It is difficult to overstate the importance of real estate in any economy, developed or developing. It affects practically every residential and business activity at all levels of society in some way. While some great real estate developers only work for financial gain, others do it because they love what they do and want to change the world and economy for the better.
We look to influential members of the new-home real estate industry to lead the way – such as Johannes van Leenen. With over 25 years in the industry, Johannes has been involved in building over 2,500 homes and has earned the reputation of being one of Canada’s most sought-after production home builders. Johannes has a wealth of experience in both single and multi-family development in Western Canada and his passion for real estate has recently expanded to launch Fifth Avenue Properties, developing in Alberta, Arizona, British Columbia, and more.
Johannes grew up in a home where real estate was always a topic of discussion. At the age of 12, he began working for his father’s company, sweeping homes and shoveling snow in -20°C temperatures throughout various communities. When he was 20, he started selling new-home real estate and quickly became recognized for both his volume of home sales and customer satisfaction. At the age of 30, he won the award for Canada’s Top New Home Salesperson. In 2004, he started his own company working out of his basement, investing countless hours into home design and coming up with the right floor plans and exterior elevations that would meet the community’s needs. “I spent time teaching the ins and outs of the industry to people that were interested in new-home real estate to build a team of winners that were committed to the dream of building a successful company. A huge part of my initial success was befriending people in the community and understanding what the community needed.” Johannes speaks of his success and the importance of creating a strong team of employees and listening to the needs of the community, in order to build the right homes.
Johannes’s leadership extends beyond the boardroom, having volunteered as a football
coach for over 30 years. He has mentored thousands of young men on the field, leading his teams to regional and provincial championships. Much like within his corporate offices, he works diligently to create a strong working culture based on the principles of respect, honesty, and hard work, to help shape his employees into successful academics, professionals, and entrepreneurs. This strong work ethic and Johannes’s passion for helping people and building positive cultures and relationships have certainly helped to make Fifth Avenue Properties into the award-winning group it is today.
With an impressive portfolio of homes that now includes properties in Kelowna, Calgary, and Beaver Lake, Arkansas, the J. van Leenen Series embodies traditional and contemporary design styles that help to create vibrant and inclusive communities for people to call home, therefore it is easy to see why Johannes van Leenen has become one of Canada’s most sought-after production home builders.