Born and raised on a small farm in Nevada, Rylieh has never been a stranger to hard work. As a child, she was surrounded by parents who always touted the value of homeownership and grandparents who were avid property investors. She was also involved in 4H, and she credits both experiences with giving her lifelong skills that have served her well in the real estate industry and in life.

 

“I was a kid who grew up around adults who talked about interest rates and tax write-offs. Being raised in that farm atmosphere, you learn so much about yourself and helping others, and just being a useful human being and working really hard,” she remembers fondly. “My grandparents work hard, my parents work really hard, and I always aspire to be like them.” She mentions she has always been grateful for her parent's love of travel when she was a child, “They were big on traveling as a family, so I feel like that helped me understand people and different cultures a lot better.”

 

When her dad’s mining career brought their family to Fairbanks when she was eight, she spent warm summers in Nevada and brutally cold winters in Fairbanks until she was about 15 years old. She met her husband, Luc in 2018 – after a few years of moves, long distance and deployments, they were married in 2022. Now 25, Rylieh has made Fairbanks home for her and her family.

 

As a teen, she had a love of photography and what would become a passion for digital marketing. “I would work so I could travel and take pictures – I worked on a sport fishing boat in Costa Rica. I didn’t get paid, I just had a place to live and I took pictures of them fishing!”

 

While she has never been a stranger to home ownership and real estate investing, she didn’t make the leap into the industry until 2020 when the COVID pandemic hit. After being stuck at home with her now husband deployed, she decided to start studying for her real estate license with the encouragement of her mom. She said while she couldn’t say exactly why she made that step, she felt like it was the right one. She started her career at Somers Sotheby’s REALTORS® as broker Angie Tallant’s (who she now refers to as her “real estate mom”), assistant.

 

“I had been friends with Angie’s daughter for a long time, but I had no idea who Angie was. I was interviewing at other brokerages when she said ‘Do you know who mom is?’ and I said ‘I don’t know who your mom is!’ We went to lunch for a friend's birthday, and we sit down and Angie says "This is actually an interview, I want to hire you as my assistant," she laughs. “Starting as Angie’s assistant I probably went through way more transactions than I would have gone through on my own.” She attributes her early success to Angie’s mentorship and the guidance of other veteran Realtors that have offered advice and wisdom over the years. “I’m surrounded by amazing mentors.”

 

Rylieh began to fall in love with real estate when she and her husband began their own search for their first home shortly after she got her license. “I think through the experience of Luc and I buying our first house, made me want to do this to serve people. I think that sometimes there’s a disconnect – we are service providers, not just people who sell houses. That’s the narrative I want to change, I want people to know that I am providing a service and making the process an experience.” To this day, she says some of her favorite transactions are with clients who are buying their first home.

 

Her dedication to her family, clients and community shines through in her vibrant social media presence. That passion for photography and digital marketing continues to serve her well in real estate. She can be found daily on Instagram sharing real estate advice, supporting local businesses, or just sharing about her life. She says social media is a large driving force behind her business. Her approach to social media is the same as her approach to all aspects of her life – authentically herself.

 

For Rylieh, real estate is all about her connection with people. “I attribute my success to authentically loving my job and loving serving people.” When she is not working directly with clients, she dedicates her time to serving her Realtor community. In 2023 alone, she is the President-Elect of the Greater Fairbanks Board of REALTORS® and she participates in the Alaska Association of Realtors Leadership Academy and the GFBR Leadership Academy. No matter how exponentially her career has taken off, she always humbly remembers those who have gone before her. She says one of the most impactful things she’s been told is “Leadership is all about opening the door for the next person. That’s what makes you successful – the person who opened the door for you.”

 

In her first year as a solo agent, Rylieh closed 9 transactions in 6 months. Now on her third-year solo, she has catapulted to being one of Fairbanks's top-producing REALTORS®, having closed 29 transactions with 8.9 million dollars in volume in 2022. She has earned the honors of 2021 Somers Sotheby’s Rookie of the Year and 2022 Greater Fairbanks Board of REALTORS® Rookie of the Year.

 

Having garnered success at such a young age, she knows that success in this industry does not come without its challenges.  When asked what advice she would give to others starting in the real estate industry, she says “Your age and lack of experience does not say everything about your career and how capable you are in it. There is more to you than the years you’ve been in the business as long as you work hard, are ethical and are determined to be successful.”

Rylieh is a true inspiration to all aspiring REALTORS®!