If you’re looking to buy a condo in Victoria and English isn’t your first language, chances are Andrew Hobbs can help.

Fluent in Mandarin and French as well as his native English, Hobbs seamlessly bridges cultures and connects the dots on real estate deals for clients from around Canada as well as overseas. Hobbs estimates about ten percent of his clients are Chinese speakers—and if 2015 is any indication, that number will continue to grow.

Trilingual—And a Top Performer, Too

Upon graduating from the University of Victoria with his Bachelor of Education, Hobbs moved to Taiwan and taught English. Not a man to do anything by halves, he signed up for Mandarin lessons, five days a week, for three years straight. Hobbs stayed in Taiwan for ten years. While there, he met his wife, Shu-Hui.

After investing in a revenue property in 2003, Hobbs realized he was curious about and stimulated by real estate. He completed his license while overseas. An islander by birth, Hobbs had always planned to return to Canada, and so in 2008, he and Shu-Hui moved with their first child to Victoria. Since then, the family—and Hobbs’s business—has grown and flourished.

He joined The Condo Group in 2009 and worked steadily at building his network, investing his energy in helping other agents serve their clients. His hard work paid off: in 2009, Hobbs earned the Bronze MLS award, signifying his placement in the top 30% of agents with the Victoria Real Estate Board.

Not bad for a rookie.

Andrew Hobbs with his family.

Fluent in Mandarin. Fluent in Victorian.

Far from being a rookie nowadays, Hobbs estimates about 70% of his business to be in condos, and the rest in single-family homes. Tempered and gracious, Hobb’s professional persona is well suited to Victoria, where the vibe is slightly more laid-back than it is on the lower mainland. Born and raised on Vancouver Island (he grew up in Shawnigan Lake), Hobbs’ far-reaching experience with life on both sides of the Pacific positions him as a knowledgeable expert with a stunning breadth of cultural awareness. His deep understanding of Asian social norms helps him establish a trusting, mutually respectful rapport with clients. Because he understands the “little things”, he is able to bridge cultures in a way few other Victoria agents can. 

I’m showing condos to families from other cities where owning a single-family home is not as much of an option.

Where typically condo ownership has been the domain of empty nesters or first-time buyers, Hobbs now sees more families making the choice. “I’m showing condos to families from other cities where owning a single-family home is not as much of an option. And they don’t want to take care of a yard! In Shanghai or Beijing, people don’t feel it’s restrictive to raise a family in a condo,” he says. 

As for Canadians (who generally still tend to aspire to that $700,000 house…plus the attendant yard, energy and maintenance costs), Hobbs says the smart thing to do is to leap-frog toward that goal by first sinking those hard-earned dollars into a condo and staying the course for seven or eight years. This lets the investment grow at market pace, which is sometimes much quicker than that offered by more traditional investment vehicles.

Hobbs acknowledges there is a healthy supply of new product on the Victoria condo market, but he also sees that these new builds are very well received by the public. When buyers see older buildings, he says, they immediately think about the maintenance involved in keeping them up despite their larger square footage. New condos carry no such baggage. Purchasing trends favour newer, more compact, and more convenient to amenities—and it’s actually the buyers who are driving the developers’ decisions, not the other way around, as is commonly thought. “Consumers will purchase a slightly smaller unit in order to have better quality at a more affordable price,” Hobbs says. “The market has been challenging, and affordability is paramount.” 

It’s a trend that’s gaining steam in both the Vancouver and Victoria markets—and Victoria is by far the more affordable of the two. The decision is easy, says Hobbs, considering Victoria enjoys twice the sunshine and boasts beaches, forests and mountains, all within minutes of downtown.

Smaller footprints, better designs, closer to work and easier to maintain. It’s a lifestyle that our neighbours to the east have known and loved for years—and it’s one that Andrew Hobbs is pleased to introduce you to, no matter where you hail from.