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Ida Terbet made a huge impression on Jerry Rossi when she began her career 20 years ago at Howard Perry and Walston Realtors. Rossi, an international real estate coach and writer, said he was so taken with the Triangle Realtor’s “effervescence” that he dubbed her Hurricane Ida.

“She is a force to reckon with — something works for her and, boom, she keeps at it,” explained Rossi, who lives in Raleigh.

Tommy Kessler agrees. “She’s so quick; she flies from one thing to the other before you even know she’s there.” Over the years, the former Wake County deputy sheriff has listed seven homes with Terbet who sold every one of them herself. One day, after he was injured in a car wreck and confined to his home, Kessler commissioned the Realtor to sell his house immediately and then find him another. “Two days later she sold it and I didn’t have to leave the house,” he recalls. “Ida even brought the banker to me.” Terbet told me she was happy to help. “I know buying or selling a home can be a stressful time for my clients so I try to take the stress out of a transaction any way I can.”

Terbet’s compassion, energy, perseverance and market savvy are obviously some of the reasons for the 60-year-old Keller Williams agent’s incredible rapport with clients and her phenomenal sales record. Last year, for instance, her team sold 280 homes for a total of over $93 million. And that team currently ranks number one with Keller Williams in Raleigh and the Carolinas — sixth internationally.

The prodigious Realtor probably would have succeeded in any region of the country, but fortunately fate brought her to Raleigh.

A Yonkers, New York, native who grew up in Florida, Ida was a divorced mother living in California in 1977 when she met American Airlines pilot Bob Terbet on a blind date. They married seven weeks later and never looked back. “You have to feel the chemistry when you meet someone,” Bob Terbet shared. “Ida was very good looking and it was love at first sight.” The feeling was definitely was mutual, Ida insists. “When people see us together they don’t know that Bob is the wind under my wings; the past 30 years have been one long honeymoon.” Bob, who has four children from a previous marriage, adopted Ida’s two-year-old daughter Colleen and the following year Michael Terbet was born.

The family relocated to Raleigh in 1986, after American announced plans to build its RDU hub. “We moved here because we wanted a lifestyle change,” Ida explains, adding that Raleigh is a great place to bring up children.

That same year she obtained her real estate license and started work at Howard Perry and Walston. Selling was not a new experience for Ida, a former marketing student who had sold cosmetics and clothing as a stay-at-home mom in California.

In the Triangle, many of her first customers were airline pilots. Bob had designed a brochure captioned “Thinking of Moving to RDU?” and distributed stacks of them in pilot lounges on his routes, including RDU. “I sold 60 homes to relocating American Airlines pilots in the same situation as I was,” she recalls. That year she received HPW’s Rookie of the Year award and the Terbets gave their first party — in a house with no furniture. In 1988, Ida joined Re/Max First City (now Re/Max United) and amassed a plethora of home sales over the next 18 years. For six consecutive years her team ranked number one with Re/Max International in Raleigh and the Carolinas and number three internationally. The first real estate agent to be inducted into Triangle Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business, Ida also received Re/Max’s highest award, The Circle of Legends, as well as numerous other honors.

But how does a Realtor sustain that record in a slow market? “We are definitely selling homes,” Ida notes, “but you have to price the house on the basis of what the market is asking.” Today, Ida’s market analyses (comps) only go back 60 to 90 days instead of six months. “Readjusting a price is nothing to feel negative about,” she assures sellers. But she stresses that now is a really good time to buy if you plan to move to a larger home, because you can get the best price. During the past 60 days, Ida’s team sold 60 homes, which compares favorably with her sales volume before the market slowed.

That’s a fantastic accomplishment, but when you ask Ida about her greatest achievement she names her family — “My husband and children are my best friends and they always come first.” Actually, the Terbets have six children, 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. Although most live in different parts of the country, they always come together during the holidays.

These days, Bob goes into the office when he’s needed; otherwise he’s out flying a plane. But the couple’s youngest children, Colleen, 32, and Michael, 29, are partners in Ida’s real estate business.

Bob vividly remembers his introduction 30 years ago to Colleen. “She extended her hand and smiled at me.” With a business degree from UNC-Wilmington and six years’ experience as a BB&T manager, Colleen uses her acquired skills to sell homes. “I was happy to learn I was not a sit-behind-the-desk person; real estate is one of those jobs that never gets boring,” she explains, adding that her banking experience was especially useful in the transition. “The fact that I am able to talk finances and explain things so that clients feel comfortable is very valuable to me.”

Michael’s background also came in handy. The former college basketball coach has a bachelors degree from UNC-Charlotte and a masters in sports administration from Ouachita Baptist University. “Coaching is a competitive occupation,” he explains, pointing out it’s much like real estate. “There are so many agents out there that you have to stay on top of the game. My goal is building relationships and trust.”

Although Ida’s two children are included in her fourteen-member team (five administrators, eight buyers’ agents and a marketing specialist) she considers all of them family. “They know how important they are to me and that without them we can’t have the success that we do,” she said. In fact, when she went over to Keller Williams in 2006, her entire Re/Max team went along. They told her they didn’t care what agency she was with as long as they could be with her.

Ida had given considerable thought to the change. After all, she had an 18-year tenure with Re/Max and forged close relationships. But it was an offer she couldn’t refuse.

“I joined for financial reasons and then found it was much more,” Ida said, explaining that the company offers incentives for her entire team, including tools for career advancement. “At Keller Williams you truly feel connected.”

The company is happy to have her, according to Keller Williams CEO Mark Willis. “We are privileged to be in business with Ida,” he said. “Her passion, business savvy and entrepreneurial spirit have made her an icon in our industry as well as a role model with Keller Williams. Ida is an innovator and a forward thinker and that is what has led her to continued success in her business. We are so happy that Ida hangs her license with Keller Williams and we are honored to call her family.”

Fine, but we still like “Hurricane Ida."

E-mail irisjune11@aol.com.