From Brazil to Marco Island: How Carla Masse Built a Top 1.5% Real Estate Team in America

According to Inman Intel, 71% of Realtors in the country didn’t close a single transaction in 2024. Carla Masse certainly wasn’t one of them. Ranked among the top 1.5% of agents across the country, Carla serves as the founder, team leader, and visionary at her boutique brokerage, Sunrizon Realty.

Located in Marco Island, Carla's company is built around the mission of serving her customers at the highest level while giving back to the community she loves. And while she now leads a growing boutique brokerage with five agents under her banner and nearly $40 million in sales closed last year, Carla’s path to such an impressive level of success started thousands of miles away.

From Brazil, With Vision
Carla was born and raised in a rural farming village of Brazil, where the principles of hard work and financial discipline were as foundational as family dinners and faith. Carla’s grandfather, a small-scale homebuilder and landlord, instilled in her early the idea that “land doesn’t grow” while pointing out that real estate would always be a wise and tangible investment. Her father, a businessman and farmland investor, echoed the message that homeownership was a top priority, further planting the real estate seed for his young daughter.

After earning her bachelor’s degree in education in Brazil, Carla came to the U.S. in 1999 to learn English. She enrolled in college again, this time on Cape Cod, to study art. She ran an art gallery and did art framing, but life had other plans. 

She met her future husband, David, at the Hyannis public library while both were studying for a test — the man who would later become her greatest champion in her new career. Together, they discovered a shared passion for real estate investment and decided to pursue it as a business.

“We even got licensed at the same time,” she recalls with a smile. “We learned together, and David has been such a great inspiration and help to me.”

Two Decades, One Mission
Carla earned her real estate license in June 2005. But just as she got started, the recession hit, and she quickly learned how to navigate short sales, foreclosures, and distressed properties by working with a law firm. To this day, she remains grateful for the lessons those challenging years taught her.

“It gave me such an incredible experience for when the market eventually turned around, too,” she adds.

Two decades later, that endurance and optimism have become part of Carla’s brand. Her boutique brokerage, Sunrizon Realty, opened in January 2023. And somehow, Carla closed nearly $40 million in volume last year while many agents across the country were struggling to stay afloat.

She’s currently the top-producing Realtor in Marco Island by transaction count and has earned the Five Star Professional Award for six consecutive years. Her national recognition as part of the top 1.5% of agents in the country (according to Real Trends) extends across 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.

“My goal from the very beginning has been to help my clients,” she states. “That’s never changed. I really don’t pay attention to numbers, I pay attention to details.”

Experience You Can’t Teach
Carla’s steady, consistent growth hasn’t just come from being detail-oriented, though that certainly helps. Her reputation for providing a high-end experience with a personal touch has earned her trust in the community. Clients lean on her for strategic negotiation, clear communication, and a systematized approach to listings and marketing that continues to evolve with market trends.

“Experience really sets me apart. I’ve seen the highs and the lows, and that means I can guide people through just about anything,” she affirms. “I am always watching the market and adjusting our team’s marketing strategies to be as effective as possible.”

That mindset is exactly what she now instills in her team, and what she looks for in potential new agents. Sunrizon Realty is actively recruiting and Carla is open to agents with experience who are looking to grow under her leadership. But it’s not about the volume or the résumé for her —- It’s about alignment.

“We’re focused on excellence,” Carla emphasizes. “I want agents who have a little experience under their belt, are committed to the client experience, and are ready to take their business to the next level.”

A Labor Of Love
For Carla, real estate is more than a career; it’s a mission of service. Whether she’s helping a first-time buyer find their dream home, listing a gorgeous waterfront investment property, or sharing her inspiring story with a classroom full of teenagers, Carla brings the same energy to the table.

She volunteers at her local church, helps lead food drives for the church food pantry, and is eager to give back through education.

“In the future, I plan to teach real estate and business classes to high schoolers,” she offers. “I want to help them understand the importance of owning a home, and plant that seed early.”

When she’s not selling homes or growing her brokerage, Carla can be found doing one of her favorite things: spending time with David, their two children, Cordell (13), Kena (12), and their sweet Wheaten Terrier dog, Abby. The family returns to Brazil every summer to visit loved ones, while her team handles the business at the office. Locally, they enjoy boating, sunsets, and walks through the peaceful streets of Marco Island.

She also stays busy raising two creative kids: her daughter loves painting, and her son plays violin. So Carla’s downtime often involves music and art, just like her early years before real estate.

Eyeing her future, Carla is focused on sustainable team growth, more travel, and finding new, innovative ways to serve her community and clients.

“The sky’s the limit! There’s so much more ahead, and I’m very grateful,” she acknowledges. “I truly believe this is just the beginning.”

All credits go to- Jess Wellar of Naples Real Producers