A native of Tucson, Arizona, Lisa Bayless earned a degree in social work from Boston University, convinced she’d found her calling in counseling. But a blind date who became her steady was a real estate developer in Back Bay, and she was quite surprised to see an overlap in what they did. “We both worked…
Jessica Cohen was 21 in 1999 when she bought her first tiny studio apartment in New York’s upper west side for $93,000. A pre-med student tired of sharing a small walk-up rental with roommates, she scraped together the down payment to purchase the property that would launch both her investment journey and a laudable career…
Above, Lori Penney A graduate of the University of Massachusetts with a degree in international marketing, Lori Penney is a born entrepreneur, with more than 10 years of business success to her credit before she set her sights on real estate in 2008. She was also early to see the value in teaming, and in…
With a Wisconsin Merrill Lynch Real Estate office in the family, Jeff Lien grew up in the industry. By the time he was in his teens, he was hanging signs and cleaning pools before open houses. “I went off to college with every intention of studying math and computer science,” he said. “But real estate…
Above, Allen Gammons Allen Gammons owned a small publishing company in Rhode Island when he began to invest in real estate—and became so fascinated by the process and possibilities that in 1992, he became a licensed agent. After testing his skills with a smaller company, he signed on with RE/MAX, where in 1995 he was…
Well over 30 years ago, just out of high school with no career plan in mind, Jeff Quintin took a job as a drive-in teller at a local New Jersey bank. It wasn’t long before a life plan took shape. “I saw the big checks that real estate agents were cashing,” Quintin said. “I figured,…
Above, Emily Mattson Milwaukee native Emily Mattson graduated Cum Laude from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in finance and real estate design – just in time for the real estate downturn of 2008. Licensed in 2007, she went to work for First Weber Realtors two years later, determined to be become a top…
Above, Sarah Peters Sarah Peters had been teaching American history in scenic Bucks County, Pennsylvania for 15 years when the idea of selling real estate occurred to her. Bucks County is a charming and desirable place to live, and a real estate career, she thought, might offer new challenges and more flexible hours. Licensed in…
Above, Rosie Papazian, left and Krista Miller As an art and design major, Krista Miller had her eye on a career in architecture. But when she and her husband bought their first home in a small community east of San Francisco, she took an immediate interest in real estate. “Looking at houses fit right in…
Wisconsin native Tony Wendorf always planned to be a doctor. In 2009, he earned a PhD in forensic psychology and went to work qualifying executive talent for industrial organizations. He loved the work, and still does, setting aside part of every work week to continue in his first career. But in 2017, a friend in…
It’s an intense competition to not only land clients and listings, but to decisively defeat competing agents by closing sales and collecting commissions. Read more.
