Best in the Biz 2017 – Real Estate Agent

Denise Hipskind understands the importance of persistence and luck. She attributes those qualities to more than a decade of her success in the real estate business in Saline County.

Her home state of Michigan is where Denise first obtained her license. Following her college graduation, she began selling homes to her fellow college graduates. She transferred her realtor license to Arkansas to marry her husband Shawn and focused on building new homes in the natural state.

Since 2006, Denise has been received the Award of Excellence celebrating her work of selling multi-millions in real estate. “I was the top listing agent and double diamond for our company,” says Denise. “I’m hopeful I’ll at least be there next year.”

Last year alone, Denise had 80 transactions and more than $15 million in sales. Now with more than 50 transactions and $13 million in sales in 2017, Denise is on track for another record-breaking personal year.

Denise credits her assistant, Dara Calley for helping her maintain the momentum of her success. “Dara is knowledgeable about the market, and I can fully trust her to take care of business.”

Four years ago, Denise received her executive broker license. She also manages more than a dozen realtors at the agency and is mentoring agents in a two-month program. “I love watching others become successful,” says Denise. “I’m a believer in mentoring agents to become the best version of themselves.”

To set herself apart from the crowd, Denise ensures that her customers are taken care of from the beginning of a transaction to the end. “I spend so much of my time making sure that jobs like plumbing, roofing, painting, etcetera are done by people I know,” says Denise. “I genuinely care that people at the end of the transaction find value in my service and I’m not just collecting a paycheck.”

Persistence and luck helped Denise win $54,000 in prize money and a vacation to Napa on Wheel of Fortune in 2012. After a series of tryouts, she was selected and won it all. “At the age of 20, I lived with my grandmother one summer and worked on her farm,” said Denise. “Every evening at 6:30 p.m. they would watch and solve the puzzles.”