#22 Liz Dunn

Liz Dunn started Dunn & Hobbes, her real estate development company, in 1998 after pivoting from her career as a Software Engineer at Microsoft. Over the last 20 years, she’s created several developments that push the envelope of design while maintaining the character and uniqueness of the buildings and neighborhoods where she works. Much of Liz’s inspiration comes from the time she’s spent in older urban cities like Toronto, London and Paris. During this episode, Liz talks about growing up in Canada, her time at Microsoft (including when she asked for a then unheard-of sabbatical), and how she lived in her first project for two years while she was paying off the bank. Liz also shares tips on how to break into the industry, the impact she thinks technology will have on real estate, and how seeing projects well done is what fuels her. Her knowledge of and passion for Seattle’s urban fabric is incredibly interesting to learn from.