BOULDER COUNTY
David MANS PROOF
David MANS
Mountain Real Estate Expert. Community Builder.
“Icouldn’twishforabetter placetogrowup—orhave acareer,”saysDavidMans, aBrokerAssociatewith Compasswhoisdeeply rootedinBoulderCounty’s mountaincommunities. Hislifereadslikeachooseyour-ownadventurestory, completewithfires,floods, andfar-flungtravelsthat shapedhisresilientspirit anddeeploveforColorado’s ruggedterrain.Fromfighting wildfiresinJamestownand Wardtohelpingfamilies findtheirdreamcabins inthehighcountry,David haslived—andserved— attheheartofthevery communitiesherepresents.
FromtheFirelinetothe FrontPorch
Alongtimevolunteer firefighterwiththe JamestownandWard FireDepartments,David’s commitmenttohis communityhasbeenas enduringasthemountain peaksthatsurroundit.
“Fighting fires has been a huge part of my world,” he shares. It’s a legacy that began with his stepfather, the longtime Marshall and Fire Chief in Ward. From wildfires to devastating floods—including the 2010 flood that nearly swept away his family’s home—David has been on the front lines.
“It was an insane time that I wasn’t sure the town would ever recover from,” he candidly comments. “It had a profound impact on all of us and our little fire department really shone through it all.”
Perhaps the quest for adventure stems from his youth. After all, his childhood was all about off-grid living, living life with courage and conviction. After his family moved to Jamestown in the wake of the 1969 flood, he bounced between rustic cabins, wood-heated homes, and snowdrift-shoveling winters in Ward. He and his
brother once woke up to frozen glasses of water and an 18-inch snowdrift that bisected their room. “We hadn’t duct-taped the door shut,” says David, who considers himself one of the old-timers around town.
“My stepfather was a hard rock gold miner,” David recalls. “He met my mom while she was serving lunch at the Jamestown Merc, the main café in town.” They lived pretty rough, but it gave him a deep love for this land and the people who make it home.
A World Traveler with Mountain Roots
While David’s roots run deep in the Colorado foothills, his spirit is wildly global. Thanks to a globe-trotting mother who once
jumped off a freighter in Panama and became a kindergarten teacher, David developed an insatiable appetite for travel. From a coral study in Tahiti to backroad adventures in Australia, Fiji, and New Zealand, David’s six-month South Pacific trip turned into a life-shaping journey—including meeting his future wife during a coup in Fiji.
“She was an English student who was going to the Solomon Islands for an art thesis,” David says with a grin. “Three years later, we were married and ended up in a $32,000 cabin in Ward. Both of our kids were born here in the cabin.” He treasures that memory, raising their two boys in the same house where he’s sitting today. It’s all about history and heritage to him.
Real Estate: A Family Calling
David’s foray into real estate began unexpectedly. After his mother, Rena, quit working at the Nederland post office, she started Gold Country Realty. “She became a mountain expert,” says David.
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“Every afternoon, she would stick a map in her pocket and head out to find old mining claims.” She became a master of this history; she would map claims out, hike the land, and discover chiseled claim numbers in the rocks hidden in the woods.
“I loved doing that with her,” says David. “That was one of my favorite things to do.”
In 1991, David got licensed to help cover her clients when she and his stepfather were off on summer motorcycle trips to Sturgis. “This was all pre-cellphone and pre-computer,” he points out. She’d call from a bar payphone with scribbled notes. He’d run with it. “There were some days I had no idea what was happening,” he laughs. He soon learned the ropes. After she passed away in 2000, David took the reins and never looked back.
In 2021, he joined The Clifford Colorado Lifestyles group at Compass at the invitation of longtime friend Michelle Clifford. “I was looking for community, and it’s also a changing world,” he notes. “It’s become a more challenging business with a lot of changes and legal details to keep up with.”
Fortunately, the teammates at Compass and leadership helped him stay grounded and focused.
Legacy and Leadership With decades of experience and hundreds of transactions under his belt, David knows the value of integrity. “My success has been in treating people – whether you are
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rightnexttomeordownthe road–asneighbors.”Healso triestobeashonestashecan.
He’shelpedgenerationsof familiesmovein,out,and backintothearea,always withacalm,knowledgeable presence.Hisclientshave beenappreciativeofhim. Hearinghowappreciated heisafterhelpingsomeone findtheirhome10years agoispriceless.“Moments likethisareincredibly profound,”hereflects.“They arereallyhelpfulinpressing forwardthroughsomeof thetoughweeks.”
Motorcycles,BurningMan &SayingYestoLife
Whenhe’snotsellinghomes orbattlingfires,you’lllikely findDavidonamotorcycle adventure,exploring Mexico,Baja,orthewestern U.S.—oftenwithJamie,his partneroffiveyears.He’s beenattendingBurning Manfor20years,drawnto
the event’s core values like radical inclusion, immediacy, and community.
“Burning Man has become my community and my culture,” he says. It’s not about partying—it’s about living fully. Saying yes. Being the version of yourself you want to be. “Burning Man has helped shape how I live and how I raised my boys.”
And raise them well he did. His eldest son Hayden, is now an engineer in Germany, developing renewable energy through kite-powered systems. His youngest Henry, is traveling the globe, living in a converted bus, chasing experiences and learning along the way.
David’s life reads like a love letter to Boulder County— full of grit, heart, and a fierce sense of place. From building homes to building
community,fromfloodstofamilylegacies,hisstoryis uniquelywovenintothefabricofthismountaintown.
“Ifeelluckytobeapartofthisplace,”concludesDavid.He’s builthislifehere,raisedhiskidshere,andhelpedhundredsof othersdothesame.There’snothingmorerewardingthan that,livingwithpurpose,passion,andmaximizingyour potential.
