Jane Hoffman has lived her life largely within a six-hour curve that includes a snowy ski resort town and the bright lights of Vancouver, but something about Kelowna keeps drawing her to the water’s edge.
Call it the lake effect minus all the negative meteorological terms that weather forecasters usually associate with it. The lake effect where Hoffman is concerned is an ever-changing environment that is simultaneously serene and awe-inspiring. It is where she lives and works, where she frolics with family and friends, and where she sells real estate as leader of Coldwell Banker Canada’s top luxury sales team.
Like a de facto den mother protecting her cherished territory, Hoffman is a serious Kelowna advocate, which is a by-product of her job as the area’s leading sales rep.
Kelowna is a picturesque mid-size city known as a four-season playground thanks to its wineries, moderate climate, sandy beaches and Big White Ski Resort. Hear Hoffman describe the lake and you immediately want to move there.
“I can honestly say I feel like I’m in the most amazing city in Canada,” says the 63-year-old sales rep, who this year marks 30 years of selling real estate in Kelowna. “I can’t explain how I can wake up every morning for 35 years and still feel like it’s the first time I’m seeing the lake. I still take a deep breath when I look at it each morning.”
She’s not alone. Lake Okanagan is a big draw for luxury homeowners attracted to the area’s new homes that often include pools, large garages and beautiful landscaping. These high net worth homes, often in the $2-million plus bracket, feature spectacular lake views, roughly 4,000 to 7,000 square feet of living space and smart technology. Lakefront homes cost in the neighbourhood of $5 million but that price nets you a wharf and a dock. The area draws in good number of professional hockey players, who enjoy the warm summer months.
“It’s well known that a lot of hockey players summer here and that they get together and practice together,” says Hoffman. “This is their playground and some are retiring and raising their families here.”
The majority of buyers come from B.C., though a growing number from outside markets are discovering the city, too. Albertans account for 18 per cent of Hoffman’s out-of-province buyers when reviewing all price ranges, but that percentage jumps for those buying properties over $2 million. Saskatchewan, where the potash and energy booms have created many affluent buyers, is also an important client base.
Jane Hoffman
Hoffman manages a 12-person team. Last year, Hoffman and her business partner, Kristy Huber, were active agents in more than 72 per cent of all MLS sales over $3 million in her market. The team, which is known as the Jane Hoffman Group, works at Coldwell Banker Horizon Realty in Kelowna. It currently has over 200 listings, including more than 45 properties ranging from $2 million to over $10 million.
In 2014, Hoffman was honoured as Coldwell Banker Canada’s top Ultimate Service representative in Canada, based on customer satisfaction surveys returned by her own buyers and sellers. Though the Okanagan Lake waterfront area is farmed by about 1,000 real estate professionals, Hoffman and her team currently list about 50 per cent of those $2-million-plus properties.
Because luxury buyers are generally discriminating, the sales process can be a long one. You need patience if you want to crack this market. Finding the right fit can take months and sometimes years. To serve luxury clients, Hoffman believes you need to build a strong team as buyers are typically mature and business-minded. They require expertise, personal service and professionalism in addition to discretion and confidentiality.
If you’re considering the luxury real estate market, you also need to work at building your brand. Hoffman’s branding started long before the term was commonly used. She called herself the “Lakeshore Specialist” and that moniker stuck. It’s obviously served her well as she has resold many of the lake’s homes two and three times during her career.
Hoffman often uses aerial photography and videography in her marketing. She believes strongly in taking buyers on a boat tour of the lake as it helps them visualize what life would be like there. In addition, she hosts wine and cheese events for agents and select buyers.
Originally from Revelstoke, B.C., Hoffman cut her teeth as an hotelier for snow-sporting enthusiasts, hosting the heliskiing crowd that visited her family’s boutique hotel from destinations far and wide. Her parents started the Regent Hotel during the Depression and today Hoffman owns and operates it with her brother and sister.
Hoffman’s strong hospitality streak comes from her mother, who worked in the hotel until she was 92. Guests who travelled to Revelstoke would often ask, “Where is Gramma Kay?” referring to Hoffman’s mother, who died last year at the age of 100.
It’s in Revelstoke where Hoffman met her husband, then an RCMP officer. The pair married and moved to Vancouver, and began what would eventually become a successful construction business by building resale homes during their off hours. The couple worked hard and as the business grew they decided it best to relocate in Kelowna. By this time, Hoffman’s husband had partnered with his brother-in-law – Hoffman’s sister’s husband – and the company continued growing and building projects throughout the province. Sadly, on a return flight from a job, their private plane crashed, killing Hoffman’s husband and brother-in-law. Hoffman, who had a six-year-old son at the time, was just 31.
“We worked our way through it,” says Hoffman, who never remarried. “It was very difficult and very tragic. I felt fortunate because it was a seven- passenger plane and they had dropped off five of our employees before the accident. But something like that makes you stronger.”
Because the 150-employee construction company had a good number of projects in the works, Hoffman managed the firm for the next five years to honour their obligations. Her cousin suggested she get into real estate because she knew construction, she enjoyed working with people and she loved the lake. That, she says, was a defining moment.
Today, Hoffman’s son is 39 and he has an eight-year-old son. They live nearby and that nearness is precious to Hoffman, who enjoys travelling with her grandson, taking him to Maui, her favourite spot in the world, and on short European jaunts. When Hoffman isn’t working, she enjoys skiing, ballroom dancing and fundraising for a local hospice.
And while Hoffman is at an age when many Canadians are retiring or thinking of it, she has no such plan. She does plan, however, to go on boosting the city she loves, works in and proudly calls home.
“I absolutely love where I live. I feel so fortunate. We have natural beauty, all the services you would need. I’m 45 minutes to the most incredible ski hill known as Big White. I can take my grandson to hockey in the morning, be at Big White by one and get home by five. It’s a really good lifestyle. And I never tire of working. I still get all excited and emotional about it even after 30 years.”
Kelly Putter is a contributing writer for REM.
