Our Story
Our Story
Over 60 years of hard-won success serving communities across Colorado.
 | 1962Rod Slifer, ski instructor/Realtor, starts his one-man operation out of the lobby of the Lodge at Vail, selling properties for Vail Associates. |
 | 1968Rod Slifer opens his own brokerage, Slifer & Company, on Bridge Street. As Vail grows, so do Slifer & Company and Vail Associates Real Estate. |
 | 1983Jim Flaum, a real estate veteran and former Navy pilot, becomes vice president and managing broker of Vail Associates Real Estate. |
 | 1986Harry Frampton and Mark Smith form East West Partners, the major force of the development of Beaver Creek Resort. |
 | 1988Harry Frampton and Mark Smith open Frampton Smith Real Estate, concentrating on the newly-formed Beaver Creek market. |
 | 1994The two top dueling powers of Vail Valley real estate merge, forming Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate. |
 | 2004Opened offices in Summit County, the first located at 117 S. Main Street and Keystone Resort offices. Two more offices would be opened on Main St. in Frisco and 211 S. Main St in Breckenridge in 2013. |
 | 2019SSF grows again with the acquisition of Palladium Properties, a boutique and independent luxury property brokerage firm based in Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley. Palladium Properties founder, Krista Klees, joins Slifer Smith & Frampton as Executive Vice President and Managing Broker overseeing operations throughout the Roaring Fork Valley. |
 | 2020Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate awarded development sales listing for the $600 million Snowmass Base Village, expanding its presence in the Roaring Fork Valley. |
 | 2020SSF is a proud founding member of Forbes Global Properties, a luxury real estate marketing platform showcasing the world’s finest homes and the stories behind them. Forbes Global Properties leverages the audience and worldwide reach of Forbes, one of the most trusted media companies for the last 100 years, to engage, inform, and delight buyers and sellers of luxury properties. |
 | 2021Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate restructures leadership and Chris Lankhorst is promoted to Market President of Summit County. He is one of four Market Presidents: one in the Roaring Fork Valley, one in Summit County, one in the Vail Valley and one in the Front Range. This management change brings SSF even closer to the customers and the communities it serves. |
 | 2024With our sights set on northern Colorado, we open a new office in Steamboat Springs with a veteran team of local experts, to serve the Yampa Valley as the area looks toward a bright future. |
Testimonials
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I was unsure and nervous about making my move from my previous condo to the one Joanna helped me purchase. She made the experience not just positive, but smooth and made the processes enjoyable. She brought reassuring professionalism while keeping a calm, personal attitude. The timing of selling one property to purchase another was handled amazingly. I couldn’t recommend Joanna and her team more. I’m completely satisfied and thrilled with all their effort and assistance.
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- Brent Crabtree
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Joanna was very helpful in sourcing a home that checked all of the boxes in this competitive market in the mountains. She was helpful in explaining any questions we had and provided us valuable information to make informed decisions. We are extremely happy with our new home in the mountains and would recommend Joanna and her Assistant Taylor to put your mind at ease and assist you in making the best decision on a new home purchase for you and your family to enjoy for years to come!
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- Jonathan & Amy Bentz
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Working with Joanna was a great experience. She was patient, knowledgeable of the area and a great resource for local information and laws governing rental properties. We highly recommend Joanna and look forward to working with her again on future projects. David & Kirsten Bowen
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- David J. & Kirsten A. Bowen
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Joanna was very strategic in pricing and marketing the property which paid off in our sales price. She was thoughtful with the timing of the listing to make sure we had the most exposure to potential buyers. Scott S.
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- Scott Schmitt (OI TAG Beaver Creek LLC)
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My wife, Melissa, and I had a very positive and enjoyable experience working with Joanna Hopkins as our broker representative. She and her assistant, Taylor Murray, met us at the Solitude site in Breckenridge in August. They were both consummate professionals demonstrating extensive knowledge about the available lots and showing us a lot of patience as we walked much of the property on that first day (as well as a second time with our home builder team). Melissa and I were immediately impressed with Joanna and Taylor's enthusiasm and friendliness. We could tell that they are genuinely kind people who were interested in optimizing our buying experience. Slifer Smith and Frampton Real Estate is fortunate to have such talented individuals representing them. In the months and years ahead, we will definitely point others toward working with Joanna, Taylor, and the rest of the Slifer Smith and Frampton team!
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- Ted Bush
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Joanna did an excellent job answering our questions as we were doing our due diligence on the property. She was highly professional engaging and made the process relatively seamless. We think she will continue with the engagement as the project commences and we walk through the build process.
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- Manassa Mountain Lodge LLC
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I had a wonderful experience working with my Realtor Joanna Hopkins. She was referred to me by a co-worker. She was professional, attentative and knowledgeable. She explains the whole process, answered all of my questions and walked me through the entire process of buying a home. We had a few snags along the way and the process was difficult at times with this crazy market but, she really helped me through everything and was there every step of the process. I'm extremely satisfied with her services and I highly recommend her.
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- Christa Vent
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Slifer has the best resources for buyers and has helped us sell quickly 3 different times. Their process for determining price is thorough and has been accurate all 3 times. As a buyer, Joanna Hopkins’ knowledge of Summit County, the quality builders and where the extra fees are charged is immensely helpful. She is also an excellent listener who does an excellent job of dealing with the stresses associated with both buying and selling.
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- Roger Eastman
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