Today we’d like to introduce you to Leisel L. Taylor.
Hi Leisel L., thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Before entering real estate, I spent more than 20 years building a career in accounting, including working with major firms such as KPMG and AARP. That experience gave me a strong foundation in numbers, attention to detail, problem-solving, and understanding the importance of making sound financial decisions.
In 2012, I decided to enter the real estate industry. What started as a new career opportunity quickly became something I was passionate about. I realized that my accounting background gave me a unique perspective when helping clients understand not only the emotional side of buying and selling a home, but also the financial impact of those decisions.
Like most agents, I started by learning the business, building relationships, finding clients, and growing one transaction at a time. Over the years, that journey developed into a successful real estate career and eventually building a team, The TaylorMade Team.
Today, I am an Associate Broker licensed in Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. I have personally helped more than 400 families buy and sell real estate, representing more than $122 million in sales volume, and have been fortunate to rank among the top 1% of real estate professionals in my market.
My career has also provided opportunities I never imagined when I first received my real estate license. I have appeared on HGTV’s *House Hunters*, Fox 5 DC, the DIY Network, and Bravo TV, and have had opportunities to speak, educate, and participate in events throughout the real estate industry such as Inman Connect and Maryland Realtors Annual Conference.
As my career has grown, leadership and service have become increasingly important to me. I currently serve on the Board of Directors of the Prince George’s County Association of REALTORS® (PGCAR), where I have had the opportunity to advocate for and serve my fellow real estate professionals. In September 2026, I will be installed as President-Elect of PGCAR for the 2026 to 2027 term. An opportunity I am incredibly grateful for and one that represents an exciting new chapter in my leadership journey.
After more than a decade in real estate, I am still learning, evolving, and finding new ways to serve. Real estate has taught me about business, leadership, relationships, resilience, and the importance of staying connected to the communities we represent.
I entered this industry with an accounting background, a strong work ethic, and a willingness to learn. Today, I have built a career, a team, a brand, and a platform that allows me to serve my clients, my REALTOR® community, and my community at large.
And I believe there is still so much more ahead.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It definitely has not always been a smooth road. Real estate is an industry filled with highs and lows, and I have experienced both. One of my greatest lessons has been learning how to adapt to constantly changing markets while continuing to serve my clients and operate a successful business at a high level.
One of the most challenging and educational chapters of my career was opening my own real estate brokerage under a franchise. Becoming a broker-owner taught me very quickly that being a successful real estate agent and operating a brokerage are two completely different things. I was suddenly responsible not only for clients and transactions, but also for agents, staff, operations, expenses, compliance, recruiting, systems, and the overall direction of a company.
That experience also taught me an important lesson about entrepreneurship. Legal due diligence is just as important as the business opportunity itself. Before entering any partnership, franchise agreement, or major business relationship, it is critical to fully understand the contracts, obligations, risks, and protections involved. I learned the importance of having experienced legal professionals review agreements and making sure that both the business and me are properly protected.
There have been other lessons along the way as well. Building and managing a team, hiring the right people, learning to delegate, managing expenses, and understanding that a strong sales business does not automatically translate into a strong operational business.
I have also experienced different real estate markets, from periods of tremendous activity to much slower markets where buyers and sellers behave very differently. Those changes have taught me that past success never guarantees future success. You have to remain disciplined, adaptable, and willing to evolve.
Through all of these experiences, resilience has probably been my greatest lesson. I have made mistakes, changed directions, learned some lessons the hard way, and had moments when I needed to regroup. But each experience has made me a stronger and more experienced business owner and leader.
My journey has not been perfect or easy, but I am grateful for what it has taught me. Today, I approach opportunities differently. I ask more questions, perform greater due diligence, surround myself with knowledgeable professionals, and make decisions with a much clearer understanding of both the opportunity and the potential risk.
Sometimes the lessons you never expected to learn become the ones that shape you the most.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about The TaylorMade Team?
The TaylorMade Team is a full-service real estate team serving buyers, sellers, and homeowners throughout Maryland, Washington, DC, and Virginia. We have built our brand around three things that matter deeply to us: expertise, relationships, and community. One of the things that makes The TaylorMade Team special is that it truly is a team. My husband, Donnell Taylor, is my business partner, and we have built this business together. Brenda Hill serves as our Lead Buyer’s Agent, helping our buyers navigate everything from their initial home search through negotiations and ultimately getting the keys to their new home. Jo Yearwood is our Listing Manager, helping coordinate the many details involved in preparing and marketing our listings, and Paula Telocar is our Transaction Coordinator, helping ensure our transactions stay organized and on track from contract to closing.
Having a team allows us to provide our clients with support throughout the entire real estate experience while still maintaining the personal relationships that have always been important to our brand.
For our buyers, our role is much bigger than simply helping them find a house. We help them understand the entire process, connect them with trusted resources, evaluate properties, understand market conditions, develop competitive offer strategies, negotiate on their behalf, and navigate the transaction from the initial consultation through closing. Whether someone is purchasing their first home, moving into their next home, relocating, or building their real estate portfolio, we want them to feel educated and confident about their decisions.
For our sellers, we take the same strategic approach. Selling a home requires more than placing it in the MLS and waiting for a buyer. We focus on pricing, presentation, professional marketing, exposure, negotiation, communication, and constantly evaluating what the market is telling us. Every home and every seller’s circumstances are different, so our strategy is tailored to the individual property and client.
What sets The TaylorMade Team apart is the experience and perspective behind the brand. My professional background is in accounting, which influences how I approach real estate. I am numbers-driven, detail-oriented, and comfortable having honest conversations with clients about pricing, market conditions, equity, affordability, and the financial considerations surrounding their real estate decisions.
Combined with more than a decade in real estate and personally helping more than 400 families buy and sell homes, that background allows me to bring both experience and strategy to the table.
At the same time, I never want our brand to feel transactional. Real estate is ultimately about people. Buying or selling a home can represent a new beginning, a major accomplishment, an investment, a growing family, a relocation, or sometimes a difficult life transition. We want our clients to know they have someone in their corner who will educate them, advocate for them, tell them the truth, and help them navigate whatever comes along the way.
Brand-wise, I am especially proud that The TaylorMade Team has become known for more than selling real estate. Community is a major part of who we are. We intentionally create events and initiatives that allow us to remain connected to the people and communities we serve. From our annual Sweet Potato Pie Giveaway and Shred Day to food drives, holiday events, client appreciation experiences, educational opportunities, and community programs, we want our presence to extend beyond the closing table.
I am also proud that our brand genuinely reflects who we are. We can be professional without being overly corporate. We believe you can provide exceptional service, understand the numbers, negotiate and advocate strongly for your clients, and still bring warmth, personality, humor, and authenticity to the experience.
As my personal brand continues to evolve, I am also intentionally expanding into professional emceeing and event hosting. After years of speaking, leading, educating, appearing in media, and engaging audiences within the real estate industry, I realized that many of the skills I have developed throughout my career translate naturally to the stage.
I am now honing my craft as a professional emcee, combining my professional experience with my personality, humor, energy, stage presence, and ability to connect with a room. Real estate has taught me how to communicate with different personalities, think quickly on my feet, manage unexpected situations, read a room, and keep things moving. All skills that translate incredibly well to live events.
I am excited to take those abilities beyond real estate and bring them to conferences, awards programs, corporate events, association events, and other stages.
Today, The TaylorMade Team is recognized among the top 1% of real estate teams in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia market, but the numbers are only one part of our story. What matters most to me is the reputation attached to our name.
When someone hears “The TaylorMade Team*”, I want them to think of a team that knows the business, takes care of its clients, tells the truth, advocates for buyers and sellers, shows up for its community, and makes real estate personal.
And when someone hears “Leisel L. Taylor”, I want them to see someone whose career continues to evolve while remaining grounded in the same principles: service, authenticity, professionalism, connection, and growth.
Whether I am helping a family purchase a home, helping an owner successfully sell one, serving my REALTOR® community, speaking on a stage, or keeping an event moving as an emcee, the common thread for me is people.
I want to connect, serve, educate, advocate, entertain, and leave people and the room a little better than I found them.
That is the brand I am continuing to build, and that is what I am most proud of.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
My definition of success has definitely evolved over the years. There was a time when I measured success primarily by production, sales volume, accomplishments, and how much I could achieve. Today, I define it very differently.
Success, for me, is having a business that allows me to live the life I want while still doing work that I love.
This summer gave me one of the clearest examples of what that looks like. My son is a high school athlete and was given an amazing opportunity to train outside of the country. Because of the business I have built, my husband and I were able to spend 30 days abroad with him while he trained. I didn’t have to choose between being present for my son and running my business. I was able to do both. That was success for me.
The experience also gave me an entirely new perspective on what is possible. It showed me that I can build a business around my life instead of building my life around my business.
I was able to continue serving clients, communicating with my team, managing transactions, and running The TaylorMade Team while also being present for an experience with my family that I will never get back. You can always sell another house. You cannot recreate those 30 days with your child.
That experience has made me more focused than ever on implementing stronger systems, developing my team, using technology effectively, and creating a business that does not require me to physically be in one location in order for it to operate successfully.
For me, success is no longer just about how much I can produce. It’s about freedom, flexibility, family, impact, and choice. I want to continue building a successful business, but I also want the freedom to travel, be present for my family, pursue new opportunities, serve my community, and experience life.
If I can build a business that continues to thrive while allowing me the freedom to live life on my own terms, that is my definition of success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://taylormadeteamdmv.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leisel_taylormade_broker/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/leiseltaylor/
