Starting out as a sixth-grade teacher, Wilson decided to supplement her income on weekends by working for a Raleigh, N.C., real estate attorney. Spotting her potential, the attorney gave Wilson $400 to attend real estate classes. “This will be the best $400 you’ll ever spend,” he assured her. He was right. Upon receiving her license in 2003, she dove into new-home sales and has thrived in that challenging market ever since. She sold out her first subdivision in four months, in an area where only 18 homes had sold in the previous two years. Last year, her sales volume reached nearly $30 million on 71 transaction sides.
RISING STAR: Within months of starting out, the former teacher was appointed the go-to person for new associates needing guidance in her office. She remains happily accessible to colleagues and clients, day or night: “I am always on, even when everyone else is off.”