Ian Phillips PROOF
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Ian Phillips FINDING A HOME PROOF
HOW THIS NEW YORK NATIVE TRADED IN THE BIG CITY LIFE FOR LYONS, COLORADO
A particular kind of person builds a life in smalltown Colorado, the little towns on the way to resort destinations or national parks. Those towns look quaint in the vacation seasons, and they welcome the car traffic that sometimes becomes foot traffic into their bars, shops, and little grocers. Not everyone is built to live in them twentyfour-seven, to become part of the community that makes it a home.
Unless you’re Ian Phillips.
Ian grew up in a small farm town on the edge of Adirondack State Park, closer to Canada than the Big Apple, and life up there didn’t look much different from rural life in Colorado. “When I first came to Lyons,” Ian remembers, “it reminded me of a small town in the Adirondacks called Old Forge. It started to feel like home the second I set foot here. I had no idea that so many of the traditional ideas I knew from home that defined a person are the same here, things like, Are you a good person? Are you kind to people? Do you help other people? I saw so much of that in Lyons, and that’s what made me want to stay.”
Before Lyons, Ian dreamed of a job in broadcast TV.
Back in New York, after graduating with a degree in broadcasting and television from SUNY Oswego the natural move was to head to New York City and start hustling to make the dream happen. He found work with NBC and went through the NBC Page Program. His favorite memory from this period of life is that he got to tour Sesame Street and climb into Oscar The Grouch’s trash can.
“It was an amazing experience,” Ian admits, “and I’m so glad I had that opportunity in my life. But as part of that, I also started to learn what my life would be like if I stayed working and living in New York City. Having your laundry stolen out of machines, getting stuck on broken-down subways for hours, and constantly fighting traffic gets old quick.” That world felt very forced and it just wasn’t what he wanted for the rest of his life.
Some people would be dismayed, realizing that their dream wasn’t actually a dream after all, but Ian was undeterred. He simply pivoted.
Ian recalls, “In the massive layoffs of 2008 that so many industries saw, I got laid off from NBC, and I ended up
walking into a brewery in New York City because I was a giant craft beer geek. And I thought, ‘Maybe I want to follow my passion and open up a brewery someday.’ So I started cleaning kegs and doing some manual labor at another brewery in the city, and that work ended up connecting me to a brewery here in Colorado at a beer fest, which is where I first heard of Lyons. After doing research it seemed like a place I could call home.”
After popping around through a few different bartending and construction jobs to make ends meet, he found a job at a popular bar in downtown Lyons where he was living, a little pizza pub called PB66. He became very active in the community, organizing many charity events, social gatherings, and parties through the bar, which made
people joke that he was the “unofficial mayor of Lyons” because he easily connected with so many people.
Little did he know he was building the network that would launch his real estate career. Fate, providence, or whatever you want to call it found Ian at the bar one day when a realtor friend who owned a small brokerage in Lyons sat down for a drink and mentioned he knew of a property that Ian might be interested in.
Another realtor friend, Dan Sidall with Gateway Realty, helped Ian buy his first home and at the same time helped Ian start his real estate career.
“That first house was the perfect nightmare—anyone else would have bulldozed it. However, I knew I could make it into an awesome
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homeformyself,andthe factthatitwasontheriver outsideofLyonsreally soldme.Iknewitwasmy chanceevenifitwasan insaneamountofwork; that’swhatopportunity lookslikesometimes.”
Iangotarehabloanand documentedtherenovation onsocialmedia.Hestarted torealizethathehadmore thanaknackforthissortof thing.“Itwasaneye-opening experienceforme,realizing thatIactuallyknewalot moreabouthomesthanI thought,”Iansays.“Lots ofpeopleconnectedwith thatstoryandwerereally engagedwithit.Andthen Danpitchedme—‘Youshould getyourlicense.Youknow, you’rejustanatural.’
“Working with him is what made me realize that maybe I could get into real estate. You don’t have to be pushy or have an ego. He showed me that if you can be yourself, be honest, and work hard, folks will want to work with you.”
Ian got licensed and decided to dive in headfirst right as the COVID-19 lockdowns and regulations kicked in alongside a market that went a little bonkers. “You know, I think being a new agent at that time benefited me because I didn’t know what ‘normal’ was. That extremely intense market was all I knew, which set the bar for me. I knew if I could thrive in an intense environment like that—on the go, dealing with new regulations,
dealing with stress 24-7 from all aspects of life—if I could swim in that and not sink, then I could make it.”
Ian’s work ethic and rural way of doing business paid off. “Ending those first couple of years with a very long list of happy clients instilled confidence in the next round of people. They think, ‘Wow, this newer agent has great reviews from all of his clients They’re all saying he goes above and beyond, no matter what. He’s worried more about their welfare than his own convenience, time, or what’s easy. He truly cares.’”
What particularly sets Ian apart is that Lyons is his home, and he cares deeply about the people there. “I
hope people know that I care so much about honesty and integrity and whether people at the end of the day will say, ‘Wow, that guy really did look out for me no matter what.’ Even if it means that it will make my job ten times harder, I am more worried about taking on stress and burdens if it protects the people who put their trust in me to work for them. Working with Coldwell Banker of Boulder now gives me the tools and support that work best for my clients, and I’m really excited to see where this path takes me.”
Ian found his happiness and home in Lyons and wants to help all his clients find what they’re looking for too.
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I'm not sure where to start in regards to how valuable Ian Phillips has been during our purchase of a new home in Colorado. Ian is at once laid back, energetic, and enthusiastic. Ian has been wonderfully communicative and willing to help with questions, problems, and issues nearly 24/7. He has given us plenty of "heads-ups" when necessary. He is a great listener and asked us multiple questions in order to get a good understanding of what we were looking for in a potential property. He has gone out of his way on many occasions to accommodate our needs and to insure that the transaction went as smooth as possible. Ian is very familiar with the Lyons area, and beyond, and is able to network very effectively to get addition information on utilities, roads, fire mitigation, septic systems, and construction. His insights into the Lyons area and his ample connections have made the purchasing process a much more comfortable journey than we had anticipated. Because of Ian, we are very confident in our purchase and we owe him way more than just a "thank you", we owe him a debt of gratitude. We truly couldn't be happier. -Mrand89
