High-end buyers in southeastern Wisconsin describe Tara Ruppelt as friendly, genuine and trustworthy. “I am the dead opposite of a high-pressure salesperson,” she says. An expert in luxury listings, relocations and new-construction homes, Ruppelt takes a relationship-first approach to her business, which often results in clients’ becoming dear friends.
“You need to earn people’s trust to earn their business,” Ruppelt shares. “I would like to think that I build not just lifelong business relationships with clients but lifetime friendships.”
The former middle-school teacher began her real estate career as a new-construction sales specialist for a local high-end builder, and she immediately recognized her potential. “I quickly saw how new construction is intimately entwined with existing real estate and knew with each customer interaction I had the opportunity for three transactions: a build, the purchase of a lot and the sale of their existing home,” Ruppelt recalls. “This ‘buy, sell, build’ mentality drove me to secure my real estate license, and I began to market myself as a one-stop shop for my clients.” Her business took off, and today she continues to receive referrals from past clients who appreciated her attention to detail, negotiating skills and knowledge of the market, including the cost to build or remodel.
Her teaching experience prepared Ruppelt for the fast pace and competing priorities of real estate. “Being a successful teacher requires wearing many different hats. The same applies to real estate,” she explains. “Teaching also required me to be focused and organized. This is also critical to being successful in real estate.” She describes her organizational skills and follow-through as instrumental to her success and can trace multiple transactions back to simply following up after open houses.
Success has translated to recognition. In 2022, Ruppelt received Coldwell Banker’s International President’s Elite Award, placing her in the company’s top 2 percent of agents worldwide by gross sales. The same year, the Certified Luxury Home Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) also earned Guild status from the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.
When she’s not selling homes, Ruppelt is likely to be found at the baseball diamond and soccer field cheering for her kids.
