Meet Teresa Mack | Chief Executive Officer and Broker Associate at Pacific Playa Realty

We had the good fortune of connecting with Teresa Mack and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Teresa, how does your business help the community?
Our brokerage is a community-focused independent real estate brokerage. This means in addition to representing people that want to buy or sell real estate, we offer a wide variety of educational and informational classes, presentations and resources to engage people in the homeownership journey. In particular we focus on under-served communities – which in Los Angeles can still be properties valued at over $1 million and many properties that are worth double the national average home price. We recognize that a financially healthy society is one where all people can envision themselves taking part in the “American Dream” of homeownership, generational wealth and financial security. Homeownership is one opportunity for people to access wealth building opportunities by collaborating; people can use joint resources to access capital, they can work as a family or other social units to take the first step, they can save over time with a plan to invest in real estate, many loan programs exist that lower the barriers to entry to homeownership and often the missing components are knowledge, patience, creativity and long term commitment. Our brokerage has expertise, knowledge, resources, compassion and dedication and this allows our clients to acquire access to homeownership when other brokerages often focus only on people already in a position to purchase or who already have homeownership experience.

Housing is an essential element of a secure and healthy life; when a person owns their home they have greater control, there is inherent pride in home ownership and when possible, we believe people should pursue home ownership at least once in life.

The founder of our brokerage and I came from humble beginnings; we were both raised by single mothers, we both watched our mothers sacrifice to allow their children to thrive. I was fortunate that my parents owned their home and my father (who was the first person in his family to attend college) taught me what he learned about real estate. Munif, the Chairman of our brokerage, watched his mother (who was an illiterate immigrant with limited formal education) scrap and save for two years before being able to move her family out of the projects and into their first home. Real estate served as a stabilizing force and the basis for our family’s financial security, consequently we believe in the industry as a means of transforming ordinary people in ordinary circumstances into owners/investors/landlords and leaders in their families and communities archored by a powerful appreciable asset like their home or investment in real estate.

Empowering people is the larger social impact that helps our community and the world.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I am the CEO of Pacific Playa Realty, the largest African American owned and managed independent real estate brokerage on the West Coast, with over 85 agents and over a billion dollars in sales volume, we serve Southern California markets nearest Los Angeles. Our focus is recruiting licensed real estate sales professionals that are (T-C-T-C) teachable, coachable, trainable and collaborative. Over the last decade and a half we have developed amazing systems and training that allow sales professionals to level up their business and their mindset for success. I am also a team lead on the Urb&Lux team at Pacific Playa Realty, a small savvy team of agents who understand urban luxury markets at a high level.

I started in real estate in 2006 as a mother of three young children who I wanted to raise my way, fully engaged and present. BUT I had to make a living also! I was not wealthy and my husband made a modest income – we were the proverbial two-income household and as an attorney my salary was a big part of that equation. My decision to go into real estate was largely influenced by my desire to have control of my time and my salary requirement, real estate offered an entrepreneurial opportunity with unlimited potential for freedom and income with hard work, determination and commitment over time.

My success in real estate is largely because of my work ethic, I generally work at things I like and I love real estate, I love the people, the complexities of each deal, the reward of a satisfied client and the reality of being an important part of often the largest financial transaction of my client’s life. I also get great satisfaction at counseling and advising my clients on how to build and preserve their real estate holdings and how to pass these assets on in an organized fashion to future generations or other beneficiaries. Success in real estate is not easy, it is highly competitive, it is grueling on some days, it is unforgiving if you take a break or lose momentum – but it is highly rewarding and challenging and filled with opportunity to do good and become an expert in the field.

To overcome challenges in real estate you must be open to learning constantly, you must sharpen your skills and talents – it is not enough to dress well, like people and houses and drive a nice car – you must know your contracts, understand the market, understand the process of a sale and be able to manage multiple tasks and people at the same time being thoughtful, creative, compassionate, understanding, demanding, time adherent and collaborative – not easy but very rewarding.

Lessons I have learned along the way: (1) give freely to others – most people won’t put in the work or the time to accomplish what you have accomplished so be generous with your knowledge, time and resources; (2) have standards, do not let your heart lead you off a ledge, protect your time and your business; (3) be highly professional, that means better than most, do not focus on “good enough” be committed to excellence in all that you do; (4) constantly look for opportunities to level up; (5) get coaching, training and read daily – growth is incremental and there are no days off from it; (5) spend wisely, do not splurge or treat yourself prematurely – save for rainy days, they will come and think before you spend, subscribe or tap – yes and keep your credit card and loan balances low so if your business needs capital in a pinch you have options.

I want the world to know that I am committed to the clients I select to work with, I have business standards that allow me to serve first-time home buyers and tycoons and celebrities – I only avoid bad, indecisive, bossy, arrogant clients – our team serves a wide range of clients and their needs so if you want excellent advise, if you are a person of integrity and know that cut corners have sharp edges to avoid, if you want to enter the real estate market or expand your existing portfolio or just have a question that requires a sharp real estate professional’s advice – call me and let’s talk.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
We would start with coffee and banana nut bread at ORA cafe in Leimert Park, with its cozy nooks and cool vibe we would have a chance to chat and maybe even walk over to one of the art galleries for some local browsing. Then we would head up to Mid-City and check out the latest exhibit at MOCA (Musuem of Contemporary Art) or over to the California Science Center and Exposition Park – once we walked off the banana nut bread it would be time to get some work in – look I’m in real estate there are no days off – so we would head over to a few open houses either in View Park or Baldwin Hills where the city views are fantastic or perhaps the Westchester Bluffs on the westside where we could overlook Ballona Creek and wetlands while checking out a lovely home or two. Next we would head over to LMU (that’s right Loyola Marymount University, one of the prettiest college campuses in the area – always nice to take in a college library or enjoy a stroll in a campus environment). Back to the house to rest and get ready for dinner – we’ll skip lunch because I have reservations (required) at SOMERVILLE speakeasy and jazz bar – yep valet park and enjoy a night on the town in this local treasure (you need a few months to get a reservation at this celebrity owned speakeasy.).

The next day it is off to the water, we would head down south to the Redondo Beach Pier, walk around and likely grab some lunch then head back north on Pacific Coast Highway and stop at the Pointe an outdoor mall with a yummy ice cream parlor and a great courtyard for relaxing. If we get hungry we can stop in NORTH ITALIA for lunch or my favorite TRUE FOOD KITCHEN – if it is Fall you have to try the Butternut Squash soup and the Harvest Salad with a side of Salmon – yum.

On the way back we can stop in for a massage at JUST MASSAGE in Westchester in El Segundo, luckily Thai massage isn’t that expensive so we can do 90 minutes. All relaxed we can grab some tea at OFFSET coffee house and head back into LA. For the evening, we would head to a dance spot or a movie and cool out.

During the week we would hike in Kenneth Hahn Park, picnic at the lake there and maybe take a fitness class or possibly bike ride on the bike path from Marina Del Rey to Playa Del Rey – in Playa Del Rey we would stop at TANNER’S COFFEE or maybe get light bites at Bacari across the street – a cool little tapas joint my daughter hipped me to.

To round out the week, we would take a trip to Long Beach and go to Catalina Island for the day, on the way back we would rest and have a quiet dinner at KAYA SUSHI in El Segundo before heading home.

Los Angeles offers so much to do and see and we are just a Yelp search away so who knows what else we might do.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My success starts with a strong spiritual foundation and a great family – God is first in my life, I start my day in worship, gratitude and meditation and I try to live the whole day in that space. It would feel weird to “shout out” to God but I can’t start with anyone or thing else. Next, BIG Shout out to Robbie Solomon, my mother who raised us as a single mother, taught us courage and resilience, infused us with healthy life habits and a take no bs mentality. My sister, Carole and my brother Jerome who have always had my back, there is nothing like a strong family safety net to build a leader. Shout Out to my business partner Munif Ali, who built four strong companies and has allowed me to lead and grow professionally at the helm of Pacific Playa Realty, having a brilliant and determined partner in entrepreneurial endeavors has made me pursue some opportunities I would have veered away from and missed out on. Shout out to my friends and colleagues in life, as you can see people are more important than things to my life and my successes. My PR guru and bestie, Phyllis Caddell who pushed me to write a collaborative book called Your Deck of Success, it opened my mind and my skills to lead at a different level. Shout Out to Ruben Little, my life-long friend and a super smart professional, teacher and family man, who has hung in with me through some of the most difficult personal challenges I have experienced. My children, who are dynamic adults with their own story, through raising them I have definitely reached for greater opportunities and experiences – Shout Out to the Mack Kids. Books to buckle down and read: Jesus Calling – stay grounded daily, Eat the Frog by Brian Tracy and Procrastinate on Purpose by Rory Vaden, Crucial Conversations (thanks to my daughter for turning me on to this key communication book).

Website: https://teresamack.com

Instagram: @teresamackla

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresamackla/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/teresamackre

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TMackproperties

Image Credits
Gervel Sampson Photography, Ensemble Digital Media, 10Kcards by Sean Lashley