Alexandra Hanson, designer, realtor, and general contractor, blending personal style with her professional journey.

Phoenix, OR - When the Almeda Fire tore through Southern Oregon at the end of summer 2020, destroying neighborhoods and displacing families, Alexandria Hanson had just stepped into real estate. Watching her own community burn was more than personal loss — it became the foundation for her life’s work: reimagining how we design, build, and live in our homes.

Hanson’s story began not in real estate, but in graphic design, where she earned a BFA and learned the art of visual storytelling. From a young age she was fascinated by tools and machines so it was natural for her to be interested in general contracting — the mechanics of how things come together, from beams to finishes. When she met her husband Milan, an attorney who founded Hanson Legal, her professional direction took another turn. Milan’s father had practiced as a real estate attorney in the Rogue Valley for more than 40 years, giving the family deep roots in Southern Oregon property law. Hanson entered real estate at Milan’s encouragement, given his own work in estate planning and probate, and now Hanson Legal is based in Ashland, after moving from Medford.

But Hanson quickly found that traditional real estate wasn’t for her.

“I didn’t like how it was done — cold calling, pushy tactics, chasing numbers and exorbitant commissions. It felt slimy,” she says. “I didn’t want to sell houses like they were just commodities. For me, real estate had to be about people, about listening and matchmaking them with the right space.”

That conviction led her to found Skip Real Estate, her own brokerage built on transparency and connection. For Hanson, real estate is an intuitive process.

“It’s an intuitive experience,” she explains. “When we finally find the right house, I get goosebumps. It’s the moment where design, structure, and human need align — and you can feel it.”

Her entrepreneurial path doesn’t stop there. Hanson also founded Press Esc, a wallpaper and design brand that rejects bland interiors and helps homeowners express individuality through bold, imaginative spaces.

Meanwhile, she is completing her degree in architecture, with just two years left. For Hanson, her studies tie all her ventures together — real estate, design, and construction — into one holistic vision.

“I think it’s important to be a generalist,” she says. “When you understand design, real estate, and construction all together, you can see the gaps in how homes are developed versus how we — as organic machines, as humans — really operate in them.”

Living through the Almeda Fire, stepping away from “slimy” sales tactics, and choosing to study architecture have all shaped Hanson’s belief that homes are more than shelter — they are living systems. The home and family front, she argues, is also a business: it requires good systems to keep everything running smoothly. For Hanson, this is especially important for the “CEO mom and dad,” who must maintain balance in the ecosystem of family life, particularly in a world full of busyness. She sees every project, whether it’s matching a client to a home or designing wallpaper that transforms a room, as part of a larger dialogue between people and their environment.

Wallpaper installation by Alexandra Hanson, transforming an Airbnb interior into an immersive design experience.

Her philosophy is rooted in reciprocity:

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for the advancement of AI and technology. But innovation has to serve people — and in turn, we as people must serve our surroundings and environment. Only then does the cycle of design become complete.”

Through Skip, Press Esc, and her studies, Hanson is shaping a new kind of practice — one where homes are not just assets, but experiences; where design is not just aesthetic, but psychological; and where innovation and nature work together to sustain life.

“As a girl, I remember pouring over homes in the classifieds just for fun. I think in the last four years I have allowed space to consume me.”

About Skip Real Estate

Skip Real Estate is an Oregon-based fair based brokerage offering modern, transparent solutions to home buyers and sellers.

About Press Esc

Press Esc is a design-forward studio specializing in bold, expressive wallpaper and finishes that empower homeowners to embrace individuality in their spaces.

Learn more at www.joinskip.com and www.pressesc.co.

Media Contact
Company Name: Skip Real Estate
Contact Person: Alexandria Hanson
Email: Send Email
Phone: 4584883602
Country: United States
Website: Www.joinskip.com