For Ila Wills, a childhood fascination with homes never faded. Long before she was helping buyers envision their futures in new Chattanooga communities, she was sketching floor plans as a little girl in North Carolina, paging through real estate magazines and admiring the polished Realtors smiling from glossy ads.
“I used to draw floor plans for our house and imagine additions to it,” Wills says. “I always wanted to work in real estate.”
Now, after two-and-a-half years as a Realtor with Pratt Home Builders, Wills is preparing for another major step in her professional life. Midway through this year, she’ll move into the role of president-elect of the Chattanooga chapter of the Women’s Council of Realtors, positioning her to serve as the organization’s president next year.
For Wills, the appointment is both a professional opportunity and a personal challenge.
A leap toward Chattanooga
Originally from Lenoir, North Carolina, Wills grew up in a small foothills town she describes as similar to Chattanooga. After spending about a year in Orlando, Florida, she realized she missed the changing seasons and decided to relocate.
“I moved here sight unseen 16 years ago,” she says.
Before entering real estate, Wills worked in Chattanooga’s restaurant industry. She was part of the team at Square One and bartended at Stir, where she met Realtor Chris Scott, a connection that would eventually alter her career path.
Scott later encouraged her to interview for an opening at Pratt.
“He said, ‘I think this is a bigger opportunity. I want you to interview for this position,’” Wills recalls. “I did – and it changed my life. It’s been wonderful.”
Finding her place in real estate
Although Wills had long been drawn to real estate, she says it took time to discover where she truly fit within the industry. In high school and college, she explored drafting and interior design but found herself pulled less toward technical specialties and more toward the broader experience of homes and the relationships surrounding them.
“What appealed to me most was seeing all the different homes and taking part in the home-selling process,” she says.
At Pratt, Wills is part of a four-person sales team representing the builder’s expanding portfolio of Chattanooga-area communities. The job, she says, proved far more demanding than she initially expected.
“There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes,” Wills says. “There’s marketing, networking and constant relationship-building. You can have a great product, but if you’re not getting your name out there and connecting with people, they’re not going to think of you when a client is looking to buy a home.”
That focus on relationships eventually drew Wills toward the Women’s Council of Realtors, a professional organization centered on leadership development, networking and mentorship within the industry.
Leading through uncertainty
Wills joined the Women’s Council after encouragement from mentors within her brokerage, including colleagues who had previously served in leadership roles. But deciding to pursue leadership herself required something more personal.
“The older I get, the more introverted I’ve become,” she says. “The only way to grow is to step outside your comfort zone.”
Stepping into the president-elect role certainly qualifies.
For the remainder of the year, Wills will shadow current leaders and prepare for the responsibilities she’ll assume next year. In August, she’ll attend a leadership retreat in Chicago for incoming presidents-elect from across the country.
“Honestly, I’m not entirely sure what I’ve signed up for,” she says with a smile. “But I’m going to do it because I honor my commitments.”
Even amid the uncertainty, Wills sounds energized by the opportunity.
“It’s an opportunity to learn something new and serve my community in a different way,” she says.
Outside of work, Wills and her husband spend much of their time with their two Great Danes, along with enjoying golf and travel whenever schedules allow.
Years after moving to Chattanooga on instinct, Wills now finds herself stepping into another unfamiliar chapter – one that feels both intimidating and exciting. But for someone who once imagined homes on notebook paper and later rebuilt her life in a new city, embracing uncertainty has become part of the journey.