Young alum named to Realtor Magazine’s ’30 Under 30′

At the age of 27, I was still figuring out what I wanted to be when I grew up. In stark contrast, at the same age, 2005 Baylor graduate Ashton Gustafson was already a partner in the Bishop Realtor Group and one of the top realtors in North Texas.

In December, Gustafson was named one of Realtor Magazine’s “30 Under 30,” recognizing the 30 rising young stars in the real estate industry. He now manages a team of five licensed sales professionals who together closed 237 transactions in 2009. Yet it’s not his quantity of transactions, but the quality — the personal interactions — that make Gustafson stand out. He says he tries to make 100 phone calls and send 20 handwritten notes every day.

“I can’t count on 100 hands how many times people have come up to me and said, ‘Your handwritten note after closing meant the world to me,'” he says. “I want to be a part of changing this industry for the good — to keep what’s good about it, fix what’s not so great about it, and grow the brand that I hope it is. And that’s where the energy comes from.”

Sic ’em, Ashton!