By Wiley Henry
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (TN Tribune) – In 2021, Tony M. Jackson hauled in a hefty $8 million in real estate sales – and it was only his second year as an independent agent with Weichert Realtors, SPM, an independently-owned and operated franchise in Bartlett, a suburb of Memphis.
Jim Weichert is president, chairman and CEO of Weichert Companies. Bill Scavone is president and COO of Weichert Real Estate Affiliates, Inc. in Morris Plains, N.J., and oversees more than 350 affiliate offices in 41 states.
The Weichert affiliate in Bartlett is owned by Harry Spore and his wife Missy.
Of the 22 agents selling residential and commercial real estate, Jackson, who calls himself the “Agent with the Ascot,” ranked No. 1 in sales. He also ranked among the top-tier of 3,144 Weichert agents on the regional level, coming in at No. 23.
In January, Jackson was accepted as a first-year member of the Memphis Area Association of REALTORS® Multi-Million Dollar Club. He was cited for his accomplishments on Feb. 19.
“I congratulate you on this significant accomplishment, which requires considerable drive, planning and business acumen,” Rachel Baggett Gilliam, president of MAAR Multi-Million Dollar Club, wrote in part to Jackson in a congratulatory letter.
“A second-year agent doing that much business is a lot,” said Jackson, touting his stupendous $8 million windfall in one calendar year. “It’s basically saying that once you make the club, you kind of know what you’re doing.”
Also in February, Weichert Realtors tapped Jackson for the President’s Platinum Club Award. He noted the award is one level below the President’s Gold Cup Award. Of 7,289 agents, Jackson ranked No. 125.
Weichert Realtors bestowed the honor upon Jackson during its Tennessee Valley Awards Banquet on Feb. 26 in downtown Nashville’s Omni Hotels & Resorts.
“When you put your mind to something, you know, things happen. It’s always been the story of my life,” Jackson said. “I just attribute it to staying faithful to God and staying a good person.”
Social media was all abuzz with congratulatory posts from well-wishers who’re familiar with Jackson’s commitment to excellence and his propensity to go beyond the call of duty.
Others who may not know Jackson as well also lauded his efforts.
“Praise the Lord for your blessings,” Lillian Ford posted.
His uncle chimed in too. “Way to go Tony,” Michael Royston posted.
“Awesome,” Jackson’s mother-in-law, Grenda Franklin-Poole, posted with emojis for two thumbs up, and added: “I’m so proud of you.”
More kudos poured in with just as much fervor for the 38-year-old, who is married to Franklin-Poole’s daughter, Monica Jackson, the mother of their children, Brennan, 8, and Bailey, 4.
After assessing his sales volume for the first quarter of this year, Jackson believes he’s off to a great start, and added that he could match last year’s sales record, or even exceed it.
“I’m almost a fourth of the way now,” he said. “So, I’m on track.”
Jackson had been on track to success before he ventured into real estate. In 2012, he purchased the fledgling Arlington Computers, LLC in Arlington from the original owner who had employed him.
After Jackson assumed control, the store’s customer-base and bottom line increased significantly.
Marketing, public relations, and community service was then and still Jackson’s strong suit. He’d built a clientele that included Spore, real estate broker and owner of Superior Property Management.
“He told me years ago that I should try real estate,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t until after I decided to close the computer store that I would give it a shot.”
He dabbled at it part time at first while transitioning the store. “I may have done like six transactions the first year,” he said.
The next year, Jackson decided he’d pursue real estate fulltime to see where his new profession would take him.
“I just went back to what I knew how to do from my years of entrepreneurship, marketing, [producing] commercials, being seen [publicly], and going to different events,” he said.
With tenacity and bulldog determination, Jackson’s real estate transactions started adding up. He soon positioned himself as a full-fledge independent contractor with Weichert Realtors.
Some day he hopes to amass generational wealth for Brennan and Bailey.
Advice to upcoming entrepreneurs: “Don’t ever let anybody tell you that you can’t do something,” he said. “I’m doing it.”
