Houston Realtor Noel Collier brings unconventional homebuyers to HGTV

Noel Collier will tell you she’s not really a Houston girl. 

She’s a country girl. Raised in Hempstead, Texas, a small town just outside Prairie View with a population of about 4,000, Collier graduated in a class of just 83 students. It is a far cry from the life she leads now as the host of HGTV’s new series “Extreme Buyers Club,” where she helps clients track down homes for llama herds and underground bunkers.

Her jump to reality television came together gradually. Collier says the show began as an entirely different concept before evolving into “Extreme Buyers Club.”

She now spends her days tracking down properties for buyers with truly unconventional wish lists, from a woman with 40 llamas and a kangaroo to a couple hunting for a haunted house. An upcoming episode centers on a literal ghost hunt.

“It is so cool. How incredible is it that I get to call this my job?” Collier said. “We get to serve people, have fun, dress super cute. We don’t have to follow the corporate America rules. I’m over gray and black and white every day.”

Journey to Houston

Collier’s path to television started long before any camera crew showed up. By 16, she was pregnant, and she had her first son as a single teen mother at 17. She says it was the hardest season of her life and also the one that built her.

“That situation with being a teen single mom really is where I found my grit and my determination,” Collier said. “I’ve always been very motivated and ambitious, but it just went to another level at that point.”

Collier and her husband, Zay J. Collier Sr., are now parents to three children. The couple’s eldest is a 25-year-old son, a 16-year-old daughter, and an 8-year-old son.

“To the world, Noel is a television personality, entrepreneur, and creative force. But to me, she’s so much more,” Zay Collier said. “Noel’s journey hasn’t been without challenges, but she’s never allowed adversity to define her. Instead, she’s allowed it to refine her. She leads our family with grace, loves deeply, serves faithfully, and pursues excellence in everything she does. I couldn’t be more proud of the woman she is, the mother she is to our children, and the impact she’s making.”

Journey to Houston

Her road to Houston ran through Huntsville, where she spent a year working as a corrections officer, which she says was the “worst job” of her life, while attending Blinn College.

She eventually enrolled at Texas Southern University, where she earned a degree in marketing. Fittingly, she walked across the graduation stage pregnant and gave birth to her daughter just three days after commencement.

While attending Texas Southern University, Collier was active in the American Marketing Association, a role she continues to support today. Attending an HBCU, she said, shaped who she became.

“I am a proud Black woman who graduated from one of the top historically Black college universities, and it really started me on my way,” Collier said. “I met so many amazing people. Some of my closest friends are people that I went to college with.”

Per HGTV, Collier is dedicated to empowering women to pursue their goals.

“Whether on television, on stage, or at the closing table, Noel leads with authenticity, excellence, and a sincere desire to help others build wealth, create a legacy, and find a place to call home,” reads a statement from HGTV.

Life before television

Her professional life began in corporate sales, first at ADP, selling payroll software, where she made her first six-figure income.

It was watching her oldest son approach high school, with no college fund in place, that pushed Collier to get her real estate license as a side hustle in 2016. Her first sale came through a client she met while selling payroll software.

By 2018, real estate had gained enough momentum that Collier left the corporate world behind entirely and posted $7.4 million in sales her first year working full-time.

Today, she is the Founder and CEO of the Noel Collier Group, helping buyers and sellers navigate the real estate market and closing more than $70 million in residential real estate transactions. Her business spans the greater Houston area, from Galveston up to Victoria.

Black homebuyers

Collier is concerned about the barriers facing Black homebuyers in Harris County, arguing that the gap often comes down to access to information rather than desire or ability.

“It is just about connecting with the right real estate professional that has the right knowledge that can put the right strategy together for the home buyer,” she said, adding that many renters paying $1,800 to $2,000 a month for nice apartments could qualify for a new three-bedroom home at a similar monthly cost.

For young Black women, especially those at HBCUs who may see themselves in her story, Collier offers a simple piece of advice shaped by her own personality.

“If you are extroverted the way that I am, be faster to listen than to speak, because it is so hard for us,” she said. “If you are introverted like my husband, don’t be afraid to be bold and use your voice. Be exactly who you are, and you are exactly who you think you are.”

In her free time, Collier likes to travel with her husband, dine at new restaurants, attend live sporting events and concerts, participate in her children’s lives, and serve alongside her church family.