Wen Wendy Saunders
About
Wen Saunders believes in chasing dreams and that hard work can change lives. She’s no stranger to individual success. Top-performing photographer. National speaker. Sales and marketing business coach. Saunders has achieved all those titles throughout her photojournalism and marketing 35-year career. In 2005, Saunders built a log home on the 5-acre parcel. In 2007, she became a full-time resident of Pagosa Springs, relocating from Boulder, Colorado. After semi retiring from a photojournalism and marketing career, she soon discovered a passion for real estate. Licensed in 2011 (Exit Realty) and 2012 (ReMax Realty), during the downward real estate spiral which included a large number of short sales, falling prices, and foreclosures. In 2014, she approached Keller Williams Realty Southwest Associates (Durango, Colorado) about opening an office location in Pagosa Springs. She joined KWSWA in April 2014 and continues at a high level of knowledge and experience servicing the area as a licensed Colorado Real Estate Broker actively working with buyers and sellers. Wen holds the record in 2021 for the most units sold (100) in the history of KWSWA (Colorado). Wen sells more because she does more for her clients!
In 2021 during the COVID crisis, Wen also became licensed in Virginia (her original home state) with Keller Williams Williamsburg serving southeastern Virginia. Saunders and her husband purchased an additional home in Williamsburg, Virginia. She currently provides real estate services for southwest Colorado and central/southeastern Virginia. Her husband, Don Haywood, continues to handle the transaction side of real estate transactions as an unlicensed real estate transaction specialist in both states. Saunders has certification as a CNE (Certified Negotiations Expert) and a CDPE (Certified Distressed Expert) coursework and is helping homeowners with foreclosure solutions. She has achieved and continues to achieve numerous production real estate awards in Colorado & Virginia. Wen obtained a Virginia Broker License (2024), Virginia Real Estate Instructor License (2025,) and Williamsburg Area Association of Realtors Instructor (2026). In March 2025, Wen opened Wen Saunders Real Estate (Williamsburg, Virginia). The company relocated offices to Montpelier, Virginia in February 2026 servicing the wide real estate markets of central and southeastern Virginia.
For over thirty-five years Saunders ran her own company, The Wendy Saunders Companies, Inc., specializing in photography, graphic design, and web site design for small businesses. Her black and white photography (custom printed by Saunders in her darkroom) has been featured in numerous western, travel, and professional photography magazines. She has shown and sold photography in galleries in Boulder, CO, Sedona, AZ, and Las Vegas, NV. She holds a BFA from Virginia Commonwealth University in Communications Arts & Design. Directly from college, she was hired as Marketing Director for Ingram & Houser Real Estate (Hopewell, VA), which became one of Virginia’s most successful and largest real estate companies. The company partners eventually ventured into two separate companies, Ingram & Associates (Hopewell & Chester, Virginia) and Houser & Company. Saunders has been recognized as one of the leading event photojournalist in the U.S. and credited with the re-emergence of black and white photography during the wedding day coverage. Saunders has photographed weddings throughout the United States; she has run wedding photojournalism offices in three states. Saunders has a keen knowledge of the wedding and event business and spends time consulting with these current business professionals to help them create and achieve great success. During her photojournalism career, Saunders was chosen as a photography industry speaker and consultant representing companies including Kodak, Fuji, Tamron, Canon, and Hasselblad.
With Saunders, Integrity is a nonnegotiable quality. Her simple philosophy to place customers first, while upholding herself to the highest ethics and standards, allowing her to stay focused on the best possible outcome. Saunders understands clients want efficient communication, a can-do attitude, and want to work with someone with the know-how and negotiation skill to overcome obstacles, especially in today’s real estate market.