Luxury is a relative term. For Kelly Shaw, luxury was raising her three children in the beautiful Keys environment. For her son Trent, luxury was playing in a fort in the mangroves he and his friends kayaked to nearly every day after school. Now working together as the Shaw Team, the mother and son see a full range of luxury and what it means to different people.
Kelly has always lived in beautiful places. She was raised in California, where her father owned 11 real estate offices, and then lived in Colorado as she started a family. But even those two states renowned for their beauty didn’t compare to the awe she felt while honeymooning in the Keys.
Kelly and her family moved to the Keys as soon as the stars aligned, and her third child, Trent, came soon after. He enjoyed the quintessential Keys childhood, spending his days on the water more than on land.
In fact, Trent took to the water so well that he was swimming at 9 months old. Adults used to jump in the pool to save him before they realized he was swimming safely with adult supervision.
Trent also has an innate passion for fishing, which was fueled by his father’s occupation as a fishing guide. Trent considered becoming a guide himself but ultimately followed in his mother’s footsteps after majoring in business at Palm Beach Atlantic University.
In the early 90s, Kelly, as it turns out, did follow in her father’s footsteps and got her real estate license alongside her mom, Barbara Lindner. After Barbara retired to Colorado, Kelly continued what they started, following her father’s precedent.
“My father portrayed a wonderful example of success being built on long-term relationships,” Kelly says. “That’s what this business is about for us.”
Kelly’s father’s methodology proved effective once again, as the Shaw Team has a track record of record-breaking sales at American Caribbean Real Estate and Christie’s International Real Estate.
The mother-son team just celebrated the highest recorded single-family residential sale from Key Largo to Key West at $23 million. Yet it’s not the dollar amount that Kelly and Trent are most proud of.
“The best part of that sale is it’s the 6th transaction we’ve had with those clients,” Kelly explains. “Our long-term working relationships and friendships built along the way are why we love what we do.”
Those clients boast of Kelly’s expertise and how “Organization should be Kelly’s middle name as she is the most efficient and knowledgeable real estate professional we have ever worked with.”
Trent joined the real estate world 11 years ago because of the excitement that comes with new clients, new challenges, and new ways to help. That help extends far beyond real estate transactions.
“People aren’t just buying a house in the Keys; they’re buying a lifestyle,” Trent explains. “Our job is to help them build that lifestyle by not only finding the perfect house but also helping them make the upgrades, buy the boat, and so on.”
Trent’s primary role in the Shaw Team is to use their vast network of local contractors, salesmen, and other “lifestyle builders” to put their client’s dreams on the fast track. His sister, Stephanie Althouse, also has her real estate license and often assists Trent and Kelly with this full-service treatment.
However, their client’s dreams aren’t always as lofty as multi-million-dollar properties. Many of their clients’ definitions of luxury are similar to Kelly’s: to raise a family in a comfortable home in the Keys. So, for the Shaw Team, luxury is not a number but a level of service that helps every client reach their defined dreams.
– Jerrica Mah is a writer, Army wife, and freelance book editor, who loves to travel with her family.
