Creating an exceptional legacy starts with true intention. It is designed, earned, and honored by those who carry the name forward. Sotheby’s International Realty was founded 50 years ago, inspired and guided by the well-established and esteemed auction house, dating back to 1744. One of the oldest auction houses in the world, Sotheby’s continues to be a beacon of timeless excellence and prestige.
As Sotheby’s International Realty turns 50, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty marks this milestone from a position of exceptional strength: 30 offices in 20+ Colorado locations with more than 500 global real estate advisors, and $6.4B in total sales for 2025. Colorado is the leader in sales globally by region—a standard of excellence we don’t take lightly.
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A note on names
Four names appear in our history, and each carries distinction and its own special legacy:
- Sotheby’s: the auction house, founded in London in 1744.
- Sotheby’s International Realty (SIR): the global real estate brand, founded by Sotheby’s in 1976.
- Majestic Realty Collective: the group of eight Sotheby’s International Realty brokerages across the western United States, founded by Scott Webber, of which LIV Sotheby’s International Realty (LIV SIR) was a member until 2026 when Majestic Realty Collective was acquired by Sotheby’s International Realty.
- LIV Sotheby’s International Realty: that’s us. Founded in 1999 as Fuller Towne & Country Properties in Colorado, the brokerage was rebranded to LIV Sotheby’s International Realty in 2014.
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Where we stand today
In July 2026, Sotheby’s International Realty acquired Majestic Realty Collective and, with it, LIV Sotheby’s International Realty. We are now owned directly by the brand whose name we have carried in Colorado since 2008, officially connecting us to a global network of more than 1,100 offices and 26,000 advisors in 86 countries and territories.
That direct alignment is worth celebrating. At the time of the acquisition, Scott Webber, CEO of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, said “This creates even greater opportunities for our advisors while strengthening our ability to serve clients whose lives, businesses, and investments span the globe.”
For our clients, the benefit is practical as much as symbolic. “Our clients have always expected precision from us, and now the advisor on the other side of their move, whether it’s across town or across an ocean, answers to the same network,” said Shannel Ryan, President of LIV Sotheby’s International Realty. “When a client in Cherry Creek is also buying in Switzerland, we can make that introduction with complete confidence.”
The numbers support the power of global connections. In 2025, LIV SIR advisors placed and received 1,636 referrals, 21% of LIV sales included a referral, and our closed referrals totaled $850 million. “We are LIV and we are known worldwide,” states Jill Franklund, Senior Vice President at LIV SIR. “The global referral base that Sotheby’s offers truly sets us apart.”
In June of this year, Webber celebrated 50 years in the real estate business, a career that spans the same five decades as the Sotheby’s International Realty brand. His guiding principle has been consistent: “Luxury is quality. It is quality at every price point, and it is quality in everything we do.”
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Stepping inside the “way back” machine
Long before Sotheby’s represented homes, the auction house authenticated the world’s most important art and artifacts with the “…conviction that certain objects have a value that not everyone knows how to recognize,” states Adriana Duque, Uruguay Sotheby’s International Realty Advisor.
- 1744: Samuel Baker, a London bookseller, conducts the first auction (in what would become Sotheby’s history) of rare books on March 11.
- 1778: Baker’s nephew, John Sotheby, inherits the business, and his name becomes the firm’s.
- 1955: Sotheby’s opens its doors in New York, the hub for renowned collectors.
- 1964: Sotheby’s acquires Parke-Bernet, then the largest fine-art auctioneer in the United States.
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1970s: From rare collections to luxury real estate
Sotheby’s clients trusted the auction house with their collections. In 1976, they began trusting it with their homes and legacy assets.
- 1976: Sotheby’s International Realty is founded to serve the clients of the auction house.
- 1999: The predecessor of LIV SIR, Fuller Towne & Country Properties, opens in Denver as a locally owned luxury brokerage.
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The 21st century: From Denver boutique to market leader
In 2004, Sotheby’s International Realty opens its network to independent brokerages, extending the brand to luxury firms around the world.
- 2008: Scott Webber acquires Fuller Towne & Country, which joins the network as Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty amid the global financial crisis.
- 2014: Fuller Sotheby’s International Realty rebrands as LIV Sotheby’s International Realty, a movement built for the way Colorado loves to live.
- 2026: Sotheby’s International Realty turns 50 and acquires Majestic Realty Collective. LIV SIR becomes a company-owned brokerage of the greater SIR brand.
Today, Sotheby’s auction house and the realty brand operate as separate companies but share the premier name, recognition, and connection amongst millions of clients around the world.
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A vision fulfilled
We consider ourselves fortunate to represent the Sotheby’s name in Colorado, from metro Denver, Boulder and Colorado Springs to Vail, Breckenridge, Telluride and Crested Butte. As Webber describes it, “LIV is how we present the brand and how we execute it with a local lifestyle flair, according to a branding model built for Colorado residents.”
We also see our work as the great fulfillment of a vision set down long before us. In 1976, the idea was simple: serve clients in the most sought-after regions globally, delivering unmatched expertise for wherever they choose to build their legacy.
Fifty years later, in places Samuel Baker never could have imagined, this idea is how we work every day. We like to think he’d approve of the views.
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Focusing on the next 50
Sotheby’s has endured for 282 years, and not by chance. Longevity like that belongs to those who see change coming and adapt with intention. “Our specialty has always been knowing which markets to go into next, always acting a few steps ahead,”1 says Franklund.
This month, our team joins colleagues from around the world at the Sotheby’s International Realty Global Networking Event in San Francisco. We go to connect with colleagues from around the world, share best practices, and push each other towards continued excellence. Our LIV SIR advisors return with new and strengthened relationships, fresh ideas, and more ways to improve the client experience.
Fifty years from now, what we hope endures is greater: families settled, legacies protected, new chapters begun.
The industry will continue to change, but the uncompromising standard of our global brand will not. For Colorado, the “LIV the life you love” mantra continues strong with one burning question in our hearts: What’s next?