🧱 How a 24-Year-Old Built a $1,000,000 Real Estate Business In Under 3 Years

He lost a $70K commission and didn't blink — discover how this 24-year-old introvert built a million-dollar real estate empire with a 7¢ letter that luxury sellers can't refuse

Author

Andrew Bayon
April 08, 2025

🔍 All Case Studies: Blogs & Videos

"I lost a $70,000 commission two weeks ago. Whatever. I'll go do it again."

Will Van Wickler isn't your typical agent.

This introverted 24-year-old built a multi-seven-figure business by focusing on sellers, systems, and second homes - without meeting most clients face-to-face.

"I'd rather make more money with less people."

In today's newsletter:

  • How Will generated $1M+ with his "golden letter" strategy

  • Building houses in 4 months when others take 7 (with zero construction background)

  • The vacation property niche that solved his "too young" problem

  • Will's 95% profit margin system (while most teams struggle to hit 30%)

Let's dive in…

— Andrew

Playbook

In 2020, Will Van Wickler was a 19-year-old student who left college with zero real estate connections when the pandemic hit.

Today, at just barely 24, he's built a multi-million-dollar real estate business with:

  • 69 closed units last year

  • Over $1 million in GCI

  • High profit margins

  • Multiple revenue streams across residential sales, new construction, and short-term rentals

The plot twist? He's a self-described introvert who hates pretending to care about "soccer practice" and built his entire business without meeting most clients in-person.

THE BREAKTHROUGH

While working in IT consulting during college, Will met a real estate investor who suggested he get licensed.

He initially planned to learn investing part-time, but quickly realized sellers were more profitable than buyers.

"I wanted to go after sellers, not buyers, because buyers take a lot of your time up. You got to pretend to be somebody you're not. Ask how soccer practice was, work nights and weekends. I'm like, this is terrible."

THE GROWTH FRAMEWORK

Will discovered a lead generation system called the "golden letter" - a simple, direct mail approach costing just 7 cents per letter.

During the height of the market, every 500 letters generated a listing worth approximately $15,000 in commission. Today, the conversion rate is about 1 listing per 1,000 letters.

"It was a model that dramatically scaled my listing business from making zero money to a million dollars."

THE AGE PROBLEM SOLUTION

At 21, Will faced a massive credibility problem. Who would list their luxury home with someone who looked like a teenager?

His solution was brilliant: focus exclusively on second homes where owners lived out of state.

"I just focused on people that never got to meet me in person," Will reveals. "I knew they'd look at me and be like, 'We're not going to work with you. You look like 18 years old.'"

This strategy created a perfect niche:

  1. Out-of-state owners who couldn't meet in person

  2. Vacation properties with motivated sellers

  3. Second homes from people who valued expertise over age

  4. Areas with little competition from established agents

"I found a niche in the market that nobody was covering. Nobody was really competing with me, and it grew my business tremendously."

THE SYSTEMS MINDSET

While most agents focus on relationships and "people skills," Will approached real estate with an IT background and systems mindset.

His first game-changing system? Calendly.

"I do not take incoming client calls if we haven't worked and haven't done an onboarding call together," Will explains. "For every single lead that would come in, they'd book a call on my calendar."

This simple change:

  • Captured lead information automatically

  • Ensured he was focused during calls

  • Established professional boundaries

  • Created a doctor/lawyer-like experience

"This is my like AI receptionist, pretty much," he says.

THE CONSTRUCTION ADVANTAGE

Perhaps most impressive is Will's expansion into construction - building homes in 4 months when competitors take 7, despite having zero construction background.

"It's very strange to run a construction company with no construction background, but a systems mindset"

His secret? Treating construction like a transaction with defined steps and dependencies:

"Just how I line things up... After this, we do this. And if this isn't done, we can't do this. It's just all scheduling and systems."

"A lot of builders, they're really great at swinging a hammer, but they don't have that systems side. And a lot of real estate agents are really good with people, but they're not systems minded."

THE TEAM FRAMEWORK

Unlike most top producers who immediately build large teams, Will maintains a 95% profit margin with minimal overhead:

But he's looking to scale with quality over quantity:

"I'm looking to hire a professional that's done this before, has experience, and I'm willing to pay for it," he explains about his search for a Director of Operations.

While most brokerages pay $45-50K for an EA position, Will is offering $75-85K because he values talent over savings.

"Get rid of cul de sac talent," he advises. "I'm willing to make that investment to not deal with the suck."

THE LESSON

"I'd rather work with less people and make more money," Will summarizes.

His unconventional path proves you don't need to be extroverted, experienced, or connected to build a seven-figure real estate business.

By focusing on systems over relationships, sellers over buyers, and quality over quantity, Will has created a model that generates maximum profit with minimum stress.

The Content Strategy That Generated $50M/YR As a NEW Real Estate Agent

Meet Bree Tucker, a powerhouse agent who transformed her business from selling just 5 homes to now selling over $50 million a year in just three years with the Pozek Group, all while raising three kids under three!

  • Her transition from "agent" to "media company that sells real estate"

  • How she creates viral content that works while she sleeps (one video has 600,000+ views)

  • The pre-work process that makes her videos convert higher-end listings

  • Why showing homes with a baby on her hip became her motivation

  • How she's built a business that "can't be broken" through content marketing

  • Her success with the Golden Oak luxury market through strategic videos

  • The balance she's achieved working primarily 8am-3pm while raising three young children

Bree shares honestly: "Everyone around me said, 'This may not work. You need this degree to fall back on corporate.' But I said, 'No, I'm going to make it happen.'"

Her story proves that strategic content creation with a focus on value and area expertise can transform a struggling agent into a market leader who attracts business rather than chases it.

Search 'Breaking and Building Leaders Bree Tucker' on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform to listen to the full episode now!

Packaging (Topic + Title + Thumbnails) of the Week

  1. 14x – 12 Game Changing Developments Coming To {CITY} in {YEAR}

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  3. 57x – How Billionaires Are Taking Over THIS {AREA}

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  5. 2.7x – Touring the MOST EXPENSIVE MANSION in {CITY} HISTORY!

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  10. 9.8x – Why People STILL Move To {CITY} In {YEAR}

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    I hope these help inspire your next video!

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Rapid Fire For Your Consumption:

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We’re 25% through the year, so let’s build a strong summer!

Andrew Bayon

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