While Laura Ritter has been a busy, successful Realtor for the past 15 years, she "took it up a notch" on July 20, 2014, by opening her own company, Ritter Real Estate.

A little over a year later, she opened an office in the old federal building on Broadway in Cape Girardeau.

"We moved there in August," she says.

One of the things she enjoys most about her business is working with her son and daughter.

"My son, Jared, who is 24, has worked with me for two years, and my daughter, Shannon, who is 27, has been with us for about a month," she says.

Cutline:Laura Ritter is owner of Ritter Real Estate. (Fred Lynch)

Both of her children also work as schoolteachers.

The addition of Jared and Shannon to the real estate company has gone extremely well, Ritter says.

"We all get along so well and we spend lots of time together," she says. "Plus, the real estate business is in their blood, as they've watch me [do it] for years!"

Ritter enjoys the real estate business, especially working with first-time homebuyers.

"I love helping them make their dream come true," she says. "Sometimes they think they can't get financing, and I love showing them that they can and taking them to the next level."

She says her least favorite thing about the real estate business is paperwork.

"Organization is key. You've got to have great organizational skills to be a good Realtor," she says. "My work really begins when a house gets a contract. Then I have to coordinate with the inspector, the lender, the appraiser, the title company ... all to help it go smoothly for the homebuyer."

Ritter doesn't see a huge difference in the workload from owning her own company versus working for someone else.

"I've always done my own paperwork and kept my own files," she says. "So it was an easy transition to establish my own office."

Before selling real estate, Ritter opened Heavenly Ham in Cape Girardeau in 1995.

"Before that, I stayed home with my kids," she says. "When I worked, I've always been self-employed."

Ritter graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a degree in accounting and finance. She has continued her education in real estate over the years, most notably by becoming a Certified Residential Specialist.

"Only 4 percent of Realtors in the nation have achieved this," she says. "It's based on a certain level of production, plus you have to take a lot of classes. You have five years to achieve it in, and I was able to do it in two."

Ritter also is active in Zonta Club, the Keep Cape Beautiful Committee and the Humane Society, and soon will be a Cape Girardeau Area Chamber of Commerce member.