Russell Franchi

Russell Franchi

Global Real Estate Advisor

Russell Franchi joined Scenic Sotheby's International Realty in 2022, after years of successfully running his own real estate brokerage and mortgage lending company. Born in Nashville, Russell's family would visit local beaches each year for family vacations, and when he was young, they moved to Michigan and continued to visit the Emerald Coast.

After graduating from his alma mater, The University of Michigan, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics, he started working on a master's degree in statistics. While in graduate school, he took a real estate fundamentals course at the Ross School of Business that led him to work for the professor at his boutique commercial development firm in Ann Arbor. Since then, he has overseen more than $1.2 billion in real estate transactions in the residential, commercial and development spaces. He is a recipient of the ICON agent award at his previous brokerage.

Russell has watched the growth in this area over the past few decades as he and his family would visit Destin and 30A. An entrepreneur at heart, and feeling at home while spending time on 30A, Russell became an investor and owned several properties along 30A. Always part of the overall life plan, he and his wife, Krista, made the decision to move their family here permanently in 2021 and chose to reside in WaterColor, where their family enjoys the walking/bike trails, beach and tennis courts. They are planning to start building their new home in WaterColor Phase V next year.

He relies on referrals from current and past clients, as well as targeted marketing efforts, and works most often with investors and second home buyers in the WaterColor, WaterSound and Rosemary Beach communities. As an investor himself, he understands what investors are looking for, and truly loves sharing his knowledge of all facets of the investment process to help his clients find the best property to fit their needs. Russell describes himself as a strong negotiator, an intent listener and a strategic planner who helps his clients formulate a plan and then execute it.

In his free time, Russell spends time at the beach and playing sports with his daughters, Luciana and Sophia. A self-described Beatles aficionado, he recently took Sophia on a road trip to see Paul McCartney in concert. He also enjoys exploring his family's Italian roots abroad — visiting Florence and Rome several times and is looking forward to a full family trip to Italy soon.