Educate Yourself & Learn From Others T

To say that Wendy Butler, the February 2023 Rising Star for Real Producers, has done a lot in a short span of time is an understatement.

If Wendy’s name sounds familiar, it is perhaps due to a healthy dose of recognition received when she, along with her real estate partner Trae Corte, was lauded last year at the Downtown Mobile Alliance’s massive, standing-room-only annual banquet. Their DeTonti Place residential project was honored with DMA’s award for “Excellence in New Construction.”

Not skipping a beat, this year, she is now the brand-new co-owner of Legacy Real Estate & Development, in an evolving partnership with Corte. Their new Fairhope-based firm will manage both residential and commercial real estate deals covering the entirety of lower Alabama.

“I received my real estate broker’s license early last year and opened this company that includes a full-service concierge brokerage as well as a development component,” Butler said. “I will focus on sales and marketing, and Trae will oversee the development aspect. We are currently working on a project similar to DeToni Place but will be located on the Eastern Shore. An industrial warehouse project in Loxley is also planned.”

To fully grasp Wendy’s rapid rise into the realm of real estate, it is necessary to rewind the clock back a bit to learn more about her success.

Born in New Orleans, Wendy moved to the Mississippi Gulf Coast at an early age due to a job change by her father. After graduating from high school, she enrolled at USA in Mobile to pursue a career in medicine.

“I graduated from the University of South Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in nursing and worked in a trauma center as an RN and flight nurse. A few years later, I went back to school at The University of Alabama at Birmingham to earn a master’s degree in nurse anesthesia. I began working as a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist at Thomas Hospital in 2004 and spent most of my time doing anesthesia for open heart surgeries,” Wendy said.

After flipping my second house by myself and realizing the value of having a mentor, I connected with long-time proven real estate developer, builder, and broker Trae Corte in my triathlon group. I began asking him questions every day, and he always knew the answer.

In 2014, while active as a CRNA, Wendy started focusing her attention on learning about flipping houses and starting a business. A major fan of YouTube, she started watching numerous videos by Bigger Pockets, Grant Cardone, and others. One of the biggest lessons she learned was the importance of having a mentor, so she flipped her first house in January 2015 with a friend, Fairhope interior designer and remod-

“I learned a lot on that house, especially the importance of hiring a top-level REALTOR®,” Butler said. “After flipping my second house by myself and realizing the value of having a mentor, I connected with long-time proven real estate developer, builder, and broker Trae Corte in my triathlon group. I began asking him questions every day, and he always knew the answer.”

She went on to say that they started flipping houses in midtown Mobile after developing their business relationship. After the foreclosure market started drying up, they turned their focus to new construction.

“I bought a piece of property in downtown Mobile, and together we split the property up into smaller lots, designed some houses that were reminiscent of the past but had all of the modern conveniences, and DeTonti Place was created,” Wendy said.

Wendy’s full transition into real estate is astoundingly recent. She relinquished her CRNA duties less than two years ago and has found stellar success in a short span of time.

“My transition from medicine into full-time real estate occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Butler said.

“During the pandemic, operating rooms across the nation moved to emergency cases only in order to conserve supplies of ventilators, masks, gowns, and other medical equipment that were needed to take care of the COVID-19 patients. Overnight, we went from a full OR schedule to a few emergency cases. They started sending all of us home.”

She went on to say that, as a single parent, Wendy had to consider pivoting over to work that, at the time, was merely a lucrative side job. The irony is not lost on her that a medical career is usually considered one of the more stable professions.

“I never thought I would ever have a problem with a hospital job. At that time also, the real estate market really started picking up. I was able to sell more houses and was getting busier and had to decide what career to choose. You really can’t do either one of these jobs halfway but need to be fully committed to being successful in either one of them. That’s when I decided to leave the hospital and begin doing real estate full-time.”

For those wanting to follow in her footsteps, Wendy emphasized the importance of finding a good mentor to help along the way. A big proponent of self-education, Wendy also listens to podcasts daily.

Wendy also finds time to balance a full personal life in addition to her real estate ventures.

She recently remarried Rhett Butler from the Washington D.C. area. Together they have a total of five children who are scattered across the country, except for their 15-year-old, who is currently attending Fairhope High School.

“I have a passion for marketing and love highlighting homes to show their maximum potential for buyers. We understand the importance of representing a client and working hard to get their house sold!”

For questions or comments about this article, contact Wendy at 251-510-2682 or 1wendybutler@gmail.com.