Karis society co-executive Deborah Klassen receives a $25,275 donation cheque from A.J. Hazzi from Vantage West Realty.
Kelowna real estate firm posts annual sales of $250 million
Vantage West Realty in Kelowna has marked their 10th anniversary with a donation to provide housing for those in need.
The realtors marked the milestone with a celebration with clients earlier this month, where $25,275 was raised for the Karis Support Society through donations and a live auction.
The Karis Support Society provides a loving home and counselling for women struggling with addictions and mental health challenges. The non-profit organization is the only recovery program in the Okanagan to offer safe housing to women and their babies. The three-story Karis Building located in the Central Green development on Rowcliffe Avenue is home to 36 women and 15 children.
Vantage West Realty was founded by A. J. Hazzi in 2008 and has grown to a team of 30, with annual real estate sales of $250 million.
“It’s safe to say, how we sell real estate is going to change a lot in the next few years, but why we sell real estate will not change,” says Hazzi. “We want to serve our clients at the highest possible level that you can’t get anywhere else. We truly are trying to build the real estate office of the future.”
For Hazzi, happy clients are the driving force behind the success of Vantage West. More than 70 per cent of their business comes from client referrals.
In 2017, Vantage West Realty released its the first edition of a new seasonal real estate market study, the Vantage Report. The report delves deep into market trends for 16 distinct neighbourhoods in Kelowna, West Kelowna, Lake Country and Peachland.
Highlights for Hazzi and his team over the last decade, include a residential property sold for $10 million and their most successful year in 2016, where the team met their goal to find new homes for 425 families.
In 2014, the realty firm opened the doors to its expanded location in downtown Kelowna, introducing their new consultancy model. Each team member has a unique role in the real estate process: marketing, new clients contact and client experience and frees agents to focus solely on the homebuyer and seller. Agents’ compensation is directly tied to the client experience, with bonuses given for top client ratings.
That same year, Hazzi was one of the few Canadians to be named of in the Top 500 Marketing Experts in the U.S. and Canada by the National Association of Expert Advisors (NAEA).
“Top performers have demonstrated that they have mastered their ability to communicate their competitive advantage,” says Jay Kinder, CEO of NAEA. “They’ve overcome the challenge integrating their online/offline marketing strategies and keeping their brand both professionally and personally relevant to their clients.”
In 2015, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce honoured Hazzi with a business excellence award, naming him Young Entrepreneur of the Year. The award recognizes entrepreneurs aged 40 or under who has been in business for at least three years and demonstrate exceptional leadership.
The Vantage West Realty is located at 1060 Manhattan Drive and on the web at vantagewestrealty.com. You can donate to the Karis Support society online at karis-society.org.
Vantage West founder A. J. Jazzi with Philippa Douglas of the Karis Support Society and Nick Hazzi, senior partner at Vantage West.
See more photo here: Vantage West celebration.
