Jay Emmer

Jay Emmer

Real Estate Professional

Jay Emmer is a real estate professional serving the Sun Valley area of Idaho who has lived in Ketchum for almost 30 years after having been raised on the Great Plains of Oklahoma and Kansas. Jay eventually left the flatlands to attend Northern Arizona University, where he learned to ski and fell in love with the mountains. After graduating from NAU, he lived in Oregon for a few years before hitting the road for 100 days and 11,000 miles through the Intermountain West in order to find a location where he wanted to put down roots. No town he visited felt more like home than Sun Valley did and he realized that was where he was meant to be.



Before launching his career in real estate, Jay owned a women’s and men’s clothing store in Sun Valley named Ketchum Dry Goods and was a well-known member of the community with an extensive network of connections that include both domestic and international clients and partnerships. After closing Ketchum Dry Goods in 2012, he went into real estate-related financial consulting, and ultimately decided to put his connections and skills to use and became a sales associate with Sun Valley Sotheby's International Realty in 2015. Jay has always considered the Sotheby’s brokerage to be the most aspirational destination for any Realtor®, so he had no qualms when he was offered the opportunity to join their team and the global network of Sotheby’s International Realty.



Jay’s style of doing business is extremely consultative, honest and transparent. His desire to have a deep knowledge of his clients' needs and wants, combined with an in-depth understanding of the market and the psychology of consumer behavior, set him apart from the crowd. He works best with clients that are willing to spend time answering questions, providing feedback, and that are receptive to input. Jay prides himself on providing his clients, whether buyers or sellers, with informative service delivered with an exceptional work ethic, integrity and professionalism. When combining his negotiation and people skills with in-depth local knowledge and the power and reach of the Sotheby’s International Realty brand, the result is successful and stress-free real estate transactions.



The primary focus of Jay’s business is residential resort properties, but he has helped clients with commercial real estate over the years as well. When he began his real estate career, one of Jay’s very first listings was a very complex property that when sold was, at that time, one of the top three sales in Blaine County’s history. In 2021, he was the top-producing agent in the brokerage and was also one of the top real estate agents in Sun Valley.



When he’s not working, Jay makes sure to spend as much time as possible with his family in the great outdoors of Idaho hiking, camping, climbing, biking, snowshoeing and skiing. Constantly seeking adventure, Jay is an avid SCUBA diver and traveler. He is also a lifetime fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners and an active member of his local community.