Chris Wilson part of a real estate legacy

 

 

By Joshua Lawless

Times Journal

 

For some people, working a job is simply a means to make money.

For Chris Wilson, working in real estate is a family tradition dating back to his late uncle.

“Our family history with Uncle Curtis goes back to 1965 in this business,” Wilson said.

Wilson discovered his own passion for real estate in college and gained his real estate license thirty years ago.

“When I started taking real estate classes in college, I found it very interesting, so I got my real estate license in 1995,” he said.

Wilson is the owner, principal broker and principal auctioneer of Golden Rule-Wilson Real Estate and Auction-with offices in both Russell Springs and Columbia.

Golden Rule is consistently in the running for awards locally, statewide and even nationally.

Wilson says while he hasn’t added up the awards they’ve earned, he would estimate that they’ve won between thirty-five and forty state and national advertising/marketing awards.

Recently, Golden Rule took home the state award for best radio advertisement in 2025, and other recent awards include best real estate advertisement across multiple categories.

The company has also locally won best real estate agency and best real estate auctioneer in recent years.

“We take a lot of pride in our marketing awards,” said Wilson. “I think that’s helped us to stay on the forefront and the cutting edge of real estate.”

While Wilson may be the frontman for Golden Rule, the success the company has experienced wouldn’t be possible without all of his team members and his family.

“Our wonderful agents and staff deserve a lot of the credit, because in this business, it’s not as much of an individual effort,” Wilson said. “Anybody that works for our company, we consider them to be honest, trustworthy and professional.”

Their team includes not only real estate agents and auctioneers; it includes office staff, clean-up and set-up crews, photography crews and their supportive families.

“Everyone pitches in and works together to get the job done right. It all starts and ends with hard work, and that’s what my parents taught me from an early age.

Being a real estate agent isn’t the easiest job in the world, with agents not always working on a strict nine-to-five schedule.

“A lot of times people who are looking at properties have to go after they get off work,” said Wilson. “A lot of times you work all day and then meet people for appointments at night and after work hours to show them properties. It takes a lot of perseverance to be in the real estate business for a long time.”

Wilson’s favorite part of the job is getting to know and helping to meet the needs of his clients.

“Sometimes selling property is not just the act of selling property,” said Wilson. “Sometimes there are a lot of emotional decisions involved.”

Wilson’s passion for real estate has been passed on to his kids.

“Simon, my son was licensed about two-and-a-half years ago,” said Wilson. “Gracie, my daughter, helps with both our live and online auctions and is considering pursuing it as well.”

Simon went to college for several semesters, but real estate was just in his blood.

Tagging along with his dad, Simon was involved in the family business from an early age

“I always loved real estate,” Simon said. “I always went with Dad to things like listing appointments when I was a little kid. As soon as I started driving, I started putting up signs and putting out brochures.”

Simon says his dad is the same person on the job as he is at home.

“We always joke around saying he works 24/7,” said Simon. “He’s just funny and goofy all the time. He really loves what he does.”

Chris is extremely happy Simon chose to follow in his footsteps.

“Anytime that you have a family-owned business, you’re excited to see another generation be interested in that business,” said Chris.

For the Wilson family, real estate isn’t just a job-it’s a tradition and a passion.