"Success is in the number of people we can help as clients or team members,” says Suzanne Fortune, Team Founder/Leader of The Fortune Group and broker at Windermere Woodinville. "A wise business woman once told me, 'when you help your clients get what they want, you will be insanely successful in business.'”

     Suzanne's first passion was snow skiing, which she fell in love with as a teenager. “The first time I put ski’s on, I knew this sport was for me. I was addicted to skiing and found a way to feed my addiction working at the ski area! I became a ski instructor first at Alpental, and then at Stevens Pass," she says. "You could find me on the slopes skiing 3-4 days a week when I wasn’t working my day job.”

     Suzanne received her dental hygiene degree and continued to ski. She even met her husband, father of their three boys, at Stevens Pass. Along with skiing, the boys began to play soccer. Suzanne began coaching junior soccer as a part-time gig. You know what they say. A

family that plays together stays together. Two of her boys landed college scholarships for soccer, which was of course a big deal. 

     When she later became a single mom, she started investing in real estate and her new passion began! Suzanne was flipping houses before it was a thing. She created a rental pool, but during the recession, was forced to thin her investment inventory. As many experienced, this was a difficult time for her. Yet out of the ashes rose the phoenix. Driven by her love for soccer and the way it influenced her boys, Suzanne founded Soccer2Unite in 2013, a 501C3 focusing on underprivileged children in Uganda Africa. Suzanne partnered with local Seattle area soccer clubs, gathering lightly used soccer gear to distribute in Uganda. She worked

diligently to help assist girls in playing the sport of soccer along with working with local schools to include soccer in their curriculum for both boys and girls. She developed and sponsored soccer tournaments, coaches clinics, referee clinics, and much more. Suzanne took college

soccer players with her to Uganda to help assist in her mission to include girls in soccer.

     After five years and seven trips to Uganda, Suzanne gifted Soccer2Unite over to her local team that had been volunteering in Kabale Uganda. The beautiful outcome of Suzanne’s efforts is that the county and the schools of Uganda have adopted Suzanne’s formula to develop both

boys and girls in the sport of soccer, otherwise known as Football. Many of the referee’s, coaches, and children have used the training from Soccer2Unite and are now being paid for their expertise. Children have earned school scholarships too!

     In 2017, Suzanne made the jump from dental hygienist to Real Estate Broker, and she has never looked back. In fact, year after year she keeps getting better. Her philosophy: “I’m in the people business,” Suzanne says, “and I just happen to help people transact in real estate.” She listens deeply to her clients wants and needs while teaching, coaching, and taking care of them to the highest level of customer service. Service reigns first!

     The Fortune Group has a recipe for success. If you stick with the recipe, rest assured your home will sell for top dollar. “Today’s buyers want a move-in ready house,” Suzanne explains, “and I have a team of experienced vetted contractors who provide a white-glove concierge

service. We take care of everything from A-Z: Project management, roofing, foundations, septic, HVAC, electrical, plumbing, painting, flooring, lighting, hardware, and general contracting services. It's essentially a total makeover and, as a result, the house sells quickly earning top dollar." If a client wants to organize the work themselves, Suzanne can provide a line-item list of improvements and who can help to achieve them. Of course, she strives to keep in mind budgets and return on investment regarding updating a home prior to sale.

     Among helping both buyers and sellers, Suzanne specializes in two specific markets: divorcing couples and estates where someone who owned real estate has passed away. “It takes a certain skillset to work with either one of these unique groups,” Suzanne says. For divorcing couples, she must be the impartial third party, helping them maximize the sales profit while taking out the emotion. For estates, she works with the family, the executor, or an attorney, and has a team of specialists who can help with whatever challenges they may be facing.

     The Fortune Group has emerged, and Suzanne wants to continue her team's growth. As of now, she has Carissa as Operations Manager, Candice as Executive Assistant, and Emily Hawkins as a Real Estate Agent. “My goal is grow a group of exceptionally skilled agents who

really care about our clients' best interests,” Suzanne says. “I see success in the number of people we can help as clients or team members,” she continues. “My definition of success is to help people in whatever way they need support and guidance, creating deeper

relationships. It’s much more than just a transaction.”

     For her perfect day, Suzanne likes to rise early and work out at the gym. “I feel invigorated and ready for my day!” she says. She works with her clients, preparing homes for sale, and helps her team with issues that arise on a daily basis. Suzanne loves connecting with other business owners and like-minded people to help expand her reach to help others. After hours, Suzanne has taken to her newest passion –Argentinian Tango! “I'm not afraid to try something new, and dancing keeps me active and helps me stay young,” says Suzanne. She can be found training and dancing 2-4 nights per week. 

     As you can see, when Suzanne takes something on, she puts forth her entire effort to excel.

Her family continues to be an important cornerstone for her. Her three boys all work in the ski industry. The oldest works at Stevens Pass, while the middle and youngest work at Big Mountain in Whitefish, Montana. “I passed on my addiction to my boys!” says Suzanne. The whole family took what Suzanne describes as a “legacy vacation” in April 2023, a helicopter ski trip to Haines, Alaska.  “We are a tight-knit, cohesive family,” Suzanne enthuses, “and we have fun together!”