Living the dream. It’s what Shahri Masters is doing, and it’s what she helps others do as well.
Masters came to Lake Tahoe with her parents in 1968. Other than two years away for college, it has always been home. In May she began her 37th year as a Nevada real estate agent.
Masters is the owner of Masters of Tahoe Incline Real Estate. She specializes in property transactions in Incline Village but also works with Incliners moving to other Nevada locations around the lake or to Reno and the Carson Valley.
“People say Incline is fully developed, and it is,” Masters says. But she encourages buyers to look at the area with an eye toward redevelopment. “Places that are old and not built well to begin with get to go, and we get something new. If you don’t grow, you die. It is part of the process.”
It is the lack of available properties that keeps the prices of homes in Incline Village, and throughout most of the basin, climbing. Development is limited by design to ensure people don’t pave over paradise.
“It’s always a good time to buy something scarce, and homes in Incline Village are scarce,” Masters says.
She has had a front-row seat when it comes to the evolution of Lake Tahoe. Incline Village. The first time she voted at age 18, a ballot measure asked voters about building a bike route around the lake. While it has taken decades, parts of that path are finally on the ground, and other sections are in the planning stages.
Tahoe is a lifestyle, not just a location, and Incline Village is a unique part of it. Small but relevant. Beautiful and inviting. It is even a college town; in 2022 the University of Nevada, Reno took over the once-private college located blocks from Lake Tahoe.
Back in the day, Masters’ dad was offered a lakefront home instead of $20,000 for architectural work he was doing. Transactions like that aren’t occurring now. That same home in 2024 would have a few more zeroes. After all, the median price of a single-family residence in Incline Village is $2.5 million. Even a dock is going to cost more than $20,000. Masters’ dad opted for the cash to “feed the kids.”
Masters looks back on her life growing up here with the utmost fondness. While she acknowledges it was different then – fewer amenities, fewer people, less development, less traffic – it wasn’t necessarily better.
“I think these are the good ol’ days,” Masters says. “First, you can’t make the past come back, and second, all we remember is the good stuff.”
Masters immerses herself in that good stuff, whether it’s from her past or in the present. She is living her best life today – just like she did yesterday and last year and will do tomorrow.
Hardly a day goes by when she’s not outside enjoying the charm of Tahoe. She does not have to do a hard sell to get people to buy in Incline. The magic of Lake Tahoe – pristine beaches, endless hiking trails, cycling for roadies and mountain bikers, not to mention world-class skiing and other winter fun – sells Tahoe for her.
Masters says there is not a season she does not embrace – even spring, which for many is their least favorite, with dirty snow and nothing to do. Not so fast, Masters says to them.
“I think spring is an unfolding of the people at Tahoe, they come out of hibernation,” she says. “Also, spring is when people start thinking about real estate. People are afraid of real estate in winter, even though it can still be a good time to buy or sell.”
Winter in Tahoe, Masters says, “is like living in a snow globe.”
“If you dress correctly and allow yourself to find joy in it, it is so gorgeous. I look at shoveling snow as my gym,” she adds.
She considers Tahoe summers as perfect. Ideal weather, plenty of outdoor fun to be had, plus concerts, plays and events. The energy is palpable. She doesn't care that this is the busiest season. Masters remembers what her dad taught her: anyone can be a client. So, more people in town is not a problem but an opportunity. She understands that once visitors experience Tahoe, they often want a piece of it for themselves.
Post-Labor Day, she says, the basin is like a different world. It’s about the locals.
“I call it locals’ summer,” Masters says. “You go to the beach and no one is there. It’s warm and beautiful. The nights are cold, you open a window, put a blanket on and it feels really good.”
As a real estate agent, Masters wants others to enjoy all that Tahoe has to offer all year round, just like she does. With her background, enthusiasm and positive outlook, she is an ambassador for all things Incline Village and Lake Tahoe.
Masters of Tahoe Incline Real Estate, Shahri Masters, License #B1870
(775) 831-8888
inclineliving.com
About the Author Kathryn Reed
Kathryn Reed is an award-winning journalist who has been visiting or living at Lake Tahoe since she was a child. She loves the outdoors – whether it's hiking, biking, snowshoeing, skiing or playing tennis. She is the author of Sleeping with Strangers: An Airbnb Host's Life in Lake Tahoe and Mexico; The Dirt Around Lake Tahoe: Must-Do Scenic Hikes; Snowshoeing Around Lake Tahoe: Must-Do Scenic Treks; and Lake Tahoe Trails for All Seasons: Must-Do Hiking and Snowshoe Treks.
