How Jackie Went From 0 to 22 Home Sales in Year One

By Emily Marchese

Emily is the CEO & Founder of the Marchese Team and Marchese Real Estate. Throughout her extensive career, Emily has received some of the industry’s highest honors, including KW’s Empire Builder, America’s Top 100 Agents, Real Trends The Thousand, NJ’s Circle of Excellence Platinum Award, and KW Cultural Icon.

Have you ever poured yourself into a real estate career only to feel like you’re standing still, working hard, and still not sure which direction to go? I sat down with Jackie, an agent on my team, to talk through exactly that. Her honesty about where she started and how far she’s come is the kind of story I think a lot of agents need to hear right now.

Where Jackie started out. Jackie got into real estate about four years ago because she wanted a career where her success depended on the work she put in. She loves meeting people, solving problems, and helping clients through one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives. But her first year was rough. She was an independent agent with very little guidance, no real sense of direction, and no sales to show for the effort. As she put it, she felt stranded on an island. I’ve heard that from so many agents, and it’s usually the moment right before they either quit or find another way.

The choice that changed things. Jackie reached a point where she was either going to leave real estate entirely or join a team. She’d worked too hard for her license to just walk away, so she started looking for a team with training, leadership, and a track record of success. That’s a smart instinct. If what you’re doing on your own isn’t working, joining a strong team is one of the fastest ways to jumpstart a career, because you learn from experienced agents and stop trying to carry everything alone. When Jackie and I first met, she signed on the next day.

Her first year on the team. The results came fast, but not by magic. Jackie sold 22 properties her first year with us, up from zero the year before. I want to be clear that I didn’t wave a magic wand; she did the hard work. When I asked her what made the difference, she pointed straight to showing up, coming into the office, and learning from more experienced agents who’d been in the business longer. Hearing how other agents handled their clients, their transactions, and different property types was the catalyst. Training was at the forefront of everything, paired with real accountability.

How she keeps clients coming back. Jackie’s biggest early challenge was building a client base from scratch. When you’re new, nobody knows you as a Realtor yet, so you earn trust one client at a time. She stayed consistent through the slower stretches and kept learning. Now she cements those relationships the same way, consistent follow-up and giving people genuinely valuable information like market reports and listing updates, so when someone’s ready to buy or sell, she’s the one they call.

What she’s most proud of. Four years in, Jackie is proud that she has built a successful business in just a few short years. Every closing represents someone trusting her with a major life decision, and going from zero transactions to around 60 in three years has been a genuine turning point. What’s next for her is simple: keep selling, keep closing, help more families reach their goals, and yes, keep taking those well-earned vacations.

If you’re not finding success the first time around, it doesn’t mean you’re not a fit for this industry. It usually means you need to find another way. If you’re an agent thinking about joining a team, and you want real training, leadership, and support behind you, let’s talk. Call or text me at 609-214-2159, email me at Emily@MarcheseTeam.com, or visit emilymarchese.com. I’d love to hear your goals and help you hit them.