Christy Walker: A Love of Life and Real Estate
By Caroline Campbell
Photos by Sarah Ann Preston and Shannon Josey Photography
If you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Christy Walker, you know she’s a successful, top ranked real estate broker with over 30 years of experience in the residential market and has achieved a total Career Sold Volume over $345.6 million, but you also know she’s much more than that. Christy is a mom, a neighbor, a passionate and charismatic business woman, an involved community member, a woman of faith and truly grateful for life and family. Christy gives one hundred percent to everything she does with a passion and zest for finding all the joys in life and the good in people. She views real estate as part of her ministry—she strives to help clients find their own peace and joy in what lies ahead, whether in buying or selling a home. Originally hailing from Los Angeles, California, Christy’s family moved to Hickory, North Carolina, where she spent her teenage years. She attended Western Carolina University, where she earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, with a minor in Marketing and Management. Upon graduating, Christy moved back to Los Angeles where she began her real estate career working for a real estate escrow company, followed by a top real estate title company, where she received multiple promotions. While Christy was enjoying her newfound success in the real estate industry in Los Angeles, life wasn’t always as smooth-sailing. At the age of 26, she was diagnosed with spasmodic dysphonia, a voice disorder caused by damage to nerves in the vocal chords. She was no longer able to carry on a conversation without experiencing jarring interruptions in speech. Seeing as she relied on her voice for her career in sales, this hit Christy like a ton of bricks. Christy loved her career and didn’t want to give it up, so she faced this challenge head on and agreed to be the fifteenth person in the world to undergo an experimental surgery to rejoin the nerves in her vocal chords. The surgery was followed by four months of recovery where she had no voice at all. Christy had to rely on sign language to communicate with her infant daughter and face-to-face meetings with clients and team members. As difficult and life-changing as this experience was for Christy, she believes it made her a stronger person and deepened her faith and perseverance in life. After starting a career and family in Los Angeles, Christy felt it was time to move back to North Carolina to raise her two children, Rachael and Garrett, and found the Charlotte/Lake Norman area to be a perfect fit. Christy started her real estate career over again by joining the Allen Tate team. In her 11 years at the agency, Christy was honored as an Allen Tate Chairman’s Circle recipient, President’s Club Award winner, the H. award recipient (signifying the top 5% in the Allen Tate company), the Five Star Business Award from Charlotte Magazine, as well as the Crescent Resources Community Sales leader award. In 2007, Christy joined Keller Williams, the largest national real estate company (by agent count), which now has an international presence. Christy is currently co-owner of the Keller Williams Cornelius/Lake Norman office and strongly identifies with the company’s culture of “God, Family and Business.” Christy Walker & Associates is comprised of a team of experienced real estate professionals committed to making the sale or purchase of your home a top priority. The team prides itself on integrity and exceptional customer service, truly caring about every customer throughout every step, and operates by the philosophy: “Treat your family, friends and clients like you want to be treated (or better) and respect them and all their decisions as they navigate through the purchase or sale of one of their largest assets.” Christy understands that buying or selling real estate is an emotional process because clients are letting go of precious memories or purchasing a home to create new memories. Like a friend, Christy helps clients navigate through these emotions and financial decisions and helps them find the joy and peace they are seeking. When asked what sets Christy Walker & Associates apart from other teams in our area, Christy elaborated on the “team concept.” Several members of her team are Charlotte natives with a specialized area of real estate expertise, providing seamless levels of service through every step of the buying or selling process. Clients enjoy the continuity of their Listing or Buyers broker, while also working closely with a listing manager, marketing expert and closing coordinator. This prevents a single team member from having to “wear all the hats” at once, so they can focus on client needs and provide creative solutions. Team members Christy Walker, Kris Morton, Amy Smith, Matt Bailey, Amanda Derrick, Barbara Epley and Rich Vecellio are all real estate professionals, and approachable, active members of our community. Not only does this team work seamlessly for its clients, they also know how to have fun together in the community. You may see them together on the lake previewing homes with customers by boat or working hand-in-hand during community events. Each year, over 134,000 Keller Williams agents nationwide participate in the Red Day event, started by CEO Mo Anderson. Each agency chooses a family, organization or group in their community who needs help and then spends the day fulfilling any needs. Last year, the Keller Williams office along with Christy and her team helped a school by painting, doing yard work, painting/fixing furniture, etc. This year, KW and Christy’s team will donate their time to help three local families who are fighting cancer, all in honor of Nick Amini, co-owner of Keller Williams, who lost his battle with cancer earlier this year. Since joining Keller Williams, Christy has been awarded membership with Keller Williams Luxury Home International Million Dollar Guild, in recognition of her knowledge, experience and expertise in the luxury home arena with proven success in the million dollar and above market; chosen as #1 Team in the Cornelius/Lake Norman office; received Top Group Sales Award for the Carolinas Region; and, was awarded the Certified Luxury Homes Marketing Specialist (CLHMS) designation from the Institute for Luxury Homes Marketing (ILHM) for her documented performance in the top ten percent of the luxury home and estate. Christy lives off Torrence Chapel Road in Country Club Estates with her fiancé, Kurt Thielemann, and Emmie, their nine year old Pekapoo. They, with their children, Rachael Walker (22), McKenzie Thielemann (22) and Garrett Walker (20), enjoy their “Sunday Family Fun Days.” Christy insists on putting chores aside and forces them to do something fun together as a family. They have also made a tradition out of celebrating high school graduations in Cabo San Lucas, making a lifetime of great memories together. What do you love about Cornelius?
“If you want to experience the history of living in Lake Norman, move to a community where people have lived over 30 years and hear their stories. There is nothing better than sitting by a lakeside fire pit and listening to stories of the place you now call home.”
