental health and housing stability
• and what it means to build thriving communities in Colorado

This conversation is nuanced, honest, and deeply relevant for anyone who lives in, works in, invests in, or loves Colorado mountain towns.

In This Episode

• Why Colorado mountain towns need long-term strategic planning
• The tension between preserving community identity and welcoming growth
• Why poor planning creates conflict around development
• What’s driving affordability challenges in Colorado
• Why customer service is declining across industries
• How Realtors can better serve communities
• The role mental health plays in housing stability
• Why collaboration matters more than competition
• What creates long-term success in real estate and business
• Why honest conversations matter in growing communities

Memorable Quotes

“Growth is good in the context of proper planning without agendas behind it.”

“It was never about you anyway.”

“Customer service is becoming the exception, not the rule.”

“Home is a place where people feel deeply loved.”

Connect with Treasure Davis

Website: http://www.coloradorealtors.com
Instagram: @treasuredavisrealtor

Real Estate in the Rockies is the podcast exploring Colorado mountain real estate, housing, land use, development, zoning, community growth, and mountain living in Salida, Buena Vista, Chaffee County, and communities across the Rockies.

Hosted by Colorado real estate attorney Ashley Kappel and local realtor Jessica Chariton, the show brings together developers, community leaders, housing experts, investors, and local voices to break down the conversations shaping mountain towns today.

Whether you’re buying property in Colorado, navigating real estate development, exploring affordable housing challenges, or simply interested in the future of mountain communities, Real Estate in the Rockies delivers real conversations and local insight from the people living and working in these communities every day.

Subscribe on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify for new episodes every week.

Connect with Jessica: https://jessicachariton.homesmartpreferredrealty.com/

Connect with Ashley: https://www.collegiatepeakslawandmediation.com/

Please share this podcast with anyone who is interested in Real Estate development, Community Conversations about living in Colorado Mountain Towns. 

Transcript

0:00

Hi, I'm Jessica Chariton with Real Estate in the Rockies podcast here with my co-host, Ashley Kappel, and today we got to interview Treasure Davis, who is a top-notch Colorado realtor. She's out of Colorado Springs, but she grew up in a small mountain town, Salida. So we get to hear some of her journey from Salida to Colorado Springs, and what makes Real Estate a great career for her, and some of her thoughts just overall on our area and small mountain towns in general in Colorado. So we can't wait to share this episode with you. Welcome to Real Estate in the Rockies, a Colorado real estate podcast focused on mountain town real estate. I'm Ashley Kappel, real estate attorney. And I'm Jessica Chariton, local realtor, and we're here to help you understand what's really happening in the Rockies. You're getting both a legal perspective and real world experience, so you can make smarter, more confident decisions in the Colorado real estate market. Follow Real Estate in the Rockies so you don't miss an episode. And share it with someone who cares about the future of our mountain communities, because in the Rockies, Real Estate isn't just about property, it's about community. We are here with Treasure Davis, who is visiting Salida, but not really a visitor, I will say, because Salida is home for her. She is a top agent in Colorado Springs, well, really all of Colorado. Your numbers rank you like. Thank you. I'm here. Yes. And who had her start with a lot of different businesses and jobs in our area, and we thought it'd be fun to talk about that. And we thought it'd be fun to visit with her about some of that history, and then Colorado Real Estate in general, and what you're seeing across the state. So we're happy you're here. Thank you for coming. Thank you for the opportunity. I really appreciate it. Yeah, welcome. Thank you. And so before we get into the mechanics of your business, we want to ground this in the perspective of our little Colorado mountain town. People who grow up in towns like this tend to see real estate pretty differently. Absolutely. And especially where they grew up, than the people that are transplanting or moving into our town. So since you're originally from Salida, how did growing up in a place like this shape the way that you think about land, housing, community, and how does that show up in the way that you advise clients today? That is a great question. It's a spicy one to start off with. My husband's family housed at Salida. Wow. And so what our house that we have in Salida is on family land. And so the way that we look at growth and development and all of that in Salida, Chaffee County is obviously a lot different than the way we look at it, where we live in Colorado Springs, because it's totally different. There's not the roots in the history that my husband and his family specifically has there. So if we're looking at it from the context of Salida, then I would say, well, really pretty much everywhere in general is like really having a complex plan kind of built if you look at California, Irvine was really developed on a grid system. So everything that they have in there was very well thought out and methodical. And sometimes when I look at cities specifically in Colorado, especially mountain towns or even Colorado Springs, there's not really a design or a function that kind of seems like, well, we feel like doing this now, so we're going to do this now versus there's no overall with the history of why we made the decisions that we made. And this is why this was good for the decisions we made. Like I think sometimes people forget the why behind the table conversations of why those decisions were made. So I think growth is good in the context of proper planning without the agendas behind it. Because usually when people join boards, they usually have some kind of agenda behind what they're wanting. It might not be the overall good of the municipality or community. Correct. And so looking at that and saying, is everybody on the board for a holistic reason, not a personal agenda? And has there been a lot of thought and research and forward thinking to the growth that has been proposed? So I think that's where that question feels a little spicy for me and so I know. Well, I love that perspective. Yeah, it's something we've already talked about on the podcast. Okay, good. So yeah, I mean, just the planning aspect or the lack of planning, maybe is what I'm hearing you say. Yes. It's like, oh, we sold this land. Let's just build this. And it's like, what's the overall city, saliva, county goals? Yes. And what's the one year, three year, five year plan? What does this look like? And how does it all go in together? And then it isn't just one person's agenda to take it over here. Everybody's rowing the same direction. Well, and I think if a city and county takes time to do that, then when growth is introduced, it's not such a fight. Yeah, it's not so controversial. Yes, people can see how it fits in and is for the good of the whole instead of it being not in my backyard. Right. Because it's like, well, density was planned to happen here. And we have to have density if we're not going to take over all of the public lands or whatever it is that we're trying to protect public lands here. But absolutely. Yeah. And what does it look like to protect those public lands and who determines what usage can be done on those public lands? Because everybody also has an opinion. About that. Sometimes they do. Yeah. You can put on that. Right. So. Very true. We're saying a lot, but not saying a lot. Yeah. Do you follow slider politics closely? I do not follow them. But well, you're speaking to us even though you haven't been following. Well, I'm just thinking of, you know, for all the years that we were here and all the things that we saw and all of my experiences from being on a school board and being on different boards, just watching how things naturally progress. If there isn't that plan and there isn't that one common mission, vision, core values, then it's easy to get. Side track. Off. And if history isn't talked about, I do believe that history does like repeat itself. Right. And so I just want to make sure that, you know, why Salida was homesteaded and why Salida was first created is remembered. And that goes into the growth and development because, of course, it was going to get out. You know, when we were growing up, people would say, not Salida, they would say, Celina, you're from Celina, Kansas? And we'd say, no, Salida, Colorado. And now, nobody makes my mistake. They're like, oh, we know where Salida is. We love going there. Right. It's a totally different context now. Yeah. So that's true. Go ahead. So think about we like to to brood ourselves in stories and want to rather than, you know, like moments when things get complicated or challenging. So tell us a little bit about, you know, a transaction that, you know, you've probably helped a lot of people move from other parts of the country or even from like the Front Range to Colorado Springs or, you know, what? Tell us a story that kind of captures like a complex moment or something that was hard and kind of what got you through it. Mm. So I recommend that every business owner, particularly Realtors, because that's really my scope is Realtors. They read the book, let them. Okay. Okay. Not yet. All right. On my list. It's on my list. Yes. And that's from Mel Robbins. I love her podcast. Yes. And so I think every Realtor should read that book because, you know, usually people are not buying and selling just because they want to. There is something driving that decision. And we typically call that the 70s. Okay. So we say like de-relocation, diapers, diplomas, death, divorce, you know, we name all of those and say those are the reasons why people are moving, all of them have a layer of stress to them. Oh, right. And then besides moving. Besides the movie. And then you do the stress of getting to the moving part and then you get to the actual moving and you're just like, whoa, this is a lot. Right. And so we get into these situations where people are in really hard circumstances, right. And they don't have things set up the right ways. So one of them was the estate had been done and I'm really big on people having their affairs taken care of. So they're correct wills and the place. You need to have the right wills in place. Your living will, your trust, like whatever your financial situation looks like. You need to really think through what's going to happen after passing and people don't like to talk about it. It's hard to talk about. However, sadly, none of us are going to escape it out of here alive or not. So how do you set it up so that the kids and the family behind are the ones that are left there fighting and scratching and clawing and ruining their relationships forever? And when it just could have been not to say simple in what you do on the back end, but as far as the client facing, it's a pretty simple process for them to come in and typically like answer questions, decide what they want to do. It's more complex on this side, but it doesn't take a whole lot in my opinion for people to take that initiative. It's just a hard initiative to take because the questions that are being asked are very hard questions that you have to like really think through and all of that. But if you just take some time and do it. And so we had some people that did not have anything set up. They passed away and there was just so much fighting and so much turmoil. And I just really wanted to like to come alongside with them and be like, this is a season. Your relationships are forever. But when it comes down to people's money and people's feelings and people's perspectives, they look at things a whole lot different. And so for them, I was kind of watching this family kind of from the inside implode itself and really making sure that we could get them the right assistance to help them navigate that to salvage what they could to make it a really good situation. And at the end, they were just so done with the situation that they didn't leave the house in the condition that it should have been in. And so it's really coming alongside of people and saying like, this was not their intention. They just truly did the best that they could do. Now, how did we come alongside of them to get it really through that finish line? And I think that's what really sets like you and I apart as realtors is like, we will roll up our sleeves and get dirty and get it to the finish line and help people and not say, well, that's not my job. I'm not going to do that. It's like, how can I come alongside of you so that you can look back and see that this was the best version of the situation? And so that's something that I'm really big on is people having long-term care, people having things set up. I love that. Okay. So this is, I'm so curious about this question because I want to know all your good advice, but there's a lot of real estate agents in Colorado, right? There's a lot of us. And there's always a gap between what people say drives their success and what actually does drive success. So if you really had to break it down, pretend like our audience is just realtors. Okay. What are two decisions or habits that have had a huge impact on your personal success? And maybe these are things that other agents might overlook or avoid entirely. Maybe not, but just if it is, I want to hear about it. I'm willing to do what other people are not willing to do and not anything ethical, of course, but I'm willing to stay in the things that are hard, that are going to drive business and to bring business in where other people, like making phone calls, for example, and following up on things, they may stop after phone call too. If they even make a phone call, I'm going to keep going until they literally tell me, like, no, don't call me again. And I'll be like, okay. Right. Until they literally tell me that. And it's been so evident in things. And I watch the way that I interact with people when I'm looking to buy things. And it's really rarely about the sales person, right? It's about where I'm at in my journey, where I'm at in my level of research, where I'm at in my busyness of work and my kids in my life, when I get back to them, it rarely has anything to do with them. But as realtors, we find so much energy we put into, it's about me. My listing presentation is about me and my stats and what I do. And my buyer guide is about me and what I do and all of that. And everything's, you know, facing that way versus what are you looking for? How can I come alongside of you? What's important to you? How can I take my years of expertise and knowledge and mentors and people that I have around me to make this the best place for you? So I would say, I'm willing, people give up on phone call two or three because they feel like they've been ghosted. And I'm like, it was never about you. And to get it personally. This applies to business owners in general, not people, a little soonie gents. Yeah, like it was never about you. Yeah. And then it's also so it's about doing that. And it's also about, you know, always leading with the best intentions to do what you can do. Right. So people say that they do that, but then sometimes like what is done in the dark always comes to light. And so the way that people cut corners sometimes comes through. And so we're never looking to take the easy way of doing things. We're going to always do them the right way, even if it's the harder way or the way that, you know, we think that there's a shortcut, but that shortcut is not to be taken. Yeah. And I think another piece of that is letting people know that they have options because when you let people know that they have options and there's not one way to do anything, like the way you built your team is similar to the way I built my team, but there's still some differences. Yeah. It just goes to show you that there's not one way to do it. Yeah. I have so many, I'm like, success, success. Also about abundance. So many people sort of coming along and wanting to collaborate and have conversations like this. They're like, don't like, I'm not going to tell you my secrets. I'm not going to. Oh, right. And I'm like, there are no secrets in real estate. Yeah. Sorry. Like it's better to just collaborate because when we collaborate, it's a better experience for our clients every step of the way. And when we have better clients and better experiences and we're better and we're better educated and trained, it just makes everything easier. Right. Professionalism of the whole real estate industry. For ourselves and for our clients and for the entire industry. Yeah. Like, isn't that a win for everybody? Yeah. Should be solved. Yeah. I love those answers. Sorry that they kind of look at each other. Yeah. Yeah. So everybody has their own things, but as far as, you know, real estate agents go, I think it really comes down to, which we talked a little bit about is just communication, right? Like we have to be communicating with each other. And that applies to our industry as a whole. It's actually a really big deficit that we have of just getting people to answer and respond back. And even in, I think probably even more prevalent in smaller towns of like, I don't need to take that call. Yeah. Who are they? Yeah. And what are they doing in this town? And they don't, you know, they don't belong here or, you know, whatever the case may be. This is, we don't, we're not welcoming growth. Like sometimes like in, I've heard agents in our market say the same thing about Denver agents that they, you know, feel that way about Denver agents because our lock boxes don't work for Denver agents. So it's really complicated to get them into the house. But I'm like, they have buyers. And if they're willing to come down and sell the house, isn't that what's best for the consumer that hired to sell their house? It's going to be a two minute inconvenience that I have to do to get them to be able to see the house in the right way to be able to get into it. So I think that there's a lot of things of people wanting to have these clicks and these niches and these ways of communication that are really not best practice customer service. And I think if we looked at customer service as a whole, you are starting to be able to see when you receive really good customer service, it's starting to become the exception, not the rule. True. And I think that there's so many industries to flip it back around and make it where people do really have good experience. Yeah. Customer service. And I'll share a little story about Salida. So we came down one weekend and we were going through kind of the shops and just kind of walking around and there was a store owner, which obviously I'm not going to name, but there was a store owner and she was talking about she disliked people come like tourists. Well, that's a little bit turned standoffish. Right. But I think that that's a perception when it's really, if you look at it, that's who funds the business and keeps it. But also like, that's how probably most of our families came here. Like that's how like my mom, for example, came to live here was my grandparents would bring them here on vacation, right? Growing up. And then when opportunities arose, that's when they decided to take advantage of that opportunity because they already knew they loved it like where it was. I already loved it. So people do start off coming in and saying, I really love it. And it becomes part of people's, you know, family history and their legacy and what they want to do. So I was just very interested at that. I was very curious. That's a good word. I was very inquisitive about the way that we do that. And I think that that's more prevalent of trying to keep people out versus trying to be what's the best for this homeowner or what's the best for this business and what are we trying to achieve? Because in my mind, you know, I was like, well, I don't know you either. Yeah. And what is there not to like about me if you don't even know? Well, and it wasn't necessarily about me. I was just in general. But I was thinking, well, how would you feel if my husband said that to you? Yeah. He was here a long time before. Yeah. You know, when he was like fourth generation. So that makes him from here. Who makes it? What's how to define that? Where do we define where it starts that you're from? Right. You know, a flower. Exactly. I'm a real American. Yeah. So I think just kind of will you give me the high point on that question? I think that's a good answer for just in general across the board. But I'm curious a little bit more about like, I'm seeing prices, like some of the other prices staying the same across the state are as they getting more expensive and people can't come here. Like what, what are the trends like in the market? You know, that would be like a follow up to my original question, which is sort of like across the state, what are you seeing? And like, how does that impact these smaller, smaller towns and even anywhere in the state? You know, do you know that? Yeah. So realtor.com just came out with a post that they did that Denver is the fastest declining market in the entire country. Yeah. I heard that. That's crazy. So that's a crazy statistic because we feel that we follow, I kind of feel like Denver kind of leads the charge for us. Right. And then it goes into Colorado Springs, then into Pueblo, then into, you know, the smaller markets, the micro market. Yeah. It kind of like filters into there. So we kind of look at Denver, like, Oh, what are you doing? You're raising prices. You're having higher prices. Okay. We know we're going to kind of trend behind there. The one thing in my opinion, good about Colorado is we don't have the really high highs and they're really low lows. We kind of just stay kind of bouncing along, you know, as a steady income. Now, are the prices high? Yes. The prices are definitely high. The cost of living here is very high. But it's also because, you know, typically we don't have a lot of natural disasters. People like that. I mean, we have a lot of fires. We have, yes, we have forest fires and we have hail, but we're not typically having like the earthquakes and the hurricane, you know, that people, I mean, significant. California also has fires. They also have earthquakes. They also, you know, so I think a lot of people are drawn to Colorado from the other major markets because to them it's a lower cost of living where when you're from here, you're like, this is a higher cost of living. But we have people, you know, that move here from Texas and California, and they think this is just great. This is fantastic. They're ready to make cash buyer. Yes. They're ready to come on in. Yeah. But that being said, I love when my clients are like, you know, can you just find me one of those Texas or California buyers? And I'm like, just because they're coming from a major market with cash doesn't mean they're overpaying for properties that are not worth it. They still are doing their due diligence and making sure that everything is lining up. So we still need to be on the market. So I would say for us, the last two years for us have been a little bit of a slower market in Colorado Springs overall. And really our CEO was saying this is the hardest market we've had in 50 years. We just forgot to tell the realtors that Oh, good. It's nice to hear. Thanks for sharing. So the realtors that are making it, he's like, you should really be giving yourself a high five because this has been a really hard market that we've really strived, you know, because the government market people really bought anything. They Yeah, they are just there was just this auction mentality that they couldn't get around. Um, I'm very thankful that that is gone. And now we're trying to more, in my opinion, we're kind of balancing more out strategy. Yeah, correct pricing, watching the trends. Right. And realtors really stepping up their game with education and continuing education and training and master mining and just really digging into that. But overall, I would say the way that I'm forecasting Colorado Springs is just a slow trajectory up to a balanced market. That's my hope anyway, not a buyer's market, not a seller's market, but really kind of balancing everything out. And in our market, some things are getting multiple offers one day on the market, and some of them, you know, are sitting for five months. So it's really, in my opinion, us being educated to giving them the right options of saying, Yeah, I know you love COVID pricing, we all do. Yeah, because we all live somewhere. We all loved our house value then. However, this is where we're really at. This is really where your net sheet is. Yeah. And that's important, right is having our realtors take the time to know how to do the net sheets, doing them up front, making sure that people are educated. So that way they feel empowered. Because when people are empowered, they make good decisions. Yeah, and being honest with them too. Yes, I'm telling them what they want to hear. Yes. I'm telling people like, I won't buy your listing. Yeah, right. Because I'm actually going to do the marketing and the things that I need to do. And if I buy your house to list it, and it's overpriced, it's not doing you a service or me a service, I'm just buying it to put my yard to be like, Oh, I have all of this. But it isn't actually going to get you to your goal. Sure. So is that really in the best interest of our consumers and our clients? Well, and it goes back to what you were saying about, like answering the phone and doing the lockboxes, that we have a collaborative, abundant mindset for our clients too. So that when we tell a price that they don't live to hear that it's, but I'm working, I'm here beside you. I've heard you say this a couple of times, like, I'm here, I'm going to be here beside you. We're still going to accomplish your goals and dreams, but in a way that we can get to the finish line. Yeah, not just have it be this, Oh, I wish that would happen. Right. So that's, yeah, it is for sure tough. And it takes skills and it takes practice and it takes all of that. And you can accomplish that with training and masterminds and all of that without having to do, you know, the big production numbers. Like you can still achieve that fitting in with your lifestyle of where you want your business to be. It doesn't have to be on, you know, a mega team. It can, you can still do it as a solo agent. But one of my favorite things to tell agents is even if you're a solo agent, you still have a team because you still have your attorney, you still have your lender, you still have your home inspector, you still have your broker, like you still have people that do marketing for you within the office. You still have people around you that are helping you swim toward a goal. So you still have a team. It's just how do you utilize that team to benefit the consumers? That is so good. But there's one of our last few questions that I think would be interesting to hear about, especially given your history in Salida. And this came up a little bit ago too. There's a lot of tension between like who's been here first type of conversation. And it has to do with like growth, how fast do we want to grow? What is the plan for growth, affordability, and then workforce housing? Like how do we keep people in town that are going to hold down the town while there are tourists coming in and out enjoying town? And oftentimes I feel like realtors sit right in the middle of all of that and get blamed. Absolutely. Or a lot of that, like there's a local business that has a bumper sticker they publish that says blame a local realtor. I've seen that. Yeah. Oh my gosh, not my favorite. No, it hurts because I think we also feel responsibility as realtors to like be in the community and help the community. And we don't set the prices. We take the data and we say the prices, but we definitely don't set the prices. Sure. Yeah. What the right one is. Yeah. So getting to the question, sorry. But like second home, short term rentals, out of area buyers, tourists deciding that they want to make that home. Is that really what's making Colorado less livable for the locals, the natives, in your opinion? Another controversial question. Well, as an actual Colorado native, I would definitely say that I don't think that's driving it necessarily. I think it's the changes that we have that are going on across social media, you know, how fast news spreads, the messages that are being sent out. Like, I think there's a lot of messaging that's being sent out where people are like, well, I don't have to work for that. And I'm not going to work for that. And I don't really have to even work at all. Right. And that is messaging. That is packaged messaging, in my opinion, that is being, you know, that people are consuming when their day was crawling. Across the country. Across the country. It's not something that is just Colorado specific. Right. If you look at other parts, like the whole country is suffering. Absolutely. If you look at California, you know, their gas is $6 a gallon. Like, we are not paying that. So does that make us more or less affordable? Well, if you're looking at just that, that makes us more affordable. But then if you compare us to, you know, Oklahoma, where their gas is a little bit less, well, then now they're even more affordable. It's also in like parts for us in Colorado Springs, it's also parts of our city. So if you're looking for a new construction, right, or newer plans, communities, you're typically going to pay roughly like time and then it's going to just work out perfectly. But it isn't going to work out perfectly. Like there's ebbs and flows to it. So I think it really comes down to, really comes down to the leadership that we elect into can everybody on that board really specify and really share without someone prompting them? What are the missions, the visions, the values, the goals, and how have we been growing all in the same direction to achieve those? And when we have a bad actor on there and someone who has that, how do we put aside the politics to be able to make those decisions so that they, we can keep growing in the right direction of what is good for Salida? What is good for the bigger cities? What is truly good for the state? We have a lot of things really pivotal right now that can really change our state in a lot of ways. And I think it's up to us to decide as people that live here, like how do we want it to go? And it comes from all of us being vocal and being able to have conversations when we disagree with things and not just shutting people off and being able to not be able to say anything at all. Like some of my best friends, we have very different beliefs, but we have the best conversations. And I think that that's something when we're looking at growth, when we're looking at what needs to happen, it really comes down to being able to have those honest conversations and not having to be political as to why we're not having those conversations. I'm just, this is like, is it going to be good for everybody? No. But is it going to be good for the majority? And here are the reasons why and everybody's on track with that. I kind of look at it as like, for lack of better words, like a jury. Like you hear all the facts, you hear everything about it. You all go in and deliberate and you all stand by the reasons. And you have to say, like, I agree with this decision, right? Like people have to be accountable. Like if, I feel like if you introduce a bill, your name should have to be on it and you should have to stand behind that bill and everybody that endorses that. Nothing should be secret or behind the scenes. Everybody should know everybody. There needs to be way more transparency. So. That's great. What do you have to say to that? So much. I think about that. And I think, you know, when we talk about, like I was the second member of the Housing Authority here for a while, and it was really a challenging position. It was very politically charged. But it does make me think differently about folks that are living in this community and across the state and across the country, really, that can't afford to buy a house and where are they going to live and whose responsibility is it for them to have a place to live? You know what I mean? So I mean, that's my only counter is like, what are we doing to support everyone? Because I mean, the people that can buy a house and can, you know, they are sort of dictating the way the world works in terms of. Yeah. Well, owning a home gives stability, like, financial. Not those are our key needs. Yeah. Have to have a place to live. And then you're able to, like, vote because you have the same address and you're able to have time to, like, figure out the issues. And so it does put an inordinate amount of power in the hands of those that are, like, with property holders or property owners. Yeah, I also think it goes almost a scotch deeper than that. I think it also goes back to mental health as well. I think that's a big issue. And this is something that I'm experiencing personally with one of my friends who does have a home in Colorado. And she is having mental health challenges and there's not enough resources for her. And so she has chosen to leave her home and to not have a home. And I really don't believe with her professional career and everything that she has accomplished as an outstanding businesswoman, there are challenges that her brain is having that I don't think we have the right resources to get her the help that she needs to be able to support that. So I'm like, I think that it isn't just people can't afford it or don't. Sometimes I think it's we have a mental health crisis that when you have a broken arm, people will look at your arm and they say, "Oh, you have a broken arm. Are you okay?" But our brain is one of our biggest organs. Obviously, our skin is our biggest organ, but our brain is a huge complex organ and we don't address that piece enough. So I think it is obviously housing. And I'm not saying if you don't own a home that you have mental health. There are many years I did not own a home. I'm just saying that sometimes there are deeper complex issues that are the reasons why behind that. And we also see a lot of our boomer generation not wanting to own homes anymore because they're kind of getting ready for that next season of life and they don't want to do the upkeep because the upkeep is so much. But I also think it's also a personal preference and it's letting people know you don't have to own a home. You can be in your best space and live. Like I have lots of clients that say, "I owned a home. I didn't really enjoy owning a home. I want to be able to travel and have more community to what I do. And so this is better fitting this season of the life that I'm in." That is okay. That is like we should be honoring where they're at in their journey and what they're doing to. Now, that being said, do they need to be able to go buy a $2 million home? No. Do they need to be able to live somewhere? But I also go back to, and this is a little spicy, but this is something that I think every city struggles with. We had, I don't know all the details around it to be fair, but we had a hotel in Colorado Springs that was turned into housing for unhoused people where they could have a nice place to stay. It was so run down with drugs and abuse and cops and death and murder and destruction and everything else under the sun that they ended up having to bulldoze the entire hotel housing. And it's not even there anymore. And it was created and then it was done to be able to do good and it just didn't work out. But that doesn't mean that those people don't deserve homes either because they have an addiction. But that also goes back to a mental health issue. That's why I say it's sometimes a it's complicated. It's complicated. And we have to stay curious. I think that's a really good word of how do we meet people where they're at, but how do we not have them be waiting for people to do for them and they want the hand up? Even if it's a pinky and we start off with like a little stuff, how do we keep people moving to their best selves? Well, in our best life, there's something said a little bit ago, and I think this maybe ties it all together, hopefully. And that is that we need to be able to have conversations. And that's part of where we started the podcast, not to bring it back to us, but like having you here to talk about some of this and the issues that you're seeing with people owning homes or not wanting to own homes at all anymore. Like we hope that this table and this channel is a way for people to say, okay, well, here's a step, how to like get into housing, but also we need people to do more on their end. It's a collaborative conversation where we acknowledge that there's real issues and real tensions, but like what are we doing and how do we help? And I think part of that is having those hard conversations so that you don't see all sides of the issue. You talk to a lot of different points of view and that it's some accountability on one end and some awareness on the other end. And they go together to make sure that as a state, we're not just ignoring the people that need help, but we're also not making decisions, which is what I've seen a lot of this legislative session. And we're going to talk about that on a future podcast where Colorado legislature is trying, in my opinion, introducing a lot of bills that will really damage property owner rights and make it very hard to own property at all in our state. It'll even make it hard for people to have rental, like, because no one's going to want to be a landlord in a tenant. In my opinion, that already happened. Right. I agree. There's way less investors than there used to be. And some people will always be renters and they will never be homeowners and that's okay. And that's okay. But we need to have a state that supports that opportunity for one person and then opportunity, the opportunity to be a landlord for one person and to be a well-treated tenant. Absolutely. So I hope there is space for all of that. Yeah. I hold that as a state, we can figure some of those things out, but we'll see. It's yet to be decided. Yeah. I look forward to that episode. That's going to be a good one for sure. Yes. And I think that's really, thank you for summing that up. I think you summed it up really well as I really want to have a table, a kitchen table, where everybody comes together and has those hard conversations and comes from a place of collaboration, contribution, understanding, open-mindedness to just see that there's lots of ways and options to do things. Not one right one. And there's not one way to do anything. There's lots of ways that work for different people. I think that goes back to your first comments from the first question in that having a strategic plan as a small town, like a small mountain town like us, or as a city besides the Colorado Springs, or even as a whole state, where this is what we want things to look like for our future makes a big difference in people feeling like they're on board and moving in that direction instead of just being like, why is this happening to our state or to our town or absolutely. So having them be able to explain here are the reasons why in a Cliff Note version to make sure that people are on board with it. And you may not be all on the same page, but you can understand why. And that helps a ton. So one last question that I think will maybe sum that up too. How much responsibility do you think realtor or real estate agents have in being community impactful in their communities? I know you mentioned you served on a school board, lots of boards. I think that that's a human responsibility that we all give back in the ways and in the capabilities and in the seasons where we can, because everybody, in my opinion, can make a big difference. And I used to tell people when I was on the board of the Ronald House, you may think you're only collecting pop taps, but what we do with the compound of all of those pop taps really makes a big impact. But you're just seeing it as I'm just collecting this one. This one compounds and makes such a big difference. So everybody came from a place of being open, minded to having the conversations. And everybody came from a place of wanting to get back in the way in the season that made sense to them. We would compound our state, our cities, our country to be a really beautiful place for more people to feel proud to be in and feel like people have their voice and people feel heard and valued. Even the ones that don't have housing. Yeah, especially those. Right. But I think it just comes down to that's a human, we have the ability and I think a responsibility to give back in whatever way that that works for us. Whether it's you're able to do this huge thing or you're able to literally collect a pop tap. Mm hmm. Thank you for all of this good conversation and dialogue. Should we move to rapid fire? I'm scared. Don't be scared. They're mostly fun. I mean, I get the record. Does everybody know that you guys don't give the questions ahead of time? Like, yeah, because people have asked for them ahead of time. Do your does your audience know that you don't give them ahead of time? I think we okay. I don't know if we have that. I think Walt maybe brought it up, but I can't remember for sure. But we don't give questions ahead of time. Yes, it's spontaneous. It's spontaneous. You have to answer whatever comes to mind. Yeah. And you did great. Good. Thank you. So land with a view or would you rather live walk well downtown? Land with a view. Okay. What's the first job you ever had? Oh, the first job I ever had was working at a Mexican restaurant in Kansas City. And it was in a mall. And that's why I really liked it. Because as a 15 year old teenager, I wanted to be in the mall and I wanted to have good Mexican food. So I worked at a place called Amica's. Oh, wow. Like me because yes. Yeah, that's where I went on my first date. Oh, 30 years. Well, it was called Alba Tino previously. And it was around the corner. Right. I knew that. Yes. And so we went there on our first date. That's so fun. Yeah. So slightly more information than we even asked. What would you be doing if money were no object? I would absolutely be in the nonprofit sector. Any particular board or organization? I think all of them. I love the boards that I'm like, I had no idea you did that. When I served on the Goodwill board, that actually became one of our taglines because I was like, I didn't know we did that. I didn't know we did that. I didn't know we did that. Wow, that's so impactful for so many people. And so that became our year long mission. So I would definitely be in the nonprofit sector. Well, then that goes with what's your personal motto? Not I didn't know we did that. Yeah, I think it really comes down to, you know, loving your neighbors more than yourself and coming from a place of wanting to understand versus wanting to give opinions and knowing everybody has a season and a journey. And it's not for us to have an opinion on it's for us to best support and love. Yes. What is your favorite book or a book you're reading now? Well, my favorite one of my favorite books is already talked about that is let them. So I have a really bad habit of reading several books at the same time. So I'm reading several of them right now. But the one that I'm really loving right now is called Strength to Strength. It's a really, really, it's a really good book. And it's about like, your strength and your prime of what you're doing. And how once you feel like you've kind of reached that, what is your next strength look like? How do you identify it? How do you do the bridge over from that? And what does that look like? Cool. I can't. Sounds good. But to read that one. Sounds like a good one. I'm a book connoisseur. So if you ever need book, I'm like, oh, hold on. We'll text you and ask you. Yes. Okay. Our last question is, what does home mean to you? Home? What a great question. Home means to me a place where friends and family can literally take a deep breath inside when they walk in and feel like they're wanted, they're valued, they're seen, they're heard, and they're deeply loved. I love that. Thank you. Yeah. So where can our listeners find you online and, you know, social media or just how do they get connected with you? Yes. So that would be from Instagram is the easiest place. And that's at Treasure Davis Realtor. And then our website is www.treasuredavis.com. So I think you have a team Instagram too, right? We do have a team Instagram. They might find both. Yes. Okay. Yes. We're pretty easy to find. So fine. If you just type in Treasure Davis, you will find me and a very famous R&B singer and you can choose to follow both of us. Send each other follow. Well, thank you so much for being with us today. It was such an honor to have you home in Salida. Thank you for the opportunity. I really appreciate it. It was a lot of fun. This episode of Real Estate in the Rockies is brought to you by Collegiate Peaks Law and Mediation. Hi, I'm Ashley Kappel. I help people make smart, informed decisions when it comes to real estate, especially when things get complex. From contracts to land issues, I'm here to bring clarity and confidence to the legal side of your transaction. I offer legal services and mediation.