Women's Council has interviewed some of the most influential thought leaders in the industry, who have generously shared their practical tips for success in real estate. Check out these "Leading Women."
In this series of interviews, we cover the essentials that you need to know to build a real estate business – from creating that sought-after "work-life balance" and motivating agents, to staying on top of trends in a rapidly evolving marketplace and how industry involvement can give you the competitive edge.
To suggest future interviewees, please e-mail the editor at newsletter@wcr.org.
D'Ann Harper
Posted August 2011
"I really didn't intend to make it a full-time job," says D'Ann Harper of being encouraged by a family member to get her real estate license, "but I absolutely loved it from the minute I started." Today, Harper has seven offices with 350 sales associates and, through it all, she stayed true to her original business model. Read More
Nancy Suvarnamani
Posted May 2011
As founder and president of Century 21 S.G.R., Inc., in Chicago, Nancy Suvarnamani defines the phrase, "self-motivated high achiever." After 14 years in the corporate sector, she realized her desire to control her own professional destiny would best be fulfilled through real estate, where she could grow as far as her drive could take her. Today, her focus is on growing the company while also helping her community. Read More
Margo Wheeler Willis
Posted December 2010
When 2011 President Margo Wheeler Willis first joined real estate 17 years ago after retiring from the Army, she also joined Women's Council and learned quickly the power of building relationships to transform your business. Now more than ever, she says, the organization should be embracing its core values – relationships, education and leadership – while at the same time providing just-in-time education and networking tools through convenient technology channels. It's a tall order, but with a great plan in place and top-notch leadership training, Women's Council is more than ready to get the job done in 2011. Read More
Molly Kay Hamrick
Posted October 2010
When Bob and Molly Kay Hamrick purchased CBPR, she was already the top franchise agent in Las Vegas, and he was the top broker. Under their direction, the gross commission income of CBPR/Las Vegas increased from $7.9 million in 1997 to more than $30 million in 2006. Through their unique management style, the Hamricks have coached agents through the tough times more recently. Today, the company includes 325 agents and 40 staff. In July 2010, CBPR appeared on REALTOR® Magazine's list of the "Top 100 Real Estate Companies" in the U.S. Read More
Colleen Badagliacco
Posted July 2010
Colleen Badagliacco has been an influential leader in real estate for decades, first with the California Association of REALTORS® and then NAR. Today, she’s a major donor for RPAC and also works with calREDD, an initiative to pull together all California real property records regardless of status. This month, she shares her tips for success in real estate with eConnect. Read More
Cynthia Shelton
Posted February 2010
Six years into her real estate career, Cynthia Shelton, CCIM, CIPS, CRE, GRI, made the switch from residential to commercial and never looked back. She currently specializes in the sale of investment properties, such as net leased retail, grocery-anchored shopping centers and office properties for Colliers International in Florida. Read More
Vicki Cox Golder
Posted January 2010
For NAR's 2010 National President Vicki Cox Golder, CRB, there is never a moment to sit still, but this expert time-manager is ready for her hectic year ahead. Read More
Deborah Tatum Gilmore
Posted December 2009
As Deborah Tatum Gilmore, ABR, GREEN, GRI, PMN, SRES, of Marietta, GA, begins her journey as Women’s Council of REALTORS®' seventieth national president, she realizes that as much as real estate has changed since the organization was founded in 1938, some basic principles remain the same. Read More
Mary Tennant
Posted September 2009
A willingness to seize opportunities and work hard have propelled Mary Tennant to her current position as president and chief operating officer with Keller Williams Realty Inc. Tennant oversees Keller Williams’ international support center, which provides training and support for nearly 60,000 KW associates in the U.S. and Canada. Read More
Kristal Kraft
Posted June 2009
Kristal Kraft, ABR, CIPS, CRS, PMN, is what’s known in the tech world as an "early adopter." She's had a Web site since 1997, was posting on message boards since the mid-1990s, started blogging in 2003 "when no one really knew what it was" and has been on ActiveRain since its inception. Kraft has more than 3,400 followers on Twitter. Read More
Phyllis Brookshire
Posted January 2009
Real estate is in Phyllis Brookshire’s DNA. In her current role as regional vice president of the Allen Tate Company, she brings more than 20 years of real estate experience that she honed working at York Properties, a construction, property management and real estate company founded by her father. Read More
Sherry Chris
Posted July 2008
Without realizing it at the time, Sherry Chris learned at an early age about what would become one of the foundations of her career. As the eldest of four children and the daughter of working parents, it wasn't unusual for Chris to come home from school and prepare family meals, help with housework and anything else her mom needed. Chores at home taught her structure, discipline and of course, responsibility, all of which she applies in her current role as president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Read More
Your Path to Leadership
Posted June 2008
When you’re working hard to develop your real estate career, the idea of taking on a leadership role in an industry organization might seem lofty, but totally impractical. After all, there’s no time, and such roles would cut into your ability to actually be a REALTOR®. While that sounds reasonable, the exact opposite is true, according many leaders, who say that industry involvement gives you the competitive edge to build your business. Hear from industry leaders Cathy Whatley, Sharon Millett, Adorna Carroll, Barbara B. Lach and Pat V. Combs. Read More
Fafie Moore
Posted March 2008
Fafie Moore is no stranger to challenges. When she was just 12, her father died, leaving Moore and her mother alone. "That taught me two things," she recalled. "Your world can turn upside-down in a day. And everyone always needs a plan so that you can be responsible and take care of yourself." Read More
Kaira Sturdivant Rouda
Posted February 2008
The daughter of a marketing professor, Kaira Rouda learned early on that a woman could do anything. Surprisingly, she learned that from her father, the first in his family to go to college. Throughout her career, she’s taken that philosophy to heart and to home. Read More
Ebby Halliday & Mary Frances Burleson
Posted January 2008
It was in Dallas in 1945 that real estate legend Ebby Halliday sold her first house. She was asked by the husband of one of the customers of the millinery store she then owned to sell cement houses, because, as he said, "If you can sell those crazy hats, maybe you can sell those crazy houses." Halliday went on to sell an astounding 52 cement houses in the next nine months. Read More