Primary Office: Annapolis

Meet Shelley Baden…a detail-oriented and high-energy REALTOR® who specializes in helping clients find signature homes along Maryland’s beautiful waterways.

Originally from Northern Virginia, Shelley attended the University of Missouri and began her career in the IT industry. But when she was laid off during the dot-com bust in the early 2000s, she decided to head back East and go back to school.

Shelley supported herself during this time by working at Tony & Joe's, an iconic seafood restaurant along Georgetown’s waterfront area in Washington, D.C. And as an added bonus, it allowed her the flexibility to travel periodically to beautiful places like Hawaii, England, Spain, and Italy.

Then, about 10 years ago, when Shelley and her husband decided to settle down and start a family, they bought a home near the water in Edgewater, Maryland. “Unfortunately,” Shelley says, “it wasn’t a great experience. The seller’s agent was horrendous. And it occurred to me that by becoming a REALTOR® myself, I could really help people in a positive and meaningful way.”

Today, as a REALTOR® in The Bob & Ronna Group’s Annapolis office, Shelley always encourages her clients to look closely at the top-three, most-expensive things in a home: the roof, the HVAC system, and the water heater. That way, they will know, in advance, what kind of added expenses to expect over the next 10 years.

As the same time, Shelley says her clients should also keep the big picture in mind…“In a market where inventory is really low, sometimes it is best to find an older home that needs some work…but is in the neighborhood they want…I encourage them to use a little imagination. They can always renovate the kitchen down the road, like my husband and I did when we bought our home in Edgewater.”

Of course, the biggest piece of advice Shelley offers her homebuyers involves the importance picking the right lender…She says, “Sometimes homes for sale receives multiple offers. And I find people who pick big, national lenders don’t get the houses they want. But people who pick our well-known, reputable, LOCAL lenders tend to win contracts and get the houses they want.”

It certainly helps when you have The Bob & Ronna Group in your corner…“I live less than 10 minutes from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis,” Shelley says. “So when people hear I work with Ronna and Bob, who graduated from the Academy, it means a lot. And they’re both always working behind the scenes to help me and the other agents on the team. Plus, they have a tremendous support staff helping me write contracts and manage all the other important details.”

When not touring Maryland’s waterfront properties with clients, Shelley enjoys spending time with her husband and daughter. As of late, they’ve taken up kayaking in downtown Annapolis and along the South River. They’re also avid Washington Capitals fans and named their COVID puppy Oshie.