Russ Lyon Sotheby's International Realty has made a key hire for one of its Arizona offices.
The luxury brokerage firm has brought on industry veteran Debra Quadt to run its Tucson office. Quadt made the move from Long Realty Co., a local real estate firm where she spent the last three years as a sales manager, according to her LinkedIn.
Quadt, a longtime Tucson resident and University of Arizona graduate, has worked in the residential real estate market for over 20 years. Though, in an interview with Homes.com, Quadt remembers turning down her opportunity to become an agent while working for a title company.
"This agent approached me and said, 'I think you'd be great in real estate, would you come work for me as my buyer's agent?' And I said, 'Oh my gosh, no, ' but thank you,'" she remembers. "She just kind of kept on me and I relented."
She joined the brokerage world during "the crazy market of 2005 to 2006," she said, noting she remembered "falling asleep fully clothed at the end of an 80-hour work week."
During the Great Recession, as the real estate market drastically changed, Quadt had to pivot and learn how to navigate the world of foreclosures and short sales. A common theme of her career was learning to stay relevant in the business, "whatever that looked like."
After years of working "very long weeks" throughout different economic cycles, Quadt transitioned into more management-focused roles in 2021.
She refers to her new office with Russ Lyon as "a branch that's synonymous with excellence."
"It just feels like such an honor to work alongside these very high-level professionals practicing at the top of their trade," Quadt said. "Whatever the support they need looks like, I want to provide that to them."
Quadt succeeds Will Rose, who is retiring after more than 15 years as managing broker of Russ Lyon's Tucson office.
The Russ Lyon Tucson office is based in the upscale Catalina Foothills neighborhood, home to some of the priciest listings on the market, including a $12 million home in Canyon Ranch.
Russ Lyon also has the $10 million listing for 3569 E Secret Canyon Place and the $3.2 million listing for 5043 N Marlin Canyon Place.
"In addition to the health and wellness [benefits of Tucson], we have a huge opportunity for those who enjoy the outdoors and hiking," Quadt said. "We have seen everything related to home pricing tick up, but we're still, in comparison to many other options, more affordable and viable for folks."
The average home value in Tucson is $427,002, according to July data from Homes.com. In Catalina Foothills, that figure jumps to $794,351.
"Back when I got into the business, you were happy if you got a $350,000 house under contract," she said.