Realtor Wallace opens own company

Indy Wallace, formerly a Realtor with Carol Jones, Realtors, Sept. 12 struck out on her own when she opened Indy Wallace, Realtors at 3023 S. Fort, Unit D, in the Evergreen Office Park.

Wallace, who's been in real estate for four years, said there were several factors that led to her decision to open her own company.

She said she didn't like the fact that Carol Jones, Realtors, is owned by an Iowa company, and she was also unhappy with management prior to Jones' recent return to the company.

She said she originally wanted to expand within Carol Jones, Realtors, but was not allowed to do so.

"I made a decision that I was going to go out on my own. I didn't have any doubt about myself, or about this company growing or getting big, even though I was scared," she said.

Wallace and Bethany Brown, who worked as her personal assistant when she was with Carol Jones, Realtors, and now serves as a licensed administrative assistant at the new company, said they think very highly of Jones herself, and, for the most part, were happy at Carol Jones, Realtors.

"It was just that the room for expansion was not what it needed to be for Indy's goals ... (her) dreams for herself. She wanted to have full control over her own business," Brown said.

Wallace said another factor that led to her move was that several of her clients had asked when she would open her own company, and many suggested that she do so.

Wallace has achieved several things in the four years she's been in the real estate industry.

She recently was named one of the "500 Most Powerful Women in Real Estate and Relocation for 1999" by National Relocation and Real Estate Magazine.

She said her company is doing very well, although it's only been open a little more than a month.

In fact, she said in terms of sales volume, Indy Wallace Realtors already has surpassed its goals.

"My volume has increased since I've been on my own. Clientele we have builders, owners, we have people calling us ... we have people who just walk in, glad that we are here," Wallace said.

Wallace now has a total of seven agents with her company, including Tish Owen, Kris Pedersen, Sharon Ashworth and Lynette Menzie-Aultman. She said several others are in the process of making the move to her company, but she declined to name them.

She said Ashworth is going to head up the property management arm of her company, which will be implemented soon, and a well-known commercial Realtor will be joining the company to lead the commercial real estate services division.

Wallace is already planning ahead for continued growth. In addition to the office space she purchased and now occupies, she recently purchased the unit next door, bringing the company's total office space to more than 3,000 square feet.

Wallace said there are many things that make her company stand out among its competitors. One of those characteristics, and perhaps the most important, she said, is that agents at Indy Wallace Realtors don't compete for listings.

"We share and give listings and buyers (to agents within the company), and in the real estate market, those are jewels," Wallace said. "There's no charge, there's no referral fee."

Wallace said additional staff members will be added to the company as needed, and she said what she is most looking forward to is the construction of what she calls "the big house." Wallace has her eye on a piece of land near her current office, where she plans to build the new office. She said the office will include several amenities designed to relieve stress, including a gym.

Wallace plans to build the "big house" in two to three years, and she said she hasn't yet decided what she'll do with her present office space.

But Wallace does plan to stay busy until it's time to build.

"I want to be just a Realtor that works, has my own volume, does my own thing. I do not want to be focused (on) that I'm the new owner ... I want to be out in the real world doing what I love best selling, listing and working with my buyers," Wallace said.