Just before sunrise in the summers of 2015 to 2017, Jacqueline Patton Trail would lace up her running shoes and head downstairs from her city apartment to the still-quiet streets of Chicago. Those early morning beat-the-heat runs in preparation for the Chicago Marathon led Trail to explore many Chicago neighborhoods that she might not otherwise have visited on foot and fueled her decision to become a realtor. “Chicago has so much to offer in the way of architecture, scenery and culture,” says Trail, who is also a licensed attorney. “I knew then that I wanted to help others experience it as well.”
In February 2020, Trail and her husband welcomed their first child. Laughing, she recalls negotiating an over-asking contract for clients while in labor at the hospital. In February 2023, almost three years to the day later, Trail found herself back at the same hospital with a different newborn (her second son) in one arm, while consulting with buyer clients about a deal she had negotiated for them.
Trail’s clients describe her as direct, knowledgeable and very attentive, frequently asking if she ever sleeps. “Buying or selling a home is a momentous occasion in a person’s life, so I tell my clients that my business hours are always 24/7, and I mean it,” she says. “Real estate is my greatest passion and my favorite topic of conversation.”
Reflecting on her 6-plus years in the real estate industry, Trail knows her decision to leave her previous job at a law firm to become a realtor was the right one. A skilled negotiator, she has closed over $50 million in deals in 25 Chicagoland suburbs and 40 Chicago neighborhoods. Her professional accomplishments are noteworthy – she was named a Top Producer for Residential Sales by the Chicago Association of Realtors for 2021 and 2022 and has consistently received Baird & Warner’s most prestigious awards.
When not selling real estate, Trail and her husband can be found spending time with their two sons and three dogs. “We really turn heads when we leave the house,” she giggles, “but we love our ‘motley crew.’”
