Wendy Lister, a 40-year veteran of the Washington luxury real estate scene, passed away today, her brokerage Coldwell Banker Bain confirmed. Lister was 83, according to the Puget Sound Business Journal.
“The real estate industry has lost one of its biggest icons – Wendy truly personified professionalism, grit, and talent,” Bill Riss, the CEO of Coldwell Banker Bain said, in a statement.
Lister sold more than $1.3 billion in sales volume since the Northwest Multiple Listing Service began tracking sales data in 2001. She started in the industry in 1976, however, so her total was much higher.
“Over Wendy’s amazing 40-year career, she was consistently ranked as our top-performing broker as well as the top performer in Washington state,” Riss added. “Her marketing acumen was legendary and everywhere at the same time.”
Lister was at one time ranked among the top 1 percent of luxury brokers in the country, according to Coldwell Banker Bain, where she ran a team of 11 full-time staff members. Lister was recognized within Coldwell Banker for myriad distinctions and for decades taught classes on purchase and sales agreements for Coldwell Banker Bain brokers.
Her leadership roles included serving as vice president for Coldwell Banker Bain, director of Coldwell Banker Bain’s Exceptional Properties brand and as a member of the board of directors for the National Association of Realtors.
“We will greatly miss the leadership she always exhibited and her focus on client service that was unmatched,” Riss said. “On a personal level, Wendy was a much-loved part of the Coldwell Banker Bain family and our thoughts are with her loved ones and real estate team during this very difficult time.”
Messages remembering Lister immediately started to populate social media.