Meet Some Rising Stars of Arkansas Real Estate

Of all the careers to be had in a capitalist society, sales remains the most single minded. Perhaps nowhere is that point better illustrated than in the field of residential real estate.

Few industries rise and fall in more direct proportion to its product; in fact, residential real estate sales are so closely aligned with economic conditions that the number of agents at any given time is a fair at-a-glance barometer of the country’s overall financial performance in general.

Consider that when the market collapsed in 2007 and 2008, the National Association of REALTORS® lost more than 140,000 members over a 12-month period and eventually slid to a stop at less than 1 million members in 2012, New Silver Lending states. As things recovered and the market picked up steam, membership did, too, growing by more than 500,000 by 2021 and eventually peaking above 1.6 million in late 2022.

As a result, agent headcount is a mercurial thing. RealEstateAgents.com reports there are currently 8,761 agents in Arkansas, 7 in 10 of whom are women. It is one of the older professional jobs out there, having a median age of 55 and fewer than 4 percent under age 30. Latest estimates peg the overall number of agents in the U.S. at about 3 million, fewer than half of whom have formalized their status as REALTORS®. Of those, about 25 percent have less than three years’ experience, NAR’s 2025 annual Member Profile states.

New agents such as those are in the most difficult phase of a typical real estate professional’s career, the 36 months of learning the ropes, getting established and building a clientele. Most do not make it; NAR places attrition during the first three years at more than 8 out of 10 due to high competition, initial inconsistent income and people underestimating the demands of the job. On average, newbies close three transactions representing $500,000 in sales volume, nationally, almost all of it ginned up by cold calling and knocking on doors. On that, they earned about $8,000, real estate consultant Jamil Academy reported.

Still, a resilient and resourceful few defy the odds. AY About You took the time to meet three such rising stars to learn what is behind their early success in one of the most challenging industries there is.

Kaitlyn Witherell

Signature Properties

Kaitlyn Witherell’s first exposure to the real estate business came during high school, when she went house shopping with her parents and was enthralled with the agent who showed them various properties.

“I remember being like, ‘I would love to do this as a job,’” she said. “I loved going to the houses, looking at them, and so I’ve always had it in the back of my mind, ‘I should do real estate.’”

Three weeks into her college experience, after graduating from Little Rock’s Central Arkansas Christian Schools, she discovered college was not for her, reinforcing her youthful career ambition. A detour into a photography career followed before she finally pursued her real estate dream, joining the Signature Properties team.

“Signature Properties only has, like, 31 agents but we’re ranked No. 6 in the multiple listings service all over Arkansas,” she said. “I think that really speaks to the experience of the people we have. They help me every single day. I have a really experienced crew behind me that I reference and who I can ask questions. They have taught me a lot of things.

“I will ask them ‘What do you say in this situation?’ There’s been times where I will literally copy and paste a message from somebody when they tell me what to say, and that’s how I’ve learned. I really love talking about my company and my super experienced, very talented, amazing team members.”

On the strength of this daily coaching, Witherell has advanced quickly. She also credited her creative side, especially as a former professional photographer, which helps her market properties in the best possible light.

“I mean, I was definitely talkative growing up, but I was never, like, salesperson talkative,” she said. “I definitely had to learn the language and learn how to not sound pushy. I guess you could say I had learn the right way to use my talkative self.”

It did not take long for Witherell to get the hang of things, and before long, she grew comfortable soliciting business in a way that naturally flowed in the conversation.

“Anytime I meet somebody or even if I’m just talking to somebody that I’ve known for years, I’ve learned to just kind of throw in that I do real estate but in a strategic way,” she said. “If we end up talking about it, and they’re not in the market right now, I’m like, ‘Send me your friends and family.’ It’s just about doing it in a way that feels natural.”

Witherell gained her professional foothold among first-time buyers, she said, on the strength of being able to relate to that slice of the market.

“I’m 25, and a lot of my friends are entering that stage where they’re about to buy their first house,” she said. “I just bought a house for the first time, as well, and that was really cool. I love that feeling of accomplishment and feeling of ‘I’ve made it,’ that it gave me. I just want all my clients to have that same feeling, and I’d love to be the one to help them with that.”

Steele Strauss

The Property Group

Steele Strauss got into selling real estate at roughly the same time COVID-19 got into Arkansas, and while the thought of changing careers during a pandemic makes many people wince, it actually served as proof of concept.

“It was not too bad,” she said. “I sold a house and a hunting lodge solely through social media.”

Strauss, 32, approached personal acquaintances and family friends with her services, and that gave her the early traction that led to referrals. Today, her track record and experience eliminate any client’s hesitancy about her age, a more common problem early in her career.

“It came up a few times,” she said. “I learned you have to kind of match the personality of a particular person and not to toot my own horn, but I’m very good at that. That, plus being extremely professional, is what got me through some of those tough situations.”

Strauss said being a native of Little Rock, growing up in the Hillcrest neighborhood and graduating from Episcopal Collegiate School, added to her credibility and allowed her to speak with authority about different areas of town. By far, the biggest chit she had early on was her mastery of social media, something that is still at the heart of her career selling homes.

“I’ve always been into social media and marketing, and I thought that that would be a very good way to switch into real estate,” she said. “I do get a lot of clients through social media, since I have a high following.”

Even with that effective tool, Strauss does not let technology do the talking for her. She said for everything there was to learn and adapt to in real estate, overcoming shyness or fear of asking for a stranger’s business was not one of them.

“I’ve always been a social butterfly, pretty much,” she said. “I make friends really easily, get along with people. Breaking the ice with someone wasn’t an issue for me at all. I can talk to a wall basically.”

Now, six years into her career, Strauss is in high demand. She said success in such a competitive business is gratifying, the result of constant learning and steady improvement, be it dealing with clients or discovering the essential value of self-care.

“There is that perception a lot of people have about real estate that’s like, oh, you show a house, you get paid,” she said. “That’s not true at all. It’s very cutthroat out there, and you have to stay calm, not lose your cool and not get stressed. You have to go at your client’s pace, and you have to communicate the way they want: text, emails, calls, FaceTime. You always put the client first, but at the same time, if something’s not working out with a client or a company, you need to know when to walk away from certain situations.

“What I’ve learned, particularly, especially at The Property Group, is you have to take time for yourself, too, you know? A lot of people will tell you that you can get burned out of this business very quickly, and so you definitely have to take time for yourself.”

Sierra Burress

Michele Phillips & Co. Realtors

It is not hard to understand why Sierra Burress at Michele Phillips & Co. Realtors has turned into such a rising star in real estate over her first four years in the career. Burress, a 30 Under 30 honoree by the National Association of REALTORS®, landed in an ideal environment to start her career, selling in her home area and aligned with a company she credited with excellent mentorship and support.

“I did not interview with any other company,” she said. “When I got my license, I was connected with Ashley Cifreo, who is my broker here at the Searcy office, right before I passed my real estate exam. She helped me, gave me some pointers to pass my exam. I felt comfortable in that she had a heart willing to help me.

“Then, when I met Michele Phillips, she was like a mother figure almost — so sweet, so kind. There was just a lot in place here and a lot provided for agents, and so I knew that this felt right.”

Burress, 29, said she was not real estate material coming out of Pangburn High School, but maturity and a desire to succeed drove her to develop the skills she needed.

“My high school self was not anywhere near what I was when I started in real estate,” she said. “By then, I had a little bit more knowledge of life. I was a server for about six years, and that helped me open up.

“I’m still more of an introvert, but for some reason, I can start conversations with people and be in uncomfortable situations. In fact, I would say prospecting has probably been the easiest for me, trying to figure out ways to get new business.”

Not only was Burress good at cold calling, what many new agents say is their least favorite part of the job, but she relished the chance to take a run at prospective clients who had already decided against using an agent.

“I built my business the first couple of years on for sale by owners,” she said. “I would find them on Zillow or Marketplace, and I would text them this little paragraph I had, and they would either call or they would text me back. Some would say, ‘No, thanks.’ I didn’t take rejection to heart. I knew I was going to get rejected a lot.

“With the others, I would follow up and follow up and follow up, and after five or six times of following up and the house still wasn’t sold, they wanted help. I didn’t really feel like I was bothering them. I had it in my mindset that if I was consistent in following up, eventually they would listen with me. I’ve converted probably 25 to 30 since I started four years ago.”

Now a well-established real estate professional, Burress has big dreams for her career, all of which come down to the same fundamental philosophy.

“When I first started, I told myself failure was not even an option,” she said. “I love this whole area — White County and surrounding counties. I think there’s a lot to offer. We’re growing, I love the people, and I just really want to be the local expert for this community.”