The Truth About Call The Closer's Lauren Risley

While television viewers are just getting to know Lauren Risley from her HGTV show "Call the Closer," she has been working her magic in the real estate industry in St. Louis for the past seven years. She grew up in St. Charles and while earning her business degree in college, a family friend gave her a job at his home renovation business and taught her how to do basic projects. At 19, Risley bought her first home, fixed it up, and then sold it after two years. She then repeated the process with several other homes, but didn't think of it as a career at first. In fact, after graduating, she landed a job at a financial company in the mergers and acquisitions department. Although she loved it, Risley couldn't see herself spending "the next 30, 40 years of [her] life traveling every week, walking through corporate offices," she told St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

So she turned her attention to flipping houses and founded Lauren Risley Realty, where she finds homes for her clients and helps renovate them. To promote the business, Risley started posting her projects online, which led to HGTV calling. It makes sense since the network has given other flippers — including Chip Gaines and Tarek El Moussa – their own shows. The 8-episode series "Call the Closer" premiered in November 2021, and while Risley is the star, she noted that "you really get to know the buyers, and it's really about them and their process."

Lauren Risley is excited about the launch of her new HGTV show "Call the Closer." She filmed the series from March to August 2021 and was blown away by the dedication of the film crew, who worked six days a week, 12-hours a day — even when she had a day off. "The crew is unbelievable. I will never watch TV the same way again," she told St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "It's unbelievable what goes into each and every one of those episodes. This is not a job for them, this is their passion."

When she's not working, Risley spends time with her dog, Gus, who is featured on her Instagram page. According to her business site, Risley "loves dogs more than people." She is also "on the constant hunt for the best pizza place," and her favorite movie is "Adventures in Babysitting" starring Elisabeth Shue. And with the show's premiere, "One of the things [she's] most excited about is to show off St. Louis."