What defines success? Is it simply the knowledge that you are among the best? Or is it the feeling of pride that comes from that knowledge?

Is it achieving more than you ever expected, or is it achieving more than you ever expected and then realizing that there's something deeper at stake?

Top real estate agent Sally Forster Jones of Coldwell Banker Previews International in Beverly Hills has had the good fortune to experience all of the above, at one time or another.

When Sally first got into the real estate business in 1975, she found instant success as well as a tremendous amount of satisfaction servicing clients. She rolled that success into her own upstart corporation of several companies that serviced nearly every aspect of real estate, including both residential and commercial, as well as property management, development, and mortgage brokerage - Capri Properties in 1984 and later Forster Jones Realtors. Many years of accomplishments as the head of her own corporation - a designation that later saw her inducted into the National Association of Women Business Owners of Los Angeles Hall of Fame - followed, but by 1998, Sally felt that something was missing.

"I came to realize that despite the success of my companies, I had gotten away from what I loved so much about real estate, so in 1998, I sold off and dissolved ownership of various different entities," said Sally, who merged part of her Residential Group into Fred Sands in 1998; Coldwell Banker purchased Fred Sands in 2000. "I really wanted to move in a different direction, because what I loved the most about this business was what I started doing 30 years ago - focusing on the selling of homes versus the management of all the different entities. Managing the corporation was wonderful, but it did take me away from what I enjoyed the most, and what has always given me the most personal satisfaction."

Ultimately, Sally discovered that for her, success is defined by what is most rewarding on a personal level, and that is working one on one with clients. Fortunately, it has also proven immensely rewarding from a business standpoint. Sally has been a top producer every year at Coldwell Banker, a multi-year member of the company's Society of Excellence, and is consistently a top-ranked agent in her office. She is listed in Who's Who in American Real Estate, representing the top 1% of the top 1% of all agents nationally, has appeared on the "E" channel and is scheduled to appear on a program called "Kicked Out" on the ABC Family Channel as a real estate expert, and has even been quoted in the Hollywood Reporter because of her expertise among celebrity clientele and her wealth of knowledge about Westside real estate.


During 2006, Sally set a new mark for personal achievement with an international ranking that puts her at No. 3 out of 126,000 agents in the Coldwell Banker network, and has been named No. 1 in Beverly Hills and in greater Los Angeles area.

"I have won a number of awards over the years, and have also received recognition from Coldwell Banker and other institutions," Sally said. "I am thrilled to be ranked No. 3 internationally because that goes far beyond the local rankings. Also, being the top agent east of the 405 Freeway for the greater Los Angeles area and in Beverly Hills represents a lot of hard work, and is something I am tremendously proud of."

In addition, Sally has won Coldwell Banker Preview International's intra-office Malcy "Most Successful" award - an honor voted upon by her colleagues - three years in a row. "Our manager did an in-office recognition where all the people in the office vote on who is the most successful," she said. "It always feels really good to be honored in that way because this award is voted on by my peers.

"Awards and accolades are wonderful inasmuch as they act as reinforcements from another level," she added. "The credibility that they give you amongst the other agents and the public are important, but more than anything, I feel rewarded every time I feel like I have done a good job for my client at the end of a transaction."

Sally's clients feel rewarded as well, knowing that the excellent results she achieves for them are the product of her meticulous attention to detail, unwavering dedication, and impressive experience.

"Sally has helped us buy several luxury properties over the years, and we are now moving into an estate property in Beverly Hills," said clients Daniel and Linda Rosenson. "She listened carefully to the architectural styles, features, and amenities we thought would be characteristic of the home of our dreams. She spent countless hours researching available listings, screened dozens of houses, and ultimately presented only those that she knew would be of potential interest to us. Because Sally listened to our needs and desires, we finally found the perfect home. Sally's expertise in all facets of home buying, including negotiating, financing and inspections, as well as her intuition and overall support, turned a potentially stressful and time-consuming process into a relatively straightforward and pleasant experience. It gives us great pleasure to commend Sally and her team of real estate professionals to anyone who is looking to find their dream home."

Added clients Irving and Joan White: "Sally was the calm and super-competent guide who knew exactly how much to ask for our home, and, to our delight, got the optimum for the sale, which was more than we had anticipated. Her confidence, competence, calm, and guidance were the key ingredients in a process that turned out to be smooth and easy. She is a special real estate agent and human being."

It is a testament to the team Sally has assembled that her clients get the benefit of her personalized service and come away with having had such a positive experience.

"Having a great staff around me is of the utmost importance," said Sally. "My expert staff is capable of handling so much in the office and maintaining efficiency, which enables me to focus all of my attention on showing properties, negotiating, meeting with clients, and selling homes. Everyone here is extremely well qualified and upholds the same high standards that I do."

Added client Brigitte Cox: "Sally did an excellent job managing the sale of my property and final negotiations. Everything was done with total care and efficiency, and she and her team were professional and easy to work with throughout the transaction. Her staff was great and it was a pleasure to deal with them. I will continue to recommend them to anyone wishing to buy or sell a property."

Recommendations are something Sally has become accustomed to during her long career. Her client base is comprised mainly of repeat clients and those who have been introduced to Sally by other clients. And, as an added bonus, she has built several important friendships along the way.

"I approach my business in a unique manner in that I see people first and clients second," said Sally. "I rarely finish a transaction and then never hear from the client again. Once I work with someone, they become a client for life. I really do look at it like I have entered into a lifetime commitment to them.

"I have many, many repeat clients and many referrals, and I have developed personal friendships with quite a few of them," she continued. "It is deeply rewarding to be able to parlay a business relationship into a friendship, and profoundly meaningful to be able to build a client base on the recommendations of those you have already done business with."

When Sally first started thinking about a real estate career, little did she know she would find it so fulfilling; nor did she expect that she would one day come to be considered one of the business's foremost authorities. She is the ultimate proof that if you pursue what you enjoy - and if you're fortunate enough to possess an immeasurable amount of skill and an unrelenting drive - you just may find your life's calling.

"More than 30 years ago, I purchased a small home on my own and sold it two years later for a profit," said Sally. "That was a real accomplishment for me at the time, and it further piqued my interest in real estate. I was very intrigued with real estate and thought that if I had success with my home, maybe that would translate to a career.

"From the very beginning, I loved it. Looking at all the different components of the job, the intricacies of the transactions, and making things happen even when problems develop during the middle of a deal - I find it all fascinating," she added. "I just love the whole process from A to Z of finding the right home or the right buyer, negotiating a deal that works for everyone, and seeing the end result. Underneath it all, you're helping someone to find the right home for them, which helps to make them happy."

Sally's happiness comes from her desire to help people connect with the home of their dreams, as well as her inherent love of the business in which she excels so completely. However, she is fortunate to be equally gratified by her full personal life. Sally's many accomplishments are made all the more impressive when you consider that at the same time she was excelling in an extremely time-consuming, ultra-competitive business, she was also helping to raise six children with her husband, Donald Jones, an attorney specializing in business, real estate, and mergers and acquisitions and a senior partner in the law firm Jones, Ackerman and Corman. Their son Jon, a local attorney, is married to Melanie, and they have a baby girl named Presley; daughter Dana, who works for Sally's company, is married to Josh, and they have a three-year-old son named Jacob and baby girl, Madeleine; daughter Jill is involved in a real estate investment company in New York and is married to Marc; stepdaughter Elana also works for a real estate company; son Michael works with the United Nations in New York; stepdaughter Tracy is a writer.

"My career has always kept me pretty busy, and thankfully my family has always been very supportive," said Sally. "I'm very close to all my kids, and think they're all terrific. I learned how to juggle my time early on so I could make sure I was always there for all their important events. Real estate is a seven-day-a-week job, but I always managed to go to all the baseball games and school plays. It's just a matter of doing the most with your time so you can be there as a parent and a professional."

Sally has proven to be the gold standard at both, and while she has achieved the absolute height of success in career, she has no plans of slowing down.

"I still love real estate as much as I did when I first got into the business," said Sally. "I have been doing it a really long time, and there is no other job that I know of that affords me the opportunity to be consistently challenged, to meet new and interesting people, and to make things happen in such a tangible way. Every transaction, every client is different, and that is what makes it interesting. Everyday is new and exciting, because you really never know what's going to happen. I get up in the morning with anticipation thinking about what my day might hold. After all this time, I still feel that way."

And isn't that the best definition of success?