Judd Clarence

In Aspen, a property's real value isn't just what it's worth today — it's what it could become, and whether the person helping you buy it can actually deliver on that potential. Judd Clarence is one of the few people in town who can do both: broker the deal and build the result.

Judd was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he competed as a national swimmer and rode as a sponsored cyclist before moving to the United States in his early twenties. He graduated from Johannesburg's top boys' prep school and went on to study law and accounting at university — but it was a growing pull toward real estate development and design-build that shaped where he took his career. That combination of discipline, legal grounding, and hands-on building instinct is what eventually led him to found two companies instead of one.

Judd is a licensed Colorado real estate broker and a licensed general contractor, and he's the founder and principal of two companies — Giant Properties Inc, his design-build and construction firm, and Aspen Luxury Brokers, his real estate practice. He runs both in parallel, which means clients aren't choosing between a broker and a builder — they get both, working together from the same person, on the same project.

Judd serves as contractor of record on residential and commercial work throughout Aspen, Snowmass Village, and Pitkin County. Most brokers hand you off once the deal closes — Judd doesn't. He stays involved, figuring out what a home actually needs and then handling the design, construction, and finish work to get it there.

Here's what that dual structure means for you on a project:

·       He knows construction from the inside. As the licensed contractor of record, Judd can tell you what a property is really worth to build, repair, or replace — not just what the comps say.

·       He knows how to get permits approved. Pitkin County's approval process trips up a lot of projects. Judd's navigated it enough times to know where the delays actually come from.

·       He has a team that can execute. His in-house design-build crew at Giant Properties can renovate a home after you buy it, or get it market-ready before you list.

·       He can back up a price with real numbers. Because he understands construction and replacement costs firsthand, he can defend a valuation with more than comparable sales.

If you've dined at Betula, one of Aspen's hottest restaurants, you've experienced the sophistication and nuance of his team's craftsmanship.

Judd has worked alongside his wife, Katie Kiernan, for two decades, anchoring the construction side of a setup that's rare in Aspen — a broker and a builder under one leadership, so a property's value isn't just estimated. It's actually built.

Judd and Katie live in Aspen, Colorado, with their two sons, Taj and Jett. Judd remains an avid cyclist, skier, snowboarder, and epic chef, making the best authentic Indian Curry for a hundred miles in any direction.