Carol Ellithorpe of Ellithorpe Realty is hanging up the cleats after 27 years of business. As one of the few Homeowners Association (HOA) community managers in town, Ellithorpe prides herself in taking the road less traveled which has paid dividends throughout her career.

“I did some buying and selling because I am a licensed real estate broker, but I focused primarily on HOA management,” Ellithorpe said. “Most real estate agents wouldn’t touch it with a 10-foot pole.”

As an HOA community manager, Ellithorpe works with a governing board of homeowners, solving neighborhood issues at the community level as compared to working with individual homeowners.

Ellithorpe first began working in Fountain Hills in 1989 when she and her husband decided to get their real estate licenses on a whim. While her husband worked as an air ambulance pilot, Ellithorpe applied for a job opening as a residential property manager in town.

“The [previous] property manager was going on maternity leave so I applied, and three months later, she decided to stay home with the baby,” Ellithorpe said. She signed her first HOA in 1995 and never looked back.

“Terrace three on Gunsight drive was my very first HOA contract,” she recalled. “They’re still with me after all this time.”

Ellithorpe said she enjoys the tedious research and prep-work involved with being an HOA manager, including landscaping and vetting contractors, duties that would be exhausting to many. Ellithorpe found joy in accomplishing projects and facing challenges head-on, exceling in her position as an HOA manager.

“I can pretty much tell a good contractor from a bad contractor,” Ellithorpe said. “I know when they’re trying to snow me.”

In addition to her local clients, Ellithorpe manages HOAs in Mesa, Phoenix and Scottsdale, but most of her work keeps her in Fountain Hills.

Ellithorpe broke the news of her retirement last month, acknowledging that it was a bittersweet experience saying goodbye to her clients and career in real estate to begin her next journey in life.

“I feel they’re a part of my family,” Ellithorpe said of her clients. “I’m sad that I won’t be in their lives anymore because I like helping.”

After a few decades of busy winters, Ellithorpe looks forward to the holidays as a joyous occasion when she can finally relax during the beautiful weather. In anticipation of her much-needed free time, Ellithorpe recalled one February when her mother insisted on visiting her during one of the busiest months of the year.

“We went for a ride on the Desert Belle there at Saguaro Lake, and I’m like, ‘God, this is what people do out here in February. This is fun,’” Ellithorpe said.

During retirement, Ellithorpe plans to spend more time with her hobbies and focus on self-care.

“I plan on taking better care of myself, I plan on going to the gym, eating better and reminding my husband that I do know how to cook,” she said.

After 27 years of service, Ellithorpe leaves a legacy of hard work and determination for her small-town community.

“I would just like people to think I did a good job and that my heart was in the right place.”