The path to a full-time career in real estate may have been a long and winding one for Jackie Ball, but she was driven by the passion she felt for the industry and never lost sight of her ultimate destination. And as she proved time and time again along the way, nobody was ever going to outwork her.

She still has that same zeal and work ethic today, and the result is a thriving business at Long & Foster Real Estate, serving Philadelphia and the surrounding area. Representing both buyers and sellers through a stressful process in a turbulent market, she is just as invested in a positive outcome as her clients, and it shows in every transaction.

"That's what I've always been, a hustler, and people appreciate that," she says. "I love what I do. I live, walk, talk and breathe real estate."

A native Philadelphian, Ball moved to Virginia with her parents after their retirement and it was there that her interest for real estate was first piqued. She eventually accepted a job as a community development coordinator for the Williamsburg Redevelopment and Housing Authority, where she had a hand in all facets of real estate on a low- and moderate-income housing project. From working with lenders to get applicants approved, to helping buyers choose their amenities and fixtures, to coordinating with the builders, she was hooked right away.

She went on to real estate school and received her first real estate certification in 2004 but chose to put off her dream while raising two children and working for various insurance companies in middle management roles and running a catering business on the side. But after her kids were grown and she had moved back to Philadelphia, she jumped back in and joined Long & Foster in 2016 on a part-time basis while still working at Aetna.

In November 2020 she retired from Aetna and devoted herself full time to real estate on the Art Herling Team.

"Being mentored by Art and Jane Healy, who have been in the business for so long and have been very successful, has been great," she says. "In 2021 I serviced 25 families as either buyers or sellers and helped them get into their new homes. I did a little over $6 million in my first year as a full-time agent. My goal this year is to double that."

Having a unique background in which she has been involved in real estate in a wide variety of roles—she also acted as the general contractor on the construction of her own home—enables Ball to share that expertise with her clients. She prides herself on educating them about the process, whether it's a young couple searching for their first home, retirees downsizing from the residence they raised their family in, or someone seeking an investment opportunity.

Ball is also a featured agent for the Affordable Housing Centers of Pennsylvania, where she does a monthly presentation during the first-time homebuyers workshop.

"I think it services my clients above and beyond what they expect when they reach out to a real estate agent," she says. "Real estate agents are a dime a dozen, but real estate agents who are educators and take the time to have the knowledge across the board as it relates to the industry are few and far between. That applies to new agents as well as seasoned agents. I have the education and the experience from the lender perspective, from the real estate agent perspective, from the actual buyer perspective and from the new construction perspective."

In the current market, where inventory remains low and every house seems to be receiving multiple offers, Ball uses her experience in corporate America to help buyers craft creative offers. On the other side of the equation, she recently delved into staging to ensure her sellers are receiving top dollar.

"That's very important in getting them the most value for their home," she says. "I started doing the staging because people would come to my own home and say, 'I love your house.' They were in awe over the color coordination and the way the fabrics, the various textures and the artwork all blended together. So I tried my hand at it with one of my clients and they ended up accepting a contract from a buyer who fell in love with the décor."

Ball has adopted the acronym of the Real Estate Q.U.E.E.N., which stands for quick-thinking, empowering, educator and negotiator. She uses those skills to help clients from Philadelphia to Montgomery and Delaware counties, and will soon be expanding into Florida as well.

She has clearly found a home in the industry and will continue to be a role model for her two daughters, who are business owners themselves.

"As much as I love real estate, the single most important thing to me is my family, and that's why I do this," she says. "I do it for me but I also do it for my family and the legacy I'm going to leave them."

Jackie Ball
Long & Foster Real Estate
775 Penllyn Blue Bell Pike | Blue Bell, Pa.
Office: (215) 643-2500
Cell: (267) 322-1298
LongAndFoster.com

Published (and copyrighted) in House & Home, Volume 22, Issue 5 (March 2022). 
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