Suzanne Swanson

Suzanne Swanson About Suzanne

Agent

Early Years:

Raised on a 300-acre cattle and horse farm in rural Oregon, I grew up in a small, unincorporated town with no stoplight, five churches, and a close-knit community that valued relationships. Dreaming of a bigger world, I set off solo to Western Europe at 18, traveling through 13 countries and contemplating my future. Soon after, I found myself living the high life in Los Angeles, CA, working on hit television shows. But when 9/11 happened, my priorities shifted, and I returned to Oregon to be closer to family and friends. Shortly after buying my first house, I became a Real Estate Advisor, a role I've now held for over 21 years.

 

Professional Background:

A couple years after starting my career with Windermere in McMinnville, OR as a Real Estate Broker, I was referred to an esteemed developer known for building luxury homes who needed a sales agent for an upcoming project, Olivia Beach in Lincoln City, OR. (Olivia Beach is a planned unit development known as the 'little sister' to Seabrook, WA; an exceptionally well planned town similar to Seaside, FL and likened to Nantucket.) Originally committing to just two years, I ended up dedicating 18 years to this traditionally designed, second-home community. I collaborated on 136 customized homes, guiding clients through every phase of construction—from creating floor plans to selecting interior designs and ensuring a smooth move-in. As the listing agent for 100% of the properties and often a dual agent, I represented roughly 75% of the buyers, providing a top-notch experience. I also helped with select resales, scouted new land for development, and took on personal large-scale remodels. My passion for beautification and improvement shines through in everything I do. New Construction, from the ground up is my specialty.

 

From Oregon to Connecticut:

For two decades, I’ve visited lower Fairfield County and the Hamptons to study historical home design and vacation, always dreaming of living here someday. The picturesque architecture and idyllic towns are unlike anything on the West Coast. In October 2021, after work options opened up for my husband David (a So-Cal native with a PhD from UCLA) and I, we bought our home in Ridgefield, Connecticut. We chose this area to put down roots and raise our 10-year-old son, Perry. After meeting some wonderful staff and already knowing Sotheby’s impeccable reputation, I knew William Pitt Sotheby’s International Realty in New Canaan was the perfect fit for me. I feel my cross country purchase experience is an advantage for people moving here; truly appreciating the uniqueness of each town from both an outside and now insiders perspective. 

 

My Style:

I’m known for my high energy, but I can slow it down to match your pace. I believe in win-win transactions and value communication, transparency, and consideration. I’m quick to get things done and find immense satisfaction in helping people achieve their goals. I'm here for you 24/7, 365 days a year - whether it's 2 AM or Thanksgiving day. I don't say this to show sacrifice but to emphasize my belief that timing is everything in real estate. My flexible schedule allows me to be there when you need me most. If I can't pick up immediately, you can count on a prompt callback. I'm happy to provide references you can speak with about their experience working with me.

 

When I’m Not Immersed in Property…

I'm probably still looking at it! My son will tell you how often I stop the car to take a photo of a house with an architecural detail that I like! I'm most in love with timeless traditional styles and the thrill of discovering unique properties. You’ll often find me at an estate sale, a farmers market, a local event or festival. I'm delighted by classic cars and horse shows. I have a deep love for travel, finely crafted cuisines, and a high interest in international causes.

 

Areas of Coverage and Service:

While I can help with any real estate in all of Connecticut my focus is on Residential New Construction and Exceptional Estates in lower Fairfield County. (And soon select Westchester & Suffolk County, NY)

The towns you will most often find me in purely for my love of their downtown charm and spectacular residential streets are: New Canaan, Darien, Greenwich (Includes Cos Cob, Old Greenwich & Riveside) Ridgefield, Wilton, and Westport.

 

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"Everything works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out yet, then it's not the end."

  • Lives In Ridgefield, CT
  • Born In Oregon, USA
  • Favorite Movie That's tough! 'Jerry Before Seinfeld' for laughs. 'Just Go With It' for a romcom. Drama: 'Tombstone' or 'The Usual Suspects'. Classic: 'Holiday Inn'.
  • Passion My interests, of course! And I get excited by beautiful sights, moving music & stories...
  • Interests House Hunting, Fixer Uppers. Quaint Markets. Crafted Cuisine. Travel. Classic Car & Horse Shows. Animals. Performing Arts. Museums. So much in this world!
  • Favorite Lyric I'll note a saying instead: "It all works out in the end. If it hasn't worked out, it's not the end."
  • Inspiration Kindness. People who accomplish great things. Beauty.
  • Can't Live Without Accomplishments. Freedom. Fun. Humor. Meaningful Relationships.

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Endorsements

Over the last 12 years I have worked with Suzanne to build 2 homes and sold one. You will find that her effervescent personality disguises her true business smarts. And that’s why you want her on your team!

We met Suzanne when visiting a coastal community where she worked and quickly became enamored with the development and purchased a plot of land. Over the next 6 months went through the detailed process of building a home with the developer. Suzanne was our conduit for all decision-making. Reading people is her superpower. She can forecast what people will like, what their future needs will be, and offers advice and recommendations that prove to be inspired. 

We then embarked on a second build project in the same development. This home was a much bigger investment than the first.  Our ability to commit to this project hinged on trusting the team- and Suzanne in particular- to deliver exactly what we wanted. She also understands the impact of your financial investment and can make recommendations for upgrades that are (and are not) going to add to the resale value. The process did not disappoint; We are in love with the house and the quality time it affords us with family and friends.

When attempting to sell our first home, and knowing Suzanne was solely focused on new construction sales, we listed with a local Realtor who held the listing for over 6 months with no offers. When I was finally fed up that the property was not selling, Suzanne did us a favor and took on our listing. She made some very simple budget-friendly recommendations that made all the difference. At Suzanne’s recommendation, we approved a re-staging overhaul that she personally shopped for and installed (at no additional fee.) This included everything from color palettes and furniture to lighting, bedding, artwork, etc. In a very short time she secured an offer at asking price. Suzanne knows each neighborhood so well and intuitively understands what those potential buyers want. Again, that’s her superpower.

When you work with Suzanne, she treats you like family (quirky, hilarious family). You quickly fall into a comfortable, trusting relationship that will extend far beyond your project. You’ll enjoy every minute.

 

Amanda Paull, Client
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Endorsements

It is our pleasure to recommend Suzanne Swanson. 

We were fortunate to work with Suzanne through the purchase and build of our luxury beach house at Olivia Beach in Lincoln City in 2014 and 2015. It is an understatement to say that Suzanne was a consummate professional and a pleasure to work with. 

Building a high end second home at somewhat of a distance could have been extremely difficult: Suzanne made it not only incredibly easy, but actually fun. With our busy stressful jobs at a Private College and Intel respectively, plus our kids, we were concerned about having the Bandwidth to take on this large and somewhat complex project at the beach. Suzanne made it easy. She had a natural talent at helping us make choices that balanced budget and wow factor and invested our upgrade budget in areas that were high impact and also more difficult to update later. She suggested furniture choices to accentuate the architecture and helped us with our custom color selections. 

Rather than the stressful building scenarios we have experienced in the past, with Suzanne's careful and hands-on management of our project, we actually enjoyed the building process and were extremely happy with the high end finished product. She had a knack at bringing out the best in busy contractors and adding those special touches that made our house magical. She talked us off several ledges, and helped us navigate our choices with diplomacy and grace - not always easy when the clients are a rather demanding engineer and a Virgo lawyer. 

Erika and Theo Yigzaw, Client
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Endorsements

I have known Suzanne since 2007. The two of us met when my husband and I were buying, designing and eventually building a beautiful home on the Oregon coast in the Olivia Beach community. The experience with Suzanne and her colleagues was such a positive experience that two years later we chose to build a second larger and more complex home in the same community. Several years later when I was a member and then president of the Olivia Beach HOA, I could always count on Suzanne to assist me with board issues that involved new homeowners as she had established a very positive relationship with each one. 

Suzanne is one of the most hardworking, dedicated and innovative people I have had the pleasure to work with while building a home. She also has a very good sense of design and keeps all aspects of the construction project well organized. Her personality lends itself to establishing a very positive relationship between the builder and home buyer. When Suzanne says she will take care of an issue - she does!  

While building our homes, Suzanne and I became friends. Her honesty and zest for life made her a wonderful friend. I miss seeing her however I know she is very content to be on the East coast and to establish a working relationship with builders in her local area.  

As a builder, you can not go wrong in employing Suzanne to assist you with the building and selling of your homes. I know within the course of one transaction you will find her indispensable to your business.  

Madeleine Lucas, Client
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Endorsements

Please allow this letter to serve as a recommendation for Suzanne. 

I have known Suzanne for 5 years, as we purchased a home in Olivia Beach in Lincoln City, OR. with her help and hard work. Suzanne was our main point of contact, and we worked closely with her throughout the entire process -from the first phone call I made from Arizona, to travelling up and picking a lot, to signing a contract and designing the home, and all the way to closing and even afterwards. She was (and often times still is) the first person that I call or text if I need something related to our house that we have now owned for 4 years. We felt so comfortable and well represented by Suzanne that we did not bring a realtor into the transaction to represent us, as she did a wonderful job of serving our best interests and aligning those with the developer/her employer as well. She made the process extremely easy and comfortable.

I have worked in the banking industry for 30 years, and most of my time and experience has involved real estate lending and/or real estate development transactions on all types of products ranging from several unit townhouse or condo projects, tract home communities, semi-custom home developments, and also large multi-million-dollar custom home projects. Without hesitation, I would recommend Suzanne to work in any one of those areas of real estate sales. I am confident that she knows the business side of the process very well, and as a sales representative - she is very personable and welcoming and engaging to work with throughout the homebuilding process. She really made our decision to buy very easy and comfortable, and her follow up and follow through every step of the way made the entire process enjoyable. Because of my personal experience with her, I am 100% confident that she will thrive and succeed in any type of real estate sales work! 

Joel Johnson, Client
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Endorsements

I''ve known Suzanne since my partner and I hired her in 2005 to be our sales agent for our PUD Olivia Beach on the Oregon Coast that was completed in 2023.

After the 2008 crash we adopted a more custom approach where Suzanne began working with prospects in terms of a wish list rather than a pre-selected plan. Suzanne did an excellent job taking care of our customers along with making sure all of the selections were made on time and any upgrades documented accordingly. 

Suzanne worked with the buyers through all phases of construction and assisted the project manager with orders and inspections and anything that was needed. Suzanne is very personable with Buyers and I often got very positive feedback from our homeowners about their buying and building experience. 

I'm a 3rd generation builder and have had my hands in many multi-million-dollar projects over the years. I can tell you that Suzanne's ability to connect with buyers and assist with necessary construction tasks is a great asset. She always answers the phone and I can trust she has best interests of all parties in mind. 

Sincerely,

Walker John

Urban Olympia Development / Construction

Owner

Walker John, Developer of Olivia Beach PUD
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Endorsements

I met Suzanne in 2014 when she sold us our lot on the Oregon Coast for a new build beach house. My husband and I were looking for an investment property and I called later in the evening on a Friday night expecting to leave a voicemail message and receive a callback maybe on Monday. But Suzanne answered the phone! And she suggested that we meet the very next morning at the lot where they had just broken ground. We weren't even fully committed to buying on the Oregon Coast as we were also considering Bend, but after meeting with Suzanne and talking with her about the benefits of owning a vacation rental property on the Oregon Coast we signed the contract that day! Suzanne worked with us through every stage of the build on the property, from buying the lot to helping us translate our design ideas to reality. She has impeccable taste and really understood the aesthetic I was going for. Our home was completed in Oct 2014 and we began renting it the Summer of 2015. We have enjoyed making so many family memories at our beachhouse in the last 10 years. And our rental guests have enjoyed their time at our home as well and always comment on how beautiful and well thought out the design and the decor are for our property -- and we have only 5 star reviews to prove it! Suzanne has become a dear friend over the last 10 years and I'm continually impressed with her level of commitment to her clients and how hard she works to stay on top of trends in real estate and design. She is a wonderful person and has so much enthusiasm and passion for her work, that it makes it a joy to work with her!

Manda Bonilla Blum, Client
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Endorsements

In April 2009, my wife and I purchased land with the intent of building a second home at Olivia Beach in Lincoln City, Oregon. Suzanne was the sales agent who first showed us the to-be-built home plans attached to the lot. She acted as the construction liaison who assisted in all of our home custom selections, colors, fixtures, outlet locations, etc. and kept us updated on the job. We had an incredibly satisfying experience working with Susanne which resulted in a lovely new vacation home.

In March of 2018 after our family had grown and still loving the community we decided to create a new home in Olivia Beach with a more elaborate custom build. Suzanne took us through construction from the dirt to finish. She was always reachable and helped us with all of our concerns. While Suzanne was the listing agent for the builder, we did not bring our own agent in as we felt comfortable that she always had our best interest in mind as well and was able to walk the balance of what was fair for both parties. Having a direct line of communication with the building team also ensured that we would have a better handle on making our dream home a reality.

Six years later, we know that we can still call on Suzanne for anything we may need. Even as she is now on the other side of the country. She has become great family friend. 

We have purchased many properties over the years and can say that having Suzanne as the liaison between the developer and the buyer was extremely beneficial for all parties. I would definitely use a builder who is lucky enough to partner with her. 

Danny Lee, Client
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Endorsements

It is our pleasure to enthusiastically recommend Suzanne as a Realtor/Construction Liaison. 

We had the pleasure of working with Suzanne during our home construction at Olivia Beach. Suzanne provided us with knowledgeable support and relevant resources for a pleasant and relatively stress-free home build. We utilized a 1031 exchange, so the build process was expedited thus increasing the possibility of errors and stress, but with Suzanne's help the build process was smooth and efficient and completed ahead of schedule. 

Suzanne was a dependable and an extremely capable asset in guiding us throughout the construction process. She provided us with on-point samples of materials and colors to help with the house design. She also performed countless hours of research in her suggestions for fixtures, and we trusted her suggestions. 

Suzanne exceeded our expectations with her help and guidance. We knew we were not the only clients she was working with at the time, but we could not tell due to her timely responses and availability. Needless to say, we would work with Suzanne again without hesitation if an opportunity arose. 

Amy & John Hiatt, Client
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Endorsements

I met Suzanne in August of 2005. As the project manager, I have had the opportunity to work closely with her on the T.N.D of Olivia Beach. During this time, we have collaborated on over 40 projects to date.

Suzanne works far outside the boundaries of any sales agent that I have ever worked with. Not only is she diligent in representing our company, but she takes extra precaution to make sure that her clients are legally protected and are comfortable during the home building process. The amount of compliments that I received regarding Suzanne are to numerous to list. She is a joy to work with is perhaps the greatest asset that a company in our industry could have.

Erin Briggs, Project Manager of Olivia Beach
  • Suzanne Swanson

    Suzanne Swanson

    Agent
    M.
    New Canaan
    26 Cherry Street
    New Canaan, CT 06840

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