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In June of 2002, Michigan native Theresa Griffin moved with her husband James and their three children down to sleepy Citrus County on Florida's Gold Coast, where James had found work as a health physics technician for a local nuclear power plant.

Upon arriving in the area, Theresa took up work at a small Italian restaurant, and later at a mom-and-pop restaurant named Granny's in Crystal Lake. These jobs were similar in pay and prestige to others she'd had previously as she followed husband James through his Navy career. In varying stints, she'd been a video store clerk, a McDonald's cashier and a school cafeteria worker. One day, after watching the other waitresses fighting over miniscule tips, she decided it was time for a change.

"I thought about what I'd do if something happened to my husband. How would our family maintain its lifestyle?" Griffin said.

With that in mind, she researched careers where she could make a good wage as a mother of three teenagers with no college degree.

"I decided that I was either going into the real estate or funeral business, because in Florida, there was demand for both," she said.

Thankfully, Griffin chose real estate. In less than two years she would be involved in a mind-boggling 1,600 transactions, culminating in 2005, when she moved 891.5 properties worth a total of $27.7 million.

Land Grab

Initially, James Griffin didn't think much would come out of Theresa's foray into real estate. After all, years earlier she had purchased a Carleton Sheets video series on property investing. To this day, those videos remain unopened, collecting dust.

Still, he figured anything that his once-upon-a-time high school sweetheart earned would be "gravy."

Soon, it would be his power plant salary that the family considered "gravy."

In April of 2004, an investor called the ERA Suncoast Realty office where Theresa Griffin had recently started working. The investor was interested in buying undeveloped lots in a little town called Citrus Springs. He was not interested, however, in dealing with an untested agent like Theresa.

"He didn't want to work with anyone new, but I was the only one around that day," she recalls. "We went around and he told me he was going to spend ‘an obscene amount of money' and wondered if I believed him. He closed on 20 lots that day."

After that, the work started tumbling in. Her initial investor introduced her to a second investor, who introduced her to two more. One of them represented a large investment company that would keep Griffin beyond busy for all of the next year.

In 2004, she closed 690 transactions for $12.7 million, despite losing 125 lots that were under contract to panic after several hurricanes plowed through Florida that summer. The business got even more intense last year, and the once casually employed Theresa Griffin suddenly found herself working some nights until midnight.

"Even though I was still pretty new, I managed to keep everything organized," she said. "No deals fell through because of me."

Enjoying the Lull

Trying as those busy days of 2005 were, Griffin was smart to work for every last deal. These days, the Florida real estate market is cooling. Land that once sold for $35,000 per quarter acre parcel now sells for under $20,000. As a result, this year Griffin has only closed 117 transactions for $6.4 million.

But Theresa Griffin doesn't sound terribly upset. "We have our toys now. We just got a boat and it's nice to take time out and enjoy what we've earned," she said.

The rest of the family is also getting in on the business. James got his real estate license earlier this year and eldest daughter Nicole, 21, currently serves as assistant to her parents on their newly branded "Griffin Team."

Just 41 years old, Theresa Griffin says she's happy to have her family around her and is looking forward to staying involved in real estate while soon integrating another passion.

"We're looking for a ten-acre spread with barns and fencing so we can board horses," said Griffin, who grew up on a farm. "That and real estate. It would be the best of both worlds."

Learn More: Tech Support for Dedicated Realtors