You know when the people with whom you’re working truly care about your outcomes. You can tell when they take a genuine interest and give you the kind of support that goes beyond the transaction — to the point that they treat you like family. 

These qualities describe Katherine Ballard, a real estate agent and the Senior Vice President at Allie Beth Allman & Associates in Dallas. As you get to know her, you quickly see that family, and her clients, are at the center of who she is. 

Katherine naturally cares for others. In fact, in college, she studied sociology and taught special education part-time while she was a full-time, stay-at-home mom raising five children. When Katherine realized that she would likely become a single mother, she looked toward her next chapter. 

“The small income I was bringing in from teaching part-time was not going to be enough to support my family. I had several people suggest that I get my real estate license, and I had always loved working with people. So, I started taking real estate, not knowing if I would love the business or be good at it,” Katherine recalls. “But I knew I would have the potential to financially support my family.” 

She dived in, earned her real estate license, and started working locally at a small boutique firm five years ago.  

“The beautiful thing about it was that I fell in love with the business right away. And I fell in love with being able to be such a big part of helping people making such a huge decision in their lives,” she emphasizes. “It was an opportunity to play the role of teacher, therapist, and financial advisor, all rolled into one, and have people trust you like that to help them. There is no greater privilege in business, in my opinion.” 

The experience of being in real estate has been overwhelmingly positive for Katherine. 

“I discovered there was this entirely different aspect to the business that I didn’t realize. I didn’t necessarily have a passion for it before I did it. But my passion came from doing it and being part of it,” Katherine explains. “It was a win-win, and I was able to support my family financially while doing something that I love and getting to work with people that I care about.” 

Katherine remembers making her transition into the business. 

“As I began the first year, my expectations were not super high because I didn't really know what to expect. And I think I knew, going into it, that the small boutique firm would allow me to kind of get my feet wet gently. So, it was so was nice to be in a smaller environment,” she says.  

After a short time with the firm, it was acquired by Coldwell-Banker. 

“Not long after we became part of Coldwell-Banker, I had an opportunity to move over and begin working with Allie Beth Allman & Associates,” she recalls. “It has been a great experience, and I’ve been with Allie Beth for about three and a half years now.” 

Along the way, Katherine has reached impressive levels of success and earned some Top Producer honors in the process. 

But for Katherine, it’s not about the accolades, the honors, or the attention. It’s about delivering a genuine, heartfelt level of care. 

“Success isn’t so much financial for me. I feel successful when my clients are happy, they feel I’ve done a good job for them, someone refers me to someone else, or business relationships turn into friendships that last and last,” she points out. “Those are the things that mean professional success for me.” 

Her definition of success also revolves around continuing to watch her family grow and enter new chapters along the way. 

When she’s not working, Katherine enjoys doing yoga, traveling, and spending time at the beach. But her real, absolutely favorite pursuit is spending time with her kids, including Grace, who is 25; Anna Caroline, 22; Marshall, 19; Kaitlyn, 17; Mac, 15; and Chris, her son-in-law. 

“They’re my reason for everything,” Katherine smiles. “They're the reason I got into the business and work so hard, and they make me want to be the best person I can be every single day.” 

It doesn’t take long talking with Katherine to see that she gives back in any way she can. And that includes her involvement in a wide range of community organizations and non-profit groups. 

In addition to being involved in her church, Katherine is also becoming more engaged with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program that pairs children with adults, who help give these children a voice. 

“I’m starting the training for that, and I feel very led to be part of the CASA program,” she says. 

In addition, Katherine and her daughters have also been involved in the National Charity League, a nationwide mother-daughter service organization. In the same way, Katherine and her sons have also taken part in the Young Men’s Service League, a group that gives mothers and their sons an organized outlet to give back to the community together. 

Katherine and her children have also financially adopted a six-year-old girl through the Family Legacy organization. They adopted Margret, who lives in Africa, two and a half years ago. 

As she looks to the future, Katherine hopes to take her engaged, community-focused spirit even further. 

“I’d like to be able to give back more. I’d also like to increase my business and keep growing, learning, and improving myself to always become better at what I do, so I can serve my clients better,” she explains. 

As Katherine says, each transaction is about following through with a level of caring that’s like family. 

“That’s what I hope for. I always want people to know they’ve been well taken care of and that I’ve treated them the way I would treat my own family,” she beams. “When I’m helping clients, whether they’re selling or buying, I think about it as if they were one of my children. I wouldn't give any advice to clients that I wouldn't give to my own children. That's how I do my business, and that's the bar I set for myself.”