Shannon Russo

Meet Shannon Russo, is there anything that Shannon Russo hasn’t done in the real estate industry? The daughter of a real estate agent in the new-home sector, Russo seems to have been born with a real estate magnet implanted deep within. No, this isn’t a story about a girl who lucked into a career because of a parent. It’s a tale of hard work, of starting at the very bottom and, over decades, working her way up. We hope you’ll take a few minutes to get to know Shannon Russo and feel that you’ll be glad you did.

Minnesota-made Russo grew up in Minnetonka and attended Hopkins schools. As a child, when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, Russo recalls feeling conflicted. “I wanted to be a veterinarian like my Granddaddy. I love animals and still do. But I also wanted to be a teacher like my grandmother or in real estate like my mom,” she recalls. Mom, by the way, worked for a local builder and would bring a young Shannon to work with her. “I spent a good part of my childhood on home constructions sites,” she says, grinning at the memory. “I remember going to the annual Parade of Homes with my mom every year and how mesmerized I was by those big, beautiful homes.”

The ever-precocious Russo graduated from high school early and, at age 17, finally decided on a career path – the cosmetology industry. “After all, what teenage girl doesn’t like doing hair and makeup?” she asked. After cosmetology school, Russo made a move to California where she spent the majority of her 20s. It is here where she decided to go back to her true passion of real estate and got a job in property management. It’s also here where she met her husband. And, while the tug of “L'Etoile du Nord” was ever-present during her time in California, it proved irresistible after marriage, prompted by thoughts of buying a home and starting a family. “I’m a Minnesotan at heart. I love it all, I live in the suburbs, play downtown, relax at the lakes, go up north whenever I can,” she said. “The people, the schools and having all four seasons (yes, even the snow and cold)” brought her back home to Minnesota. A dream achiever and goal crusher Russo’s childhood dream of following in Mom’s footsteps didn’t end with her stint in property management. From there, she moved into the commercial real estate realm and, eventually, the residential sales side of the industry. From real estate assistant to marketing and transaction coordination for one of the top real estate sales teams in the Twin Cities, Russo worked her way up. Today, with years of varied experience, she owns a real estate brokerage, Russo Realty.

Balancing running a business as demanding as real estate with being a mom, a wife and a lady who loves to volunteer her time isn’t easy, but Russo manages to pull it off. When she isn’t knee-deep in real estate, you can find her spending family time with her husband Brian, daughter Gina, son Vincent and their rescue pups Bear & Nala. The couple enjoys professional sports in the Twin Cities and catches Twins and Saints games whenever possible. Boating, golf (“even though my short game is laughable,” she said), hiking, camping and stay-cations are also on the list of ways Russo chooses to unwind.

When you hire Shannon Russo to help with your real estate needs, you’re hiring the boss. A boss, by the way, with decades of experience in all facets of real estate and a knowledge of the Twin Cities that only a native can claim. Choosing a real estate agent, however, should come down to more than that, according to Russo. When she opened her brokerage, she vowed to “provide the type of service I would want, from listening, responding in a timely fashion and helping educate my clients about the process to a steadfast commitment to follow through.” We asked Russo why someone should consider choosing Russo Realty over all the others. “Number one? I listen,” she responded. “I listen to my client’s dreams, their wants and their needs. I listen to their homes “story” and I respect it all.” Now that’s someone we’d want to work with!