Ozarks Profile: Jeanne McFall

What is your job?

Jeanne McFall wears more than one hat in her chosen profession of real estate. The president of the Greater Springfield Board of Realtors, she also serves as a broker officer and sales manager in the Ozark office of Jones & Co., Realtors, and as a broker partner with her husband's company, McFall & Associates, located in Ozark. "At Jones & Co. I list and sell real estate," she said. "Some people think when you're a manager you just manage people, but I do both."

What led you into real estate?

McFall credits a well-known Springfield home builder with inspiring her to enter the field while she was at Southwest Missouri State University earning her degree in interior design with a minor in marketing. "Ralph Manley was one of my instructors," she said. "He got me sparked to get my real estate license."

How have your experiences helped you in your work?

McFall said her education in interior design and marketing is helpful in facilitating matching buyers' needs to the home. She also worked at Maschino's Hardware, now Maschino's Home Expressions at 1715 S. Campbell, for 10 years while going to SMSU and after graduation. "I have a lot of experience selling fireplace accessories and wood stoves, patio furniture, that kind of thing." She also has added to her knowledge of the field by taking numerous continued education courses supported by the National Association of Realtors and has qualified as a certified residential specialist.

What's the best part of the real estate business for you?

"Probably meeting new people," she said, "and satisfying people with new homes." She also likes the challenge of real estate. "The challenges include dealing with loan companies, just getting the loans for the buyers, with all of the choices that are available today, and trying to get the buyers' and sellers' needs both met, in terms of what they're looking for."

McFall also is proud of the numerous sales awards she's won, including those as a member of the Million-Dollar Club in 1988 and of the Multimillion-Dollar Club in 1992, and as Realtor-Broker of the Year in 1998.

What do you do in your leisure time?

McFall and her husband live on the same family farm in Ozark where she grew up. The couple raise several head of beef cattle, although she said, "That's my husband's job I don't do a whole lot with that." She said they like to travel, especially to Kansas City and the Lake of the Ozarks. "We take short trips, weekend trips occasionally. Many times it's Kansas City. I like to shop and go to some of the restaurants up there." A favorite event of McFall's is the Symphony House in Kansas City, where, she said, "decorators go in and decorate one of the houses on the Plaza. It's a fund-raiser for the Kansas City symphony each year." She also admitted to a fondness for Torre's Pizza in the Kansas City area. "It's great," she said, adding, "I really do like to shop. I can remember as a little girl shopping at Battlefield Mall when it came in."

by Frank Shipe