Cheryl Foote is the founder of The Cheryl Foote Team at Compass in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and on 2025 sales data RealTrends Verified ranked her No. 1 among individual agents in Steamboat Springs by sales volume and by transaction sides. For 2025, RealTrends verified 81 transaction sides and $144.48 million in sales volume for her, an average home price of $1.78 million.

This page lets those numbers do the introducing. It explains in plain language what each figure measures and what it leaves out, how Cheryl came to Steamboat Springs in 1996, how she works, who is on her team, and where to find the guides she has published on this site. Every figure carries its source and its period, so you can check it rather than take it on trust.

What do Cheryl Foote’s 2025 numbers mean?

In plain terms: among the individual agents RealTrends Verified ranked in Steamboat Springs on 2025 sales data, none had more transaction sides or more sales volume than Cheryl Foote. RealTrends ranks teams in separate lists.

RealTrends Verified is a ranking program run by RealTrends, whose site is published by HW Media, LLC. Agents submit their production for a calendar year, directly or through their brokerage’s brand, RealTrends verifies it through the brand or with documents such as MLS data or a sign-off from the agent’s brokerage, and then it publishes national, state and city rankings. The rankings released in 2026 reflect calendar year 2025. RealTrends lists June 5, 2026 as the release date of its 2026 program for Colorado agents, and Cheryl’s profile states that her figures are “RealTrends Verified Performance Based On 2025 Sales Data.” RealTrends publishes those figures on an individual agent profile in her name, with Compass listed as both her company and her network.

Source: RealTrends Verified agent profile for Cheryl Foote, 2025 sales data, and RealTrends rankings FAQ definitions, realtrends.com. Accessed October 2026.

What is a transaction side?

Every home sale has two sides: the buyer’s and the seller’s. RealTrends defines a transaction side as one side of a transaction, the buyer side or the seller side, and it counts the sale twice when one agent represents both the buyer and the seller. When a listing is shared with another agent, RealTrends splits the side between them in line with the commission split, so a shared listing does not count as a whole side for each agent.

So 81 sides is not the same thing as 81 homes. It counts the buyer and seller sides RealTrends credits to Cheryl’s individual agent profile for 2025, not how many properties changed hands. Only residential sales count: RealTrends counts single-family homes, condominiums and multi-family buildings of four units or fewer, and it excludes land, lots, leases, rentals, commercial deals and referrals.

What is sales volume?

RealTrends defines sales volume as the total dollar value of the real estate transactions an agent facilitated: the sum of the sale prices of the properties sold, not the profit or commission earned on them. Cheryl’s $144.48 million is the combined sale price of the residential sales behind her 81 sides in 2025. When an agent represents both buyer and seller, RealTrends lets the sale price count on both sides, the same way the side itself does.

Sides and volume answer different questions. Sides tell you how often an agent is at the closing table. Volume tells you how much property, measured in dollars, passes through that agent’s hands. An agent can lead a city on one and not the other, and in the RealTrends Verified 2025 sales data Cheryl leads Steamboat Springs on both.

What do RealTrends City, State and National ranks mean?

Each RealTrends rank compares Cheryl with a different group of verified agents, all on the same 2025 sales data.

Source: RealTrends Verified agent profile for Cheryl Foote, “RealTrends Verified Performance Based On 2025 Sales Data,” realtrends.com. Accessed October 2026.

The city figure first. RealTrends assigns each agent to a city by the agent’s own physical location as submitted, and it says it does not consider where the sold properties were located. Cheryl’s RealTrends location is Steamboat Springs, CO 80487. So her RealTrends city rank of 1 by volume and 1 by sides on 2025 sales data means that, among the verified individual agents located in Steamboat Springs, she had both the most sales volume and the most transaction sides.

The state figure widens the comparison to every Colorado market, including the Denver metro area. On the same 2025 sales data, RealTrends ranked her No. 7 in Colorado by sales volume and No. 10 by transaction sides.

The national figure compares her with verified agents across the United States. On 2025 sales data, RealTrends ranked her No. 160 nationally by sales volume and No. 498 by transaction sides. RealTrends sets a floor for both the national and the state lists: an individual agent needs at least 25 residential transaction sides or $10 million in closed sales volume in the year to qualify.

Why is her RealTrends national rank so much higher on volume than on sides? Because the two measures reward different things. Volume rewards the price of each sale, and sides reward the count of sales. An agent whose average sale is $1.78 million climbs a volume list faster than a sides list, while an agent in a lower-priced market can close more sides for the same dollar total. The gap between 160 and 498 reflects the price of her sales.

What does an average home price of $1.78 million tell you?

It tells you the size of the typical piece of business in Cheryl’s year, on average. It does not tell you the price of a typical Steamboat home. Divide $144.48 million in volume by 81 sides and you get about $1.78 million, which is the average RealTrends shows on her profile.

Three cautions apply. An average is pulled up by the largest sales, so a handful of high-priced closings can lift it well above what a middle sale looked like. It covers residential sales only, so any land she sold is not in it. And it describes Cheryl’s own 2025 business, not the market. For what homes are actually selling for in Steamboat Springs and Routt County, with the geography, the property type and the period attached, read the October 2026 market report and the guide to why every site shows a different median price for Steamboat Springs.

What the average does say is that her 2025 business sat in a price range where small errors are expensive. On a $1.78 million sale, a pricing mistake of 3% is more than $50,000.

What is The Thousand by Volume?

Cheryl’s RealTrends profile lists six awards with her 2025 sales data: Verified by RealTrends, RealTrends Verified Top Agent by Volume, RealTrends Verified Top Agent by Sides, The Thousand by Volume, City Ranked Agent by Volume, and City Ranked Agent by Sides.

The Thousand is a RealTrends program. RealTrends says it partners with The Wall Street Journal to publish the results of The Thousand, that the Journal is not responsible for producing the rankings, and that the program should be referred to as “RealTrends Verified The Thousand as featured in The Wall Street Journal.” RealTrends also asks agents not to describe themselves as ranked by The Wall Street Journal. On her profile the award appears as “The Thousand by Volume,” listed with her RealTrends Verified 2025 sales data.

What do these figures leave out?

Two things are worth knowing. First, RealTrends Verified is a submission program. RealTrends says participation is voluntary and that it makes no guarantee its published lists include every real estate professional, because agents who do not submit and verify their production do not appear. Second, the program counts residential sales only. Cheryl’s own bio describes her work as including land as well as condominiums, townhomes, single-family homes and fractional ownership, and land sales are outside the RealTrends totals. The 2025 figures are a verified record of her residential business, not a complete account of everything she does.

How long has Cheryl Foote lived in Steamboat Springs?

Since 1996. Her own agent bio says she moved to Steamboat Springs that year for what was meant to be one winter, and stayed. As of 2026 that is nearly 30 years of residency in the valley.

She was born and raised in Minnesota and came to Colorado to attend Regis College in Denver. Early in her career she sold real estate software, and her bio says she quickly became that company’s top salesperson.

Her life here is local in the ordinary sense. Her husband, Josh, works in the valley as a custom home builder. She is in the local Ski Town USA Rotary club, and her bio lists golf, hiking, wine tasting, soccer, travel and skiing Mount Werner among the things she does when she is not working.

What is Cheryl Foote’s track record in Steamboat Springs?

Two published, dated records put her first in Steamboat Springs, seven sales years apart: REAL Trends for 2018, as reported by Steamboat Pilot & Today, and RealTrends Verified for 2025. This page reports the two years it can cite to a named ranking body and a dated source.

2018: first for transactions in the city, per REAL Trends

On July 20, 2019, Steamboat Pilot & Today published a staff report that REAL Trends, as the name was styled then, had named Cheryl Foote to its America’s Best Real Estate Professionals list and ranked her No. 1 for transactions in the city of Steamboat Springs, on 93 transactions closed in 2018. The same article said the REAL Trends list ranked more than 14,000 residential real estate professionals across the country on 2018 sales, and that an individual agent needed at least 50 transaction sides or $20 million in sales volume in 2018 to qualify.

The July 20, 2019 Steamboat Pilot & Today article on the REAL Trends list carried her response, quoted here exactly as published: “I am thrilled and honored to be ranked as one of the Colorado’s top residential real estate agents by Real Trends,” said Foote. “This is my third year at the top of the list, and it truly represents the time and effort that I put into each of my clients to give them the best possible experience.”

2025: first by volume and by sides, per RealTrends

On 2025 sales data, RealTrends Verified ranked her No. 1 in Steamboat Springs by sales volume and by transaction sides, on 81 sides and $144.48 million in volume. The 2018 article reported her REAL Trends city rank for transactions only. The 2025 RealTrends profile reports city ranks for both sides and volume, and she is first on each.

How does Cheryl Foote work with buyers and sellers?

Her own bio points to three things: range across property types, a builder in the family, and knowledge of the areas and developments around Steamboat. Each is set out below as her bio describes it.

Range. Her bio describes her as a specialist in Steamboat’s diverse marketplace, including condominiums, townhomes, single-family homes, land and high-end fractional ownership, and says she represents both buyers and sellers. That matters in a valley where a condo at the base of the ski area, a lot in unincorporated Routt County and a house in Old Town answer to different rules, different financing questions and different comparable sales.

Construction knowledge. Her husband, Josh, works locally as a custom home builder, and her bio says having a builder in the family shapes the way she handles transactions. Questions about a building’s condition, about what a lot could become, and about what a remodel would require are part of buying and selling here. Two of the guides she has published take those questions on directly: buying land or building a custom home in Routt County, and what the new wildfire code means if you are buying or building.

Local knowledge. Her bio names her knowledge of the different areas and developments in and around Steamboat as the basis for the market analysis she gives clients. The guides listed further down this page are where that knowledge is written down, with sources, so a buyer or seller can judge it before the first call.

Who is on The Cheryl Foote Team?

The team’s published roster on its Meet the Team page lists four people.

• Cheryl Foote, founder of The Cheryl Foote Team.
• Marc Bennett, broker associate. His agent page says he discovered the Yampa Valley on a ski trip in 1995, began his career as a real estate broker in 2018, has lived in Stagecoach, west Steamboat, Fairview and the mountain area, and holds the Real Estate Negotiation Expert (RENE), Realtor Commitment to Excellence (C2EX) and Resort and Second Home Property Specialist (RSPS) certifications.
• Peter Guarnero, broker associate. His agent page says he graduated from the University of Pittsburgh, moved to Steamboat Springs in 2013, began his real estate career in Steamboat, and joined the team at Compass after several years with another local real estate company.
• Scott Wappes, client concierge.

Each licensed broker on the team holds an individual Colorado real estate license that can be checked in the state’s free public lookup. The page Cheryl Foote, Steamboat Springs Real Estate Broker walks through how to do that, step by step.

Where does Cheryl Foote work?

Steamboat Springs and Routt County, Colorado, from the team’s office at 941 Lincoln Ave #100G, Steamboat Springs, CO 80487. Inside the city that runs from Old Town and downtown to the mountain area at the base of the ski resort. Across the county it takes in Hayden, Oak Creek, Stagecoach and North Routt toward Clark. The neighborhoods page maps the areas the team covers.

One point matters before any search starts: the City of Steamboat Springs and Routt County set different rules for zoning and short-term rentals, so the first question on any property is which government controls it. The broker page linked above explains how that split works and where to confirm it.

What has Cheryl Foote published on this site?

Every guide below was published by Cheryl on this site. They are grouped by what you are trying to do. Expertise is easier to check than to claim, so the simplest test of any agent is to read what they have written and see whether it tells you something you could not have found yourself.

Buying in Steamboat Springs and Routt County

• Buying a Home in Steamboat Springs: The Complete Out-of-Area Buyer’s Guide (2026): the full process for a buyer who does not live here yet.
• Steamboat Springs vs. Aspen vs. Vail: Which Is Right for a Second Home? (2026): how the three towns compare for a second home.
• New Construction in Steamboat Springs: The Developments Underway in 2026: new developments in Steamboat Springs and how buying new construction works.
• Buying Land or Building a Custom Home in Routt County: What the Rules Actually Allow: zoning, access, septic, wells and permits before you buy a lot.
• What the New Wildfire Code Means If You Are Buying or Building in Steamboat Springs: what changed for permits and who it applies to.
• How Much Are Property Taxes on a Steamboat Springs Home?: the two assessment rates and how a Steamboat tax bill is built.

Selling a Steamboat Springs property

• What Your Steamboat Home Is Worth When It Is Time to List: how comparable sales are chosen and adjusted.
• Selling a Steamboat Springs Property When You Live Out of State: the 2% Colorado withholding, closing remotely and what to arrange on the ground.

Living in Steamboat Springs

• Steamboat Springs Neighborhoods: The Complete Map of Where to Live (2026): the whole map, area by area.
• Old Town Steamboat Springs: Neighborhood Guide (2026): the historic downtown core and its housing stock.
• Steamboat Mountain Area Guide: Ski-In, Ski-Out Homes and Condos (2026): homes and condos near the base of Steamboat Resort, and what ski-in, ski-out means.
• Living in Steamboat Springs: Schools, Healthcare, Seasons, and Daily Life (2026): the practical side of a year in the valley.
• Cost of Living in Steamboat Springs, CO (2026): what a household costs to run here, beyond the mortgage.
• Owning a Steamboat Springs Home in Winter: Snow, Parking and Costs (2026): what owning a home here through the winter involves.

Investing in Steamboat Springs

• Steamboat Springs Investment Property: Short-Term Rental Rules, Zones, and ROI (2026): the city’s short-term rental overlay zones and licensing.
• How to Finance and Manage a Steamboat Springs Investment Property (2026): financing and managing a rental property here.

The Steamboat Springs market

• Steamboat Springs Real Estate Market Report: October 2026: the latest edition.
• Steamboat Springs Real Estate Market Report: June 2026: the previous edition.
• Why Does Every Site Show a Different Median Home Price for Steamboat Springs?: how to read a median before you rely on one.

Checking an agent

• Cheryl Foote, Steamboat Springs Real Estate Broker: how to verify a Colorado license, and the local rules buyers ask about most.

How can you check Cheryl Foote’s credentials?

Check each claim on this page at its source, and hold every agent you interview to the same standard. Her RealTrends Verified profile at realtrends.com shows the 2025 figures, the ranks and the awards, and it names the sales data year on the page. The RealTrends rankings FAQ sets out how sides, volume and city placement are defined. The July 20, 2019 Steamboat Pilot & Today article covers the 2018 REAL Trends result. Her own bio is on her agent page.

For her Colorado real estate license, use the state’s free public lookup run by the Colorado Division of Real Estate. The broker page explains how to search it, what the record shows, and why the state record outranks any website, this one included.

Frequently Asked Questions