JaCi Wallace knows how to lay down the law. And not just in real estate – sitting on the Pro Standards Committee for Sacramento Association of REALTORS®. She had a previous career in law enforcement before starting her real estate business. The confidence and leadership skills she developed in law enforcement made her a prime candidate for real estate management, which, after hitting top producer status, she did for years.

 

JaCi’s real passion, however, has always been working with clients – protecting their interests, and making them feel safe and represented. It's what made her great in law enforcement, what made her a great manager to her agents, and is what continues to drive her sales business today.

 

Real estate came onto JaCi’s radar early on in life. In fact, she started in real estate before she even entered law enforcement. It was in the early 1980s when interest rates were around 18%+ and she was only 23 years old. As a working single mother, she was trying to make a career for herself in real estate during the day, while also bartending nightly at a bar that had a high presence of law enforcement officers, after their 11:00 pm shift change in West Sacramento. It was very challenging, working two full-time jobs and raising a young child on her own. Something had to give.

 

Then, one night, while bartending, JaCi caught the attention of a few Deputy Sheriffs after she physically removed an unruly customer. “I jumped on the bar and dragged him outside. These officers asked if I needed help, and I said no thank you, I got it. They said you would be a good deputy – you’re tall, assertive and you’re not afraid of people. I asked if the job had benefits. They said yes. I said great, what do I need to do to apply?”  

 

The Deputy Sheriffs told JaCi to put herself through a P.O.S.T certified extended academy and start Criminal-Justice college courses, and they would help her get placed afterwards. And they did. She ended up working full-time at their department in Jail Operations in Yolo County. JaCi had a very productive career in law enforcement. After Jail Operations she then worked in the Patrol division as a Deputy Sheriff Coroner, and a Yolo County K9 Officer. In her role, JaCi was one of only two women selected to attend the FBI officer survival training from her department.

 

JaCi developed an entire K9 training program for herself at her own expense, which included search and rescue and narcotics. She purchased and imported her police dog from Europe – his name was Remo. She trained it herself along-side her trainer, Steve Brewer, who was also training for Sacramento PD/SO dog units. After extensive training with Steve, JaCi and Remo won the prestigious top team at the California K9 trials competition. Upon the City of West Sacramento incorporation, JaCi and Remo transferred to the West Sacramento Police Department. Not only did she arrest bad guys, but she conducted safety education for kids. Remo was brilliant in all aspects of his job, including searches for narcotics.

 

Then, in 1988, JaCi married and moved to Florida and applied to a local police department there, but ended up injuring her back. As she could no longer perform her duties as a police officer, her sister suggested she should go back into real estate. JaCi did not want to at first, saying it was too hard to earn a living. She did not have any other job prospects at the time however, so she jumped back into Real Estate sales. But this time, she had way more life experience and a commanding presence about her.

 

JaCi joined Lyon Real Estate and immediately did well her first year. By her 4th year she was doing very well, but was thinking of going to Roseville into the Sun City Community to sell real estate. A real estate coach approached her, however, and told her he could help her double her production and free up her time if she stayed at Lyon. And sure enough, he did. She doubled her production and took her first vacation, thanks to Tom Hooper.

 

That jump in production caught the attention of Lyon Real Estate management, and they put JaCi in their crosshairs for leadership. She started as a field trainer (mentor) for new agents and then worked on the entire program, later helping to rewrite the training procedures for new agents in the company. From there, she became assistant manager, then manager of the downtown office, and finally regional manager, overseeing Placer County and part of Sacramento County.

 

While in leadership, JaCi continued to sell, knowing she still needed independence and contact with her personal business. By the end of her tenure with Lyon, she was essentially working three jobs – managing the office she was at, managing her region, and selling real estate. She was working 16-hour days 7-days per week. Then, after surpassing her company’s profit margins for her district, she felt she had maximized her position in the company.

 

“I thought, if I was going to work this hard for other people, I should do it for myself and recreate my own destiny,” she said. Then, RE/MAX called. They wanted to talk about leadership, but I told them I was going back to the field. They said they just wanted to talk, and they seemed to speak my language regarding what I always wanted to do in leadership. So, I accepted the position of District Manager for Sacramento and Yolo County. With this role, I helped them open the Sierra Oaks and Midtown offices.”

 

JaCi joined RE/MAX in 2013, spent a year in leadership opening those two offices, and then went full-time into sales again. Over the past 10 years, she has grown her real estate business in four different ways: Probate/Trust sales in 6 counties, she also purchased 2 businesses from retiring colleagues, past client referrals, and luxury rural.

 

She got super busy with probate cases after being introduced to it. It seemed to fit her, given her previous experience in law enforcement. She had a strong stomach for walking in on scenes that are not-so-pleasant to see. “I enjoyed working with Probate Attorneys as I had a passion for the law,” she said.

 

Then, about 4 years ago, she took over a retiring colleague’s book of business, which included previous clients from short-sales and has continued working with many clients from there. “I also hired a full-time assistant in May 2019, Adina Lopez, my niece,” JaCi added.                     

 

Around that same time, JaCi also joined forces with longtime friend and colleague, Kim Pacini-Hauch, to sell luxury rural properties together in multiple counties. JaCi and Kim have known each other from almost the beginning, when they were both working at Lyon Sierra Oaks together and then moved to RE/MAX Gold the same year. They are both similar in that they only have one gear, full-speed, and can outwork many.

 

“Kim was my mentor when I first started my career and then many years later, I became her manager,” JaCi said, chuckling. “Kim has had the biggest, positive impact on my career – we have been together through everything, both personally and professionally. We are each other’s biggest cheerleaders. I have always consulted with Kim on key decisions within my business over the last 25 years. She has always been there for me. Kim is one of the most genuine and generous people I have ever known, if it was not for real estate, I might never have met her.”

 

JaCi loves selling all types of real estate, but especially rural properties. She purchased her own ranch some years back, where she has five horses, eight chickens, eight dogs, and several rescue cats. She’s loved animals since she was kid and wanted to become a veterinarian.

 

There is no other place JaCi would rather be than on her ranch when she’s not working. When she wants to unwind in the late evenings from real estate, you can usually find her cleaning out her barn, hanging out with her animals, or baking something delicious in the middle of the night. Her next adventure, www.themidnightbaker.com is just around the corner.

 

JaCi’s proudest accomplishment will always be raising her young son and watching him grow into a successful and happy adult. Spending time-off with her son, grandson, and her mom are moments she holds dear to her heart. “My family loves to celebrate holidays, so we have country Christmas at my home with homemade cookies, cakes and the works,” she said.

 

Now that she has taken the reigns of her own business again and can spend her days doing what she loves the most, JaCi couldn’t be happier. While she wonders what her business would look like today if she never stepped away from it when she went into management, she is also grateful for the qualities she gained from her time in leadership, the life skills, experience, and most of all, the people she met and friends she made along the way.