
Education
University of Colorado Boulder
About Emily
Emily Grasso Smart is a Chicago native and CU Boulder grad who fell in love with Colorado back in 2012. After getting her Bachelor's degree in Communications at CU, she briefly moved home to be with her huge family (she is the youngest of 6 kids). Growing up as the only and youngest girl with 5 older brothers taught her to be tough and outspoken, two important qualities to have as an agent.
She has a passion for being a leader, which started at a young age and came to a turning point when she was chosen by her peers to be president of her sorority. Aside from her love for real estate, her second favorite job is being an aunt to her 7 nieces and nephews. She loves meeting new people and being a resource for anyone who is eager to learn about the industry. She prides herself on the ability to connect with people from all walks of life, and says being able to bring people the joy of buying/selling in Denver is truly a gift.





Client Testimonials
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"EMILYYYY WAS AN ABSOLUTE BLESSING TO WORK WITH! From start to finish she made our first home buying purchase absolutely seamless. Everything was organized, on time and easy to follow. She was always readily available any time of any day of the for anything we needed. Thank you to you and your team for being by our side and making everything so simple. She made this process fun instead of stressful! We appreciate you and wouldn't hesitate for a second to work with you again in the future. Much love!"
-Allie S. / Central Park Buyer
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"I canāt recommend Emily highly enough! My home search experience took some twists and turns, and Emily was there for me and helped through all of it. She was super well informed about the market, and so helpful in answering my questions as a first time home owner. She made the process so easy for me. If youāre looking for a home in Denver, Emily is an incredible resource."
-Lauren P. / Sunnyside Buyer
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"Emily is WONDERFUL! When I needed a new real estate agent, was living across the country, and knew there were a few sticky details that would make selling my property less straightforward, Emily rose to the challenge. She mitigated potential issues before they happened. Most importantly, I trusted Emily to do what was best for my property. ā¦and she DELIVERED!"
-Makenna S. / Lodo Seller
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"I highly recommend Emily Smart! Our family had an out-of-state move, andāØshe made it as easy as possible in this challenging market. She was alwaysāØquick to respond to questions and went above and beyond during theāØinspection and closing process. We had a great experience!"
- Robin & Jason / Applewood Buyers
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"Emily is not only one of the best agents out there, but an incredibleāØperson who truly cares about her clients. Emily expertly guided us throughāØa very difficult market and was persistent, honest, and dedicatedāØthroughout our home buying process. It took months of tours and offers forāØus to find the perfect home, and Emily was so patient and determined toāØhelp us find our dream home that checked every box! Without her knowledgeāØand expertise we could not have secured our home! We are so grateful forāØEmily and HIGHLY recommend working with her!"
- Ava E. / Sloan's Lake Buyer
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"It was a really great experience working with Emily and Josh of The McKinley Group as we looked to purchase our first home. They were extremely knowledgeable of the market and the nuances of different neighborhoods that we were considering. For every house we liked, they were super responsive to ensure we had all of the necessary details to decide if we wanted to make an offer or not. As we went through the entire process, they really got to know us to ensure that we were looking at the right types of houses while also feeling comfortable with our strategy. For the houses that went to offer, they were really creative on the different levers we could use to make a highly competitive offer and ultimately put the power in our hands. Josh and Emily helped answer question after question to help us be comfortable with whatever decision we made on each house that we viewed. Would definitely recommend working with the McKinley team for anyone looking in the Denver area!"
- Jill & Paul / West Highlands Buyers
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"Working with Emily was such a refreshing change from our first home buying experience. Our first real estate agent was pushy and it felt like he just wanted us to buy so he could collect a commission. Emily cared about helping us find a house that actually made sense for us and was patient and engaged with us through months of looking. We couldnāt be happier with our new home and would highly recommend Emily to anyone in the Denver area!"
- Maureen & Eric / Hampden Buyers
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"Our experience working with Emily was frictionless. We had been working with Compass a few months ahead of our purchase timeline. They helped us narrow down the neighborhoods we would be looking for. Once we settled on Denver we were introduced to Emily. We were still uncertain given the luck we'd had on our own checking out open houses. We were introduced to Emily to help us narrow down our short list. Within ~a week of working with Emily we'd found our dream home that checked all of our boxes. She arranged a walk through to get our thoughts on the property. We knew the market was still a sellers market. A few minutes of discussion post walk through and Emily's experience and professionalism were instantly obvious. She proposed a couple of options depending on how serious we were about the property in question. We never felt pressured to do anything we were uncomfortable with because she worked with our pre-approved loan officer. Within a day or two we had an aggressive offer in. The situation was a bit different though Emily kept us in the loop every step of the way and calmed our anxiety as first time home buyers. Our offer was accepted and ~a month later we closed on the house! I have personally recommended Emily to friends and colleagues looking to purchase in the Denver, CO housing market. From the get go I will say it felt like we were working with a friend who had our best interests in mind. We feel extremely lucky to have had such a professional and experienced person such as Emily on our side. Emily has even kept in touch post closing, she truly cares about the families whose lives she helps find their forever home. We can't thank you enough!"
- Beck & Laszlo / Wash Park Buyers
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"The McKinley Group at Compass provided us with unparalleled support and guidance - we cannot recommend them enough! Josh, Emily, and Lindsey helped us navigate a crazy seller's market as first-time home buyers, providing us the experience and insight we needed to get an offer accepted in our preferred neighborhood. Beyond the support of this awesome team, we also received recommendations for many other resources in the housing industry (lenders, contractors, architects, etc.). Whatever projects you have in mind for a home, this team has a perspective to share and the connections throughout Denver to address whatever you're looking to do. The team worked together to take us to countless house showings over many weeks, and gave us their honest opinions throughout the process. We received tough advice when we needed to hear it without feeling pressured to make any decisions we were uncomfortable with. After our offer was accepted, they coordinated all of our appointments throughout the inspection process all the way through closing. With this team, you receive white-glove service from people who genuinely care about getting you into your next home. Thank you, McKinley Group for getting us into our dream neighborhood! We can't thank you enough!"
- Erin & Chip / Highlands
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"Emily is a true delight to work with! She is kind, confident and eager to help with a smile on her face. From the moment we met her to the moment we closed on our new home we knew she was taking care of every detail. She maintained great communication and was always thoughtful -- texting us for our son's birthday and leaving donuts for us after the open house. She is a class act! We have used the McKinley Group for multiple transactions and consider Josh and his team to be dear friends. Emily is a wonderful addition to the group and we will continue to recommend the McKinley Group to our family and friends with glowing reviews."
- Holly / Centennial
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"HIGHLY RECOMMEND! We worked with Emily and Lindsey to buy our first home. Beyond their knowledge and expertise and patiently explaining the different parts of the process, they are both friendly and approachable and made the whole (stressful) process more enjoyable. What has intimidated me about working with agents, is you're unsure if they have your best interest in mind. Emily and Lindsey absolutely did, as if they were a close friend. They were also very accommodating with how many houses we wanted to see, and based on what worked best for our schedules, including being super responsive on email and text. After a few weeks, they knew exactly what we were looking for, even if we didn't quite know it yet. Would definitely work with Emily and Lindsey again!"
- Lisa and Andrew / Westminster
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"I had the absolute best experience with Emily as my agent. She is knowledgeable about her career, the different areas of the Denver metro area as well her passion to find her clients the perfect home. Emily stood out from other agents due to her perseverance and commitment during the buying process- she went above and beyond with communication, researching comps in the area and made my girlfriend and I feel comfortable with our decision to buy in the Sloan's Lake neighborhood. She finds properties that slip through other agents including off-market homes. I highly recommend Emily to all prospective clients. Youāll be in great hands!"
"I had the absolute best experience with Emily as my agent. She is knowledgeable about her career, the different areas of the Denver metro area as well her passion to find her clients the perfect home. Emily stood out from other agents due to her perseverance and commitment during the buying process- she went above and beyond with communication, researching comps in the area and made my girlfriend and I feel comfortable with our decision to buy in the Sloan's Lake neighborhood. She finds properties that slip through other agents including off-market homes. I highly recommend Emily to all prospective clients. Youāll be in great hands!"
- Austin N., Sloan's Lake Buyer
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"Emily and Lindsey were wonderful to work with. They helped us navigate a difficult market in what was a new and unfamiliar city for us. It was my first home buying experience and they were both great advocates in the buying process. They were always available when needed and very responsive."
"Emily and Lindsey were wonderful to work with. They helped us navigate a difficult market in what was a new and unfamiliar city for us. It was my first home buying experience and they were both great advocates in the buying process. They were always available when needed and very responsive."
- Sam & Clark, Englewood Buyers
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"My husband and I had the pleasure of working with Emily during the process of purchasing our new home. She was an integral part of the process during which she provided valuable information about the property, facilitated clear communication between ourselves and the seller & always made herself available for on site inspections and walkthroughs of the homes. Not only was she knowledgeable, helpful, and responsive but she was also positive and upbeat which created a low stress and enjoyable buying process. Anyone with an understanding of the current real estate market will know how difficult that can be! We highly recommend working with her!"
-Stef and Ben / Golden"My husband and I had the pleasure of working with Emily during the process of purchasing our new home. She was an integral part of the process during which she provided valuable information about the property, facilitated clear communication between ourselves and the seller & always made herself available for on site inspections and walkthroughs of the homes. Not only was she knowledgeable, helpful, and responsive but she was also positive and upbeat which created a low stress and enjoyable buying process. Anyone with an understanding of the current real estate market will know how difficult that can be! We highly recommend working with her!"
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-Grace & Kenny / Aurora"Emily was so helpful to our first time home buying process. She was able to connect us with great lenders for a quick turn around and close date. She also worked hard to schedule showing asap. We are so grateful we had Emily to help us with our quick move to Denver!"
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"Emily was incredible to work with. She demonstrated an in-depth understanding of the market, and helped us successfully navigate the complexities of buying a home in a competitive environment. She was responsive, knowledgeable, resourceful and all around pleasant to work with. Emily made the process seamless for a first time buyer, and we will undoubtedly work with her again on any future home purchases."
- Beau S. / Golden Buyer
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"Emily was fantastic to work with! She is very knowledgeable about the entire home buying process and was incredibly patient with us. We met Emily when we started to talk about buying our first home. We had lots of questions, a specific location in mind, and a challenging budget for that area. Throughout the process, Emily reminded us to wait for a home that truly felt right and not to settle for less. She was always quick to respond to questions and arrange showings and even previewed homes to let us know if they were worth visiting. Working with Emily was a phenomenal experience and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a dedicated, knowledgeable, and thoughtful realtor!"
"Emily was fantastic to work with! She is very knowledgeable about the entire home buying process and was incredibly patient with us. We met Emily when we started to talk about buying our first home. We had lots of questions, a specific location in mind, and a challenging budget for that area. Throughout the process, Emily reminded us to wait for a home that truly felt right and not to settle for less. She was always quick to respond to questions and arrange showings and even previewed homes to let us know if they were worth visiting. Working with Emily was a phenomenal experience and would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a dedicated, knowledgeable, and thoughtful realtor!"
-Ryan C. / Sloan's Lake Buyer
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"I was lucky enough to use Emily as my real estate agent on my first home purchase. I talked to a few other real estate agents locally, but found that Emily came extremely prepared and knowledgeable, especially for the things that I was going through personally in my own learning process. My timeline was very short and we were able to secure a perfect townhouse for myself and my significant other. Everything was seamless and I couldnāt ask for more, especially in a low inventory market during the winter months. Great communication and support through the entire process including good mortgage broker options.."
"I was lucky enough to use Emily as my real estate agent on my first home purchase. I talked to a few other real estate agents locally, but found that Emily came extremely prepared and knowledgeable, especially for the things that I was going through personally in my own learning process. My timeline was very short and we were able to secure a perfect townhouse for myself and my significant other. Everything was seamless and I couldnāt ask for more, especially in a low inventory market during the winter months. Great communication and support through the entire process including good mortgage broker options.."
-Mik G. / Jefferson Park Buyer
Education
University of Colorado Boulder - Bachelorās Degree, Communications
CAPA The Global Education Network - Italian Language and Literature
University of Colorado Boulder - Bachelorās Degree, Communications
CAPA The Global Education Network - Italian Language and Literature
Emily Smartās Listings
Emily Smartās Transactions
Past Sales