How a former preschool teacher used her love for teaching to become one of the most successful Long Island Realtors

Going from being a preschool teacher to a real estate agent isn’t the most traditional career pathway, but for Tiffany Balanoff, it’s that background that has landed her among some of Long Island’s top licensed real estate agents.

Balanoff has been a full-time licensed agent in Long Island since 2016, but it was an unlikely love story between the teacher with eight years of classroom experience and real estate.

Self-described as a “South Shore gal,” Balanoff was raised in the area, and still spends her time going to restaurants in Rockville Centre and shopping in Merrick. Her parents still live in the area as well.

True to form, she attended Hofstra University and Queens College to study education, with a specific interest in art history. While at Hofstra, Balanoff got her first opportunity to work with kids when she volunteered to help chaperone a ski trip. From there, Balanoff was offered the opportunity to work with children in after-school programs.

Because of her connection to the area, she goes above and beyond to help and educate her clients, with their best interests in mind. And that strategy is working because, in both 2022 and 2023, Balanoff was named a Top 5 Agent in Nassau County by RateMyAgent.com’s Agent of the Year Awards, among many other accolades.

“When someone is working with me, I understand that they are probably interviewing other Realtors, but I want them to know that they don’t have to pick a Realtor based on the price they say they can sell your home for,” Balanoff explained. “You should be picking someone based on the value they are giving you. 

“Someone can tell you that your house is worth $3 million and that’s how much you should list it for, but I like to provide comps, see what the market is telling us, and let the seller decide on the price,” she continued. “People don’t totally understand that you can work with a Realtor like that. It’s part of how I like to educate clients.”

One philosophy Balanoff holds true to is listening to your clients. “We have two ears and one mouth for a reason,” she laughed.

“A lot of people will come up to me and ask, ‘how’s the market?’ to which I never answer without having more information on them first,” Balanoff explained. “It’s not so much about how the market is doing — I could tell you what the market is doing, but I would rather have people focus on what their needs are.

“A real estate market is like any other market — it’s always changing,” she continued. “It may not be changing as quickly as you hope, and it may not be completely in line with what you want to do, but if it’s the right time for you, then you’ve got to just act accordingly with the market that you’re in.”

When helping her first-time buyer son, Jacqueline DuBon met  and was impressed with the effort and attention put into clients.

“I found Tiffany to be very thorough, asking a lot of questions which needed to be asked in order to find the perfect place for my son,” DuBon said. “It was in a tough market and she was persistent with sending me and my son emails with what was available, and she was always available to take us when we found something that we may be interested in. She was very patient with us as he wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted as a first-time buyer.”

DuBon was so impressed, she even referred Balanoff to her daughter.

“She was working with an agent who was nothing compared to how Tiffany handled the people she worked with,” DuBon said. “Within a month, my daughter switched and made an appointment with Tiffany.”

 Balanoff’s customized approach is what won DuBon over.

“I would recommend Tiffany—and I have recommended Tiffany to anybody that is currently looking to buy or sell,” DuBon continued. “She is just what anybody is looking for as far as I’m concerned. Tiffany sets the parameters around your preferences. If you want emails every day, she will do that with anything that becomes available.If you don’t want it every day and you want it once a week, she’s willing to do that. She goes the extra mile, and that’s what makes her a wonderful real estate agent.”

But Balanoff’s dedication to her clients doesn’t stop there. She recently took part in a health expo where she provided prizes for the raffles. Upon delivering a prize to one couple, she learned they were having issues with their electricity and wanted to help.

“I told them that was something I could help with, and I provided contacts to the electricians that I personally use and who I recommend to my clients,” Balanoff shared. “They were surprised and didn’t realize a Realtor would do that and be a source for them like that.”

With her education background, Balanoff takes pride in the extra effort she puts forth to help people – not just her clients.

“If someone is thinking about renovating their home, for example, they can use me as a resource to help ensure they are putting their money in the right place,” she said. “You may be adding value to your home or devaluing it, and I can help people but also educate them so they make sure they are creating value.”

‘It always goes back to education’

In her teaching career, Balanoff went on to work at after-school programs and teach in classrooms in the North and South shores for eight years, including in the Oceanside and East Rockaway school districts.

“Working with kids is super fun, especially when they’re really young,” Balanoff described. “They’re still discovering new things and everything is so exciting to them. It’s almost like working with a first-time buyer — they don’t know what they're doing and it’s a little scary, but it’s also exciting for them … It’s that same sense of newness that is exciting for me.”

However, after eight years, Balanoff was ready for a change. After school wrapped up after her eighth year, the world took her on the path toward real estate. She accepted a position working at the front desk of a real estate office, where the intention was just to do a desk job. However, some of the top-selling agents in the company told her she should try her hand as a Realtor. 

Despite going into it thinking it wouldn’t be for her, she realized it was actually a perfect fit.

“As I’m sitting in the class, I actually got really interested in it, and I was like ‘Oh, I could educate people, this works for me,’” Balanoff explained. “I didn’t think I was going to like it, and I found that I actually loved it and that was because I found that combination of being able to be the educator and guide and help — and make a living.”

And she has relied heavily on her education background to build a successful career in her home on Long Island. In addition to being elected to the Board of Directors, Balanoff serves on several committees for the New York State Association of Realtors, as well as the Long Island Board of Realtors. 

“It always goes back to education. I’ve always gained my confidence with anything that I’ve done through knowledge,” she explained. “If I know as much as I can about something, I feel confident doing it. With real estate, that’s why I have so many certifications and designations. Every time I get another one, it gives me more confidence. Then, not only do I have more of that knowledge, but I can then share that knowledge to educate the people that I work with.”

HER AWARDS AND HONORS

Awards:

• 2023: Top 5 Agent in Nassau County from RateMyAgent.com Agent of the Year Awards
• 2023: R.E.A.L. Award: Real Estate Achievement & Leadership Award from LI Herald
• 2023: Leading Edge Award from Douglas Elliman Real Estate
• 2023: Five Star Agent Award from Fast Expert
• 2023: Top 15 Agent in Rockville Centre, & Oceanside
• 2022: Top 5 Agent in Nassau County from RateMyAgent.com Agent of the Year Awards
• 2022: Top Agent Award from Homesnap for 2021
• 2022: Top 15 Agent in Long Beach, Merrick, & Rockville Centre from Fast Expert
• 2021: Top Agent Award from Homesnap for the 1st half of 2021
• 2020: #1 Agent, Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Rockville Centre Office
• 2020: Leading Edge Award from Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Top 17% of Agents Company Wide
• 2020: Rising Star Recognition from Douglas Elliman Real Estate Long Island

Certifications & Designations:

• 2022: SRES® | Senior Real Estate Specialist
• 2021: RENE| Real Estate Negotiation Expert Certification
• 2020: Graduate of The New York State Association of Realtors Instructor Training Institute
• 2020: ABR® | Accredited Buyers Representative Designation
• 2020: PSA| Pricing Strategy Advisor Certification
• 2020: SRS® | Seller Representative Specialist Designation