Rebuilt With 36 Properties

✍️ By Debbie Balfour | WBN News | December 11, 2025 | Click HERE for your FREE Subscription to WBN News and/or to be a Contributor.

In a time when homeownership feels increasingly out of reach for many Canadians, one woman’s story is defying expectations and quietly inspiring a new wave of real estate investors.

Julie Hoffman, a Canadian mother of five, lost everything financially in the 2008 crash. With her credit in ruin and no savings to fall back on, she appeared to be the last person who could qualify for property ownership, let alone build a portfolio. Yet what followed was a real estate comeback that has captured attention across the country.

Hoffman rebuilt her life in Kelowna, BC, through creative real estate investing, acquiring 36 properties without using her own credit or money. Her strategy focused heavily on lease options, often referred to as rent-to-own agreements, which allowed her to structure win-win deals for families who didn’t qualify for traditional mortgages.

“I wasn’t just building wealth, I was solving problems,” Hoffman explains in the latest episode of Let’s Talk Real Estate Investing, hosted by Debbie Balfour. "Families needed homes. I needed a new start. Lease options became the bridge.”

The episode details how Hoffman not only closed dozens of deals with limited resources but also managed to purchase a foreclosure property directly from one of Canada’s major banks, RBC, despite her credit challenges at the time.

In an industry that often spotlights top-dollar investments and bank-financed empires, Hoffman’s story offers a counter-narrative: that of an everyday Canadian using resilience, creativity, and a service-first approach to achieve financial freedom.

Key takeaways from the podcast include:

How lease options can create opportunities for both investors and families
Why creative financing remains one of the most underused tools in the Canadian market
The mindset shift required to rebuild after a financial collapse
The importance of solving problems, not just acquiring properties

Hoffman also shares the tools she used to evaluate deals, educate herself, and take consistent action despite fear and uncertainty. Click here to access them.

Watch the full interview:

Julie Hoffman’s journey is a reminder that even in the face of significant obstacles, real estate can still be a powerful path to financial recovery and independence, especially when driven by purpose.

Debbie Balfour | Real Estate Investing Success Coach + Podcast Host
📍 Website: www.DebbieBalfour.com
📧 Email: Debbie@DebbieBalfour.com
🔗 LinkedIn: Debbie Balfour
▶️ YouTube Channel: youtube.com/@DebbieBalfour

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TAGS: #Real Estate Investing #Creative Financing #Lease Options #Let's Talk Real Estate Investing #Women In Real Estate #Financial Freedom #WBN News Langley #WBN News Abbotsford #WBN News Okanagan #WBN TV #Debbie Balfour