“I was raised in Cincinnati, but always summered on the lake in Leland. Being able to spend my summers up here was such a gift. Starting at the age of twelve we were able to drive the boat into town or to the yacht club or to a friend's house. My days were jam packed. I would wake up and teach sailing school at the Leland Yacht Club from nine to one, then take a nap on the dock or the beach, shower, then drive into Leland in the late afternoon where I had a job as a hostess. My sisters and I did this every summer and when we had a driver's license we had more options for employment. I started teaching sailing school in Omena and working at night waiting tables at The Cove in Leland. We stashed away thousands of dollars every summer. Yes, we worked our tails off, but it really did not seem like it since we were enjoying all the beauty of Leelanau at the same time.

I attended Miami University in Ohio and chose creative writing since that was my easiest subject. I’ve not yet written a novel, but have started about five. After graduation I bought the Riverside Inn with my mother and my sister. I later sold my shares when I realized that being a single parent and working late nights did not pair well with my mental health. I took a decade to raise my kids and go through two divorces.

I earned my real estate license in 2016.

By that point I had bought and sold houses seven times over the course of twelve years. I had to be a real estate expert by then, right? The simple truth is I love real estate! Why did I even bother going to college? I felt like I should have been doing this since I was eighteen. What I love most about real estate is establishing great relationships. Each new client is a wonderful surprise. We live in such a small community, yet I get to meet new people all the time and usually they turn out to be great friends. The other thing I love is the variety. Every house is different, every client is different, and it all comes with its own unique challenges.

I decided to separate from Coldwell Banker in 2021. Real estate boomed in 2020 and 2021. I managed a huge amount of volume pretty much by myself. Coldwell offered the power of a big brand, but I figured I could somehow make up for that. I took a big leap and joined with Five Star Real Estate. The marketing group with Five Star encouraged me to build on my familiarity with the area. Many of the residents have heard of me in some way shape or form and I could build on my good reputation.

I chose Robin Vilter Group as the name of my business. We chose the robin bird as the logo for my name but also because of the symbolism. The robin is Michigan's state bird. It symbolizes hope, renewal, rebirth, new beginnings, new projects, and is a sign of good things to come.

Why bring Neil in?

I married my true love, Neil Dumford, in 2018. He and I work so well together that it was a natural next step. He had his residential painting company and most of the work he did was on high end new construction. In his own way, he already was in the real estate scene. He was the most sought after painter in Leelanau County and I honestly never thought I would be able to get him to retire. He was supposed to retire in early 2021, but it took nearly ten months for him to complete the projects that his clients wanted him to squeeze in before retirement. He still gets calls from people asking him to come out of retirement just for their project! In all honesty, we just compliment each other. We recently spent about six hours putting together these tedious raised garden beds that I had purchased thinking that I would have more time to garden this summer. These things were huge and required hundreds of bolts and screws.

Towards the end of building the garden beds Neil said, "You know, if I had to do this project with any of my former employees or my guy friends, I would have quit hours ago." That pretty much sums it up. There were so many times over the past two years that I needed to be in two places at once for clients. Neil would always offer to help, but since he was not licensed, he really could not do much. So I naturally just wanted him to get his license ASAP! He has lived in Leelanau now for over twenty-two years, so I consider him a local despite his British accent. In fact, most people seem to think it’s a natural fit for the style of our luxury real estate brand!”

—Robin Vilter, realtor

Rental Management

We manage six properties. Three of them we own (one long term rental in Lake Leelanau, one short term in Lake Leelanau, and a garage studio in Maple City). We manage three other properties: a condo at the Homestead, a house on the river in Leland, and a bungalow in Lake Leelanau.