Diane Oude Voshaar, Business Woman, Real Estate Agent, Mother

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Business Woman, Real Estate Agent, Mother

Meet Diane Oude Voshaar, Real estate agent, mother of four and dedicated entrepreneur. Originally born in the Netherlands, her family moved to Canada when she was just ten years old to live on a Dairy farm. “Being raised on a farm, I quickly learned hard work and to never give up.” That mindset stuck with her through a divorce that left her to raise her four children by herself. Having to provide for four heads quickly turned her situation around and made her develop the resilience it takes to become an entrepreneur. She dove into her real estate career head first, which eventually found her way to a new business partner, which made her open her heart to a new love. The silver lining of it all; here is the story of Diane Oude Voshaar.

What made you decide to take on a real estate career?

I faced a tough divorce and was left to raise my kids alone. They were all under ten years old at the time. That’s when I decided it was time for a career change to prove to myself that I can do it. I started in real estate as an assistant and a sales manager at a new construction project. I wanted more, that’s when I decided to go for my license.

How long have you been in real estate now?

I’ve been licensed for eight years now. Before I got licensed I was an administrator, and even though the hours were good for my schedule with the kids, I wanted more control of my schedule and a bigger income. I wanted to be able to help more people in person and bring joy to them through their purchase in real estate.

What made you decide to take the leap of faith and work for yourself?

I think knowing what we had in the marriage, and knowing what my kids had, I wanted to make sure they could continue to have that. It wasn’t their fault that mom and dad couldn’t make it work. I had to make sure that I could support them on my own. Knowing that pushed me to step out of my comfort zone to learn the real estate industry . Life is challenging on its own. I think knowing that I ‘m responsible for four little people, made me push myself to keep going. I was raised to be independent and to do the best that I can do. At the time I always felt I was not doing enough for my kids. Maybe that was not the right way to look at things, but that helped me get further in building my career. You just have to keep going everyday. There’s going to be days where it’s the worst, and there’s going to be days that you just rock it. I have worked as a single agent, within a team and throughout those times I was able to lean on colleagues, learn how to navigate the world of sales. My focus was always my kids first then work. Being involved in their sports and school events have also over the years helped build my business due to the relationships I built with other parents.

Where do you see the real estate market heading in the Kitchener Waterloo area?

I see the residential market In Kitchener Waterloo continuing to be strong.House prices will continue to stay strong. There may be a shift soon in where we will have more supply and that will help slow down the crazy bidding wars. Kitchener Waterloo has great things to offer such as two great universities, Conestoga College and we have a strong tech community. Our city is central to so many other towns, that it makes it a great place to commute from. We are seeing multi families purchase homes. A big interest is having an accessory apartment or in-law suite in the home.

What type of real estate is good to invest in right now?

Residential is still a great real estate investment even with the change in higher prices. Its a solid investment and some people are getting creative to purchase a property together to gain their equity to build their portfolio. New condos have been a big hit for real estate investments. Due to high prices to purchase there are more people looking to rent.

What motivates you to succeed and reach for more?

My kids help set my goals – they truly are my motivation to success. They inspire me daily – they motivate me daily to keep going. Seeing them smile and succeeding in life, I know that I am doing the right thing. I see myself along with my partner Mark continue to grow our database and our presence throughout the city and smaller towns nearby.

What does success represent to you?

Success represents happiness; a balanced life, happy kids and spouse makes for great success.


(From left Samatha, Jasmyn, Diane, Kodie and Tyler)

How do you find work life balance?

It is so important to have balance which is not always easy to attain. Thankfully with a new life partner, I am able to find better balance in my life. I take the time to exercise, eat a balanced diet, enjoy being around friends, helping others in the community – my kids. Taking time just for me even if its a cup of coffee or glass of wine. Enjoying the outdoors – going for walks, bike rides, spending time with our dogs.

Today I look back at my life and sometimes wonder how I made it to where I am today. I was fortunate that I had so many amazing friends who supported me and were always there to help. As a single Mom I wanted to show my kids that you can be whatever you want to be. I especially wanted my girls to learn to be self sufficient, have strong self esteem and that they can conquer this world as a woman. Words to live by, be who you want to be, love yourself and others will love you and accept you for you.

In April 2019 I partnered up with my business Partner Mark Stuebing. Later that year after my kids telling me, “mom there is more there”, we fell in love and the rest is history. Today we live together in Breslau with my four kids and two dogs. I am blessed and have found my peace and happiness. I hope it continues and all I can say is” don’t give up, believe in yourself and that life is too short, you may not have tomorrow. Go live it.”

Follow her entrepreneurial journey on Instagram.

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