Vantage West Realty opened the doors to its expanded location in downtown Kelowna recently, introducing the real estate office of the future.
The new consultancy model promises improved customer service for home buyers and sellers, and more stability for real estate agents.
“The old brokerage model has existed more than a 100 years and hasn’t really changed; it creates a sink or swim environment for agents while home buyers are paying for a service that’s not meeting their needs,” says A. J. Hazzi, managing broker/owner of Vantage West.
The expansion comes at a time when Okanagan homes sales and property development is experiencing an upswing.
“We believe in where the market is going for Kelowna and over the past year we’ve seen our growth increase more than three times the acceleration curve of the market,” says Hazzi. “We feel now is the time to take a risk and make a bold move.”
Vantage West sales grew by 77 per cent over last year, while the Kelowna real estate market saw a healthy increase of 22 per cent. Much of the market confidence stems from the extensive investment and support of new development within the core of Kelowna.
“Our investment in the revitalization of Kelowna’s downtown has spurred new optimism for our city,” says Kelowna city councilor and mayoral candidate Colin Basran. “The city is not only attracting new development but it has become a welcoming place where young entrepreneurs can put down roots and grow their businesses.”
With a passion for helping people achieve homeownership, Vantage West is confident the new, cutting-edge realty model positions them well to serve the influx of homeowners looking to relocate in the Okanagan.
With each team member taking a unique role in the real estate process—marketing, new clients contact and client experience—Vantage West’s consultancy model frees the agent to focus solely on the home buyer and seller. Agents’ compensation is directly tied to the client experience, with bonuses given for top client ratings.
Not only is the super team concept more efficient as resources are pooled for marketing, Vantage West is seeing increased productivity, with agents selling more than three times that of local realtors. At 35 transactions per agent, Vantage West’s model far exceeds the industry average at nine and is double that of the top real estate network which report 15 transactions per agent.
“Generally, a realtor is wearing 20 hats, juggling the many parts of the home buying and selling process,” says Hazzi. “Here, all of our agents spend no time searching for the next client or dreaming up new marketing plans, and no time doing administrative tasks. All they do is serve their client.”
Vantage West Realty’s new offices are located in The Manhattan at 1060 Manhattan Drive.
