If Marianne Wilson was a professional sports team, they'd be calling her a dynasty.
The longtime Squamish local has recently notched her third consecutive top-grossing Realtor of the year honours to go along with many other career accolades. Wilson has also been one of the top five Realtors in Squamish for the past 12 years, and has been a recipient of the Director's Platinum Award and the Award of Excellence for the past six years- recognizing the top five per cent of Royal LePage realtors nationwide.
Wilson, a Squamish resident on and off since 1962, believes her success comes from having a strong affinity for Squamish and the people that make up the community.
"I love Squamish and I truly believe this is the best place to live. I've lived here a long time and have raised a family here," said Wilson.
After attending the University of British Columbia, where she obtained a B.Sc. in Psychology, Wilson became a licensed Realtor in 1979. She tackled the market from the West Side of Vancouver to Mission, and from Squamish to Steveston before the market crash of 1980/1981 motivated her to find a new career.
She worked in Whistler as an over-educated bartender/first aid attendant/ ski bum, but realized real estate was her calling and was back in the business by 1987.
"It's a great job - especially when you have the chance to help a young couple or family realize their dreams of buying a home."
In 2003, Wilson had a total of 83.5 properties listed and sold, resulting in a dollar volume of $13,662,025. Because of her solid reputation, most of her customers come as market referrals or from repeat business - but many have also come from the Olympic excitement, she notes.
After the announcement was made July 2, Squamish was thrust into the investor spotlight and the craziness began.
"Once the announcement came, the floodgates opened," says Wilson. "I must've had an average of 150 messages, emails, voice mails and telephone calls everyday - it was ridiculous. There just weren't enough hours in the day to handle all the calls."
Now, nearly eight months after the Olympic chaos began, things have started to settle down a little, and Wilson can return to her normal business mode and mantra.
"I pride myself in giving 100 per cent to all of my customers," she said. "I like having a good quality of life and to be the top Realtor is an honour. It comes with a lot of hard work and it's nice to have - but it's not the be-all and end-all. We're fortunate to have such phenomenal co-operation with all of the Realtors and companies in Squamish. I think we're unique that way, much different than in the city. Here, support comes from everyone with the common goal of finding good homes for people."
Her success also comes from being in a desirable location, and from knowing when to let actions speak louder than words.
"I feel that I just have to introduce people to Squamish. Once I show them around and they see what kind of community this really is, then Squamish sells itself."
