We had the good fortune of connecting with Evelyne Ouellet and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Evelyne, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I’m originally from Montreal, Quebec, and present myself to new friends and colleagues as a French-Canadian businesswoman living the California lifestyle. I came to California over 20 years ago when I was working for the Cirque du Soleil. It was an eye-opening experience, and I immediately fell in love with the Southern California vibe.

My upbringing had a significant impact on who I am today. My mother, whom I loved dearly, came from a family of 10 siblings, so even though I am an only child, I was always surrounded by lots of cousins and family. My parents divorced when I was 14 years old, and that was undoubtedly a turning point in my life where I became more of an independent young adult. It’s also when I started wanting to travel the world and discover the endless opportunities it had to offer in terms of cultures, languages, and values.

With travels and work experiences, I realized that I could actually choose where I wanted to live. Where I grew up didn’t have to be the place I’d live in for the rest of my life: It was my choice to find my nest. That was quite an enlightening discovery for me, and this is the main reason why I love to travel so much: there’s an enormous sense of freedom that comes with it because it challenges beliefs you didn’t even know you had. Through travels to England, Denmark, and France, I learned something new in every country.

In 2011, my husband and I decided to move to California. We’d worked in Santa Monica with the Cirque du Soleil 10 years prior and had embraced the lifestyle wholeheartedly. Side note: I’d had the chance to travel the world, and SoCal was (and still is) without a doubt my happy place. I’m still amazed that one can find miles of beaches, desert, ski resorts, wineries, and national parks within a few hours’ drive of each other!

We bought a house right within the first 6 months, and it was a thrilling yet slightly challenging time for us. Our daughter only spoke French, so she had to learn a new language, go to school and make new friends. But, with support and love from friends, family, and lots of perseverance, we made it work and accomplished our goal.

Now that I own a real estate business in SoCal, Evelyne Ouellet Homes & Lifestyle, it means the world to me to help immigrants find their desired home and lifestyle here in Los Angeles, California.

What should our readers know about your business?
What sets me apart in the Real Estate world, you ask? Thanks to my strong marketing background and personal experiences in buying and selling homes, I can honestly put myself in my client’s shoes. It’s a top priority to understand what is essential for them and why. Clients, colleagues, and friends have also told me I am a great listener and negotiator. Finally, I am a social butterfly, three essential skills to succeed in the real estate industry, with both sellers and buyers.

Mostly, I excel with international clients because I understand what they are going through and its complexity. For example, in Quebec (Canada), an escrow (spelled escroc) is a con artist, someone that steals your money! However, here in the US, the escrow officer is the person you need to trust and who will accomplish the transaction when buying or selling a home! There are several other examples like these out there, and I believe my international background helps me give boutique experience to clients at an exceptional level.

I have a completely different approach than other industry colleagues, as I like to work hand in hand with my clients. Previous professional experiences such as supporting the CEO of the Cirque du Soleil and Virgin’s Richard Branson have provided me with a unique edge. My team at the Wendy Davis Group also strongly believes that teamwork with our clients is the only way to win the projects we work on. With this firm belief, we help investors, buyers, and sellers build wealth in the long term.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I have several favorite spots in LA, and don’t ask me to pick only a few because that’s an impossible task! I have broken them down by cities to make it easier for my friends who visit or are looking for their dream home in these areas. I should mention that I pay much attention to Minority Female-Owned Businesses. I believe that we can make a difference in other people’s successes by paying attention to everyday actions and encouraging each other, even in simple acts such as buying a coffee or a pair of earrings.
Manhattan Beach: The Strand House and Love & Salt for the beach vibe, the service and the amazing food.
Hermosa Beach: Lucky 7 for the best coffee in town, Barsha for a taste of Tunesia in a stunning decor, and Tower 12 for the food, the ambiance and to run into someone I know! Let’s not forget about The Spot, a vegan restaurant right around the corner from the beach founded in 1977, which I love since I eat primarily whole food plant-based.
Redondo Beach: Rockefeller for the outdoor patio, Kahili for a taste of Hawaii and the best gift shop for friends or for yourself!
Santa Monica: Wally’s, for the uniqueness of the wine store, cheese shop and high-end social restaurant.
Venice: Abbott Kinney is a street I absolutely love. The cafés are amazing and the boutiques are the most inspiring. Just walk around with an open mind and discover it all!

On top of shopping and eating in delicious restaurants, I like to run on the Hermosa Green Belt, bike on the strand, and swim in the ocean. Fun fact: I was four times awarded IRONMAN Finisher and am an eleven-time IRONMAN 70.3 Finisher. LA offers such a large outdoor playground and every time I’m being active outside, it makes me feel alive!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

The most important shoutout is to my support system. My parents always believed in me, sometimes more than I did in myself. My mom is one of the most determined people I know, and my father transferred his passion for real estate to me and encouraged me to start my real estate company in California. Yanick Turgeon has been my loyal partner in crime for 22 years and works hard as a CFO for a tech company, which has helped us achieve our ideal lifestyle in Hermosa Beach with our 17-year-old daughter Alexane. She wants to go to college in the UK and travel just like her father and I did. We hope she will come back to LA after her studies! Finally, let’s not forget about my grandparents, cousins, and friends, whom all offered so much love, encouragement, and wisdom throughout my life. They also taught me that happiness is accessible anywhere, anytime to everyone. It’s our family goal: we aspire to be joyful and content daily.

I also need to give a shoutout to the acquaintances who gave me wings and supported me throughout my travels around the world with the Cirque du Soleil. They helped me realize that I could choose my path in life. The lifestyle I chose to embody is solely my choice, and realizing that I had much more power over it than I thought was illuminating. These friends have become family, and simultaneously my relatives have also become friends of my community. It’s also my motto with my real estate clients and business partners at work.

Website: https://www.evelyneouellet.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evelyne_homes_lifestyle/?hl=en

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/evelyne-ouellet-mba-b990a327/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ouelletrealty

Yelp: evelyne ouellet homes & lifestyle

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa9dPTwDoif5E47_crbvF_g

Other: https://www.facebook.com/evelyne.ouellet/

Image Credits
Aaron Rapoport Thomas James Homes

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