Williams, the daughter of a Dallas builder, decided to get her license in 2000 after improvements she made to her first home generated $200,000 in additional equity. “I think my biggest surprise has been how many people don’t realize that real estate is a great long-term investment,” says Williams, who closed $8.9 million in sales and 52 transactions in 2004. She owns four single-family rental properties as well as several antique malls, and about 30 percent of her clients are investors.
Class act: Williams, a former fourth-grade teacher, conducts a monthly homebuying seminar, complete with wine tasting and dinner, at a local wine shop. She also teaches two extension classes at the University of Texas at Austin. One is on buying and rehabbing properties and the other is on residential real estate investing.
Looking ahead: Williams, whose company name refers to the three women involved in its founding, dreams of opening offices nationwide but maintaining a small-company atmosphere. “I want TriBella offices to be boutiques with maybe 10 to 20 associates in each,” she says. She also would like to offer her real estate classes nationwide.