Riley Warwick Reflects on His Record-Setting Sale, His First Decade in Aspen Real Estate and What’s Next

Riley Warwick knows how to make the most of a milestone. The agent and cofounder of the powerhouse Saslove & Warwick team at Douglas Elliman has marked his tenth year in Aspen real estate by setting a new record. On Monday, Warwick closed on the $108-million sale of the spectacular 22,405-square-foot, 11-bedroom, 17-bathroom estate at 419 Willoughby Way in Aspen’s Red Mountain neighborhood, making it Colorado’s highest-priced home sale and the first to crack $100 million. This comes three years after his sale of the same property, for $72.5 million, set a previous record . In an interview with Elliman Insider , Warwick shared his thoughts on the achievement, his first decade in Aspen real estate and what he’s looking forward to in the next 10 years. Elliman Insider: Congratulations on this record-setting achievement! How does it feel and what does it mean for you? Riley Warwick: Honestly, it feels like I need to get back to work. Really, I feel very grateful that I had the opportunity to do this deal and that I’ve been in this business for 10 years. I started when I was 22, and I’ve been incredibly focused, working literally every single day, so it definitely feels like a milestone. It also feels like I can’t take it for granted. In real estate, you’re only as good as your next deal. You just have to keep working and keep pushing. EI: This is the second time you’ve set a sales record with this property. What makes this such a valuable home? RW: Actually, my business partner had sold it in 2009, and that was the highest-priced home sale at the time. So, it set the record three times. What makes the home unique is that it sits on the largest and arguably best lot on the best street in Aspen and has a size and scale that the city no longer allows. You can live on one level: the primary suite is on the main level along with the living room, the dining room, the kitchen and the garage. It has a beautiful pool, which was relatively rare for homes built more than five or 10 years. It has a guest house. And it’s on four and a half acres set back and high on the street, so it’s removed and very private but still close to town. And the views are absolutely incredible. 419 Willoughby Way, Aspen, Colorado EI: It sounds like hitting this kind of milestone was your plan from the get-go? RW: When I graduated from college and decided that real estate was the career I wanted to pursue, I moved to Aspen because I’d been researching the top markets and saw that four of the top brokers on the RealTrends list were based here. When I first interview for a staff job with Joshua Saslove, my current business partner, he asked me what I wanted to do, and I told him, “I want to be the number one broker in Aspen,” and he started cracking up. But truly, anyone who knows me and works with me knows that my goal has been to succeed at the highest level in this business. This one deal doesn’t do it, of course. EI: It also sounds like Aspen has been a good place to call home. RW: Aspen is a pretty special place. It’s a really tight-knit community of full-time locals. My wife and I love to ski, of course. I’m a big mountain biker and road biker. We love the summer activities here, so we hike a lot and take walks with our French Bulldog, Fig. We’re also involved philanthropically with Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers , which maintains all the hiking and biking trails that everyone enjoys, and the Big Buddy mentorship program. EI: So, what are you looking forward to doing in the next 10 years? RW: Well, my wife is pregnant, so I’m very excited about fatherhood and this next chapter of life, starting a young family here in Aspen and growing even more deeply into the community. In real estate, I am focused on creating a business and a team that is by far the most successful in Aspen—the most professional, with the smoothest operation and the ability to create the most value for clients. We do that by knowing the market and being the most connected and most client-focused brokers with the best access to properties that not everyone has access to.