Clapp, a single father of two girls, has learned the hard way how difficult it can be to support a sales team. "I was warned about the huge overhead," he says. But he pressed on and, despite difficulties, has found success. His team closed 57 transaction sides totaling $11.5 million in sales in 2005. This year, the 10-person team landed contracts to sell seven developments with more than 350 units.

No pun intended: Clapp's grandparents were successful real estate professionals. "My grandfather would take me to his lunch appointments," he recalls, "so I got a taste for real estate when I was young."

Rolling stones: Clapp says in 10 years, his team will still be making beautiful music together. "People looking at us think we're at the top of our game," he says. "But the running joke is that we're still a garage band. Even though we've reached some major milestones, we're just starting."