“I have a knack for relating to everybody’s personality, life, and perspective, and I like doing that because I know it makes people feel safe and willing to open up and share themselves more,” says Caroline Stroyeck of Vision Realty Team at Iron Valley Real Estate Hampton Roads. “When people feel comfortable that they can trust you, you can help them do great things!”

Caroline prides herself on her ability to find commonality with everyone. She isn’t big on podcasts or other media-involving business, instead preferring to read and watch content that involves people and personalities, how they mesh and how they navigate struggles and conflicts. She muses, “Real estate and life itself are full of struggle and conflict, and learning how to navigate those obstacles is imperative to progressing and surviving.”

As a single mother, Caroline knows a thing or two about survival. “My 10-year-old son, Easton, gave me the gift of motherhood at a young age, right after college, and because of him, I focused and hustled way faster than I would have had I been on my own,” she reflects quietly. “He gave me purpose, direction and drive.” 

One year ago this month, Caroline and her partner, Kevin, welcomed their son, Rainer, into the world. “In recent years, I have had the blessing of being a bonus mother to Bryson (9) and Levi (almost 4),” Caroline says. “Together, we have four wild boys who are helpful, loving and hilarious.” She laughs that she’s also known as the cat lady, with Nathan and Baby Yoda living in her house, and is open to welcoming a stray or rescue should they find her. Family is everything to Caroline and was her motivation for becoming a real estate agent. 

“I have a large family with lots of siblings, and when I was a new mother, they supported me in many ways,” she recalls. “Once I became an agent, it was extremely rewarding to give back to my family members through real estate transactions, helping them save money on purchases and make money on the sales of their homes and putting them into houses that they love, where they raise their families.” One of Caroline’s greatest role models was her mother. “I was raised by my mom, and she was brilliant,” she says. “Mom always said that the best thing she ever did was produce five healthy children who could do whatever they dreamed of accomplishing.” 

Caroline shares that sense of accomplishment and hope with other women and dreams of going to law school to effect meaningful change in the lives of families. “I would love to create a nonprofit for women, promoting education about options regarding birth control, childbirth, careers and financial literacy,” she says. “No matter your religious, cultural or socio-economic background — regardless of your circumstances — you should be afforded the resources to take care of yourself and the people around you.” Caroline is grateful for the opportunities that paved her path toward real estate. 

“I graduated from ODU with a major in political science and intercultural communications and worked at a nonprofit, procuring donations for food banks, then at a real estate investment firm,” she says. “But I got laid off right when I separated from my partner at the time.” She’d been handling millions of dollars in personal checks for investors, yet could barely afford to pay the rent on her two-bedroom apartment and was now a newly-single mother of a four-year-old. 

That’s when she met Earl Sanders. “I went in to ask him about finding a property close to where I was going to send Easton to school,” she remembers. “He told me to get my real estate license, and that if I passed, he would pay me back.” She remembers laughing when he told her that her cold-calling sales experience from the procurement position coupled with his training and lead generation program would ensure a six-figure income in her first year. She had no savings or child support, but she did have a generous severance package from her previous job, so she enrolled in an online class, finishing it in four weeks and passing the exam on her second attempt. “Within my first week of being licensed, I had a contract and a closing within my first 30 days,” she says disbelievingly. “I did $6 million in sales my first 12 months, stayed consistent for the first couple of years and then sold $13 million after I started my team, Royal Realty, in 2020.”  

Caroline is proud of all she’s accomplished, and her latest success comes as she enjoys her new journey with Iron Valley Real Estate Hampton Roads. “Iron Valley is a fresh brokerage run by top-producing, entrepreneurial overachievers,” she says. “Women can be bosses and top producers, and Iron Valley is a wonderful platform for me to do that.” She hopes that one day she will be running a branch of Iron Valley, as she sees herself as a business owner in many different areas, saying. “I hope to be a leader and example in the company, available to anyone who needs support.”