JACKSON, WYO.—Like so many who have come to call this place home, Jill Sassi planned to spend a year “ski-bumming” before settling into her career when she moved here in 1999. Little did she know that Sandy Harrison, the agent who sold her and her husband their first home in Jackson, would take her under her wing and show her a job path that she would fall in love with. Her passion, honesty and dedication to her clients is what earned Jill Sassi silver for Best Real Estate Agent in 2019’s Best of Jackson Hole.
“I didn’t even know that I’d been nominated,” said Sassi of her award in an interview with Buckrail. “It was such a lovely feeling and I was so surprised!” Sassi was one of three agents from Sotheby’s to win the award in 2019.
Sassi’s career in real estate began under the mentorship of Sandy Harrison at Real Estate of Jackson Hole, where she worked until moving to Sotheby’s in 2005. “I spent a lot of years working on the weekends, missing the fun camping trips with my friends and powder days at the village to show up for floor duty or show a house,” said Sassi. “But honestly, it’s all been worth it, I feel so fortunate to love what I do.”
Teaming up with Collin Vaughn in 2011, then in 2015 Mercedes and Laurie Huff, Sassi’s team at Sotheby’s, Huff Vaughn Sassi, has grown to include a total of six agents with the addition of Arthur Corontzes and Andrew Marshall. “It’s so nice because it gives us all more flexibility and the ability to be creative and collaborative in lots of different ways,” Sassi explained. “Our group is eclectic. Everyone brings something different to the table. We each get to shine in our own ways.”
Like any profession, Real Estate is all about creating your personal brand. Sassi’s “brand” is that of a service provider. “What I want to bring to each client is an education and quality service to help them facilitate their goal: buying or selling,” Sassi explained. “I know I’ve missed sales because I haven’t pushed clients into something, but I tend to let people decide for themselves. I want to help people find their dream here.” The challenge of searching for exactly what her clients are looking for and the emotional connection they share through that experience is what drew Sassi onto her path and has kept her moving forward on it.
When it comes to working in a small community like ours, Sassi touched precisely on what it means to be communal: “we all need each other,” she said, “supporting one another is everything here. And your moral compass has to be high here because, in Jackson, your reputation is everything.”
As for her favorite local business? Sassi is a big fan of Jackson’s “cool little shops and retail fixes around town,” especially Made and Stio. She’s also very grateful to Cowboy Coffee for keeping her going daily.