Team Spotlight: Q&A with Jane Thuet

(Jane Thuet/contributed)

Each Wednesday, Real Estate Magazine shares insights, experiences and advice from top-performing teams and agents across Canada. If you’d like to contribute or nominate a colleague or team, send us an email.

With two years of disciplined coaching, Jane Thuet has gone from strong solo producer to top one per cent nationally. In 2024, she tripled production and climbed into the top 45 of 2,400+ agents at her brokerage. In 2025 to date, she’s ranked 27 and on track for a 50 per cent personal year-over-year increase, with her team pacing to grow 31 per cent.

Team: Inner Circle Real Estate Group, Re/Max Hallmark
Market: Durham Region (Pickering, Ajax, Whitby, Oshawa, Clarington) and Toronto
Structure: Three agents, one admin

REM: How did you get into real estate?
JT: After moving to Whitby, I was commuting downtown three hours a day and working 15-hour days. I wanted my income to reflect my effort, to be my own boss and to control my schedule. My grandfather was a very successful Realtor, and my grandma suggested I take the courses. I did, and I’ve never looked back.

REM: Why build a team?
JT: By 2020, I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t follow up at the level my clients deserved, and I was capping out on time. Building a team has let me maintain service standards and grow sustainably.

REM: Who does what today?
JT: We’re collaborative by design. I lead vision, finance (with a bookkeeper) and recruiting; ops runs through me and my admin. Training is supported by KBI. I intentionally didn’t put my name on the team so partners have autonomy within the brand.

REM: First hires that changed the business?
JT: Admin, a sales agent and a coach. Coaching was the catalyst.

REM: Your first-hire advice?
JT: Hire slow, fire fast. Don’t hire another “you.” Hire for your blind spots — if you dislike paperwork, find someone detail-obsessed and organized. The right fit beats “busy help” every time.

REM: Top lead sources now?
JT: Repeat and referral, Facebook leads and open houses.

REM: If one channel vanished tomorrow, what would hurt most — and why?
JT: Referrals. If we stopped investing in our database, the business would feel it immediately.

REM: How do new leads get handled?
JT: Facebook and Realtor.ca flow into Follow Up Boss, then round-robin to the team. Drips start, and agents aim to contact within an hour and keep calling/texting until we connect and qualify. Candidly, accountability on follow-up is our biggest growth opportunity — which is why we’re implementing a KBI (Kathleen Black International) ecosystem to tighten it up.

REM: Typical response-time goal?
JT: Within an hour.

REM: Core tech stack?
JT: Follow Up Boss (CRM); Agent Locator (site/IDX); KBI Coaching; KBI budgets for forecasting; Monday.com for tasking and visibility — it’s visual, intuitive, and we actually use it.

REM: Spend philosophy and ROI?
JT: Roughly 25 to 30 per cent back into marketing (staging, video, client events), five to 10 per cent into staff. Facebook cost per lead averages about $11. Our ROAS needs to improve — consistency in follow-up is the lever, and we’re addressing it with automation and accountability.

REM: What kind of agents thrive with you?
JT: Team players who do the basics consistently.

REM: What behaviours do you reward, which behaviours get you benched?
JT: Reward: prospecting, consistency, attitude, stretching your comfort zone and a commitment to personal and professional development.A lack of accountability, entitlement and apathy will get you benched.

REM: If a leader has $5,000/month for the next six to 12 months, how should they invest it?
JT: Mine your database — client events, networking and meaningful touches.

REM: Minimum viable follow-up cadence?
JT: We’re formalizing it with the KBI/FUB buildout, but the goal is fast first contact, structured touches and visible accountability.

Lightning round

One tech you’d fight to keep: Monday.com and Follow Up Boss
Marketing hill you’ll die on: Client events (and yes, even pie day)
Agents fail because… they don’t prospect or follow up. They chase shiny objects and stay “busy” with non-income tasks. Real estate is a relationship business; you should be having conversations daily.
Teams win because… a high-performance, collaborative culture pushes everyone to bring their best ideas and strengths — and grow together.

Editor’s note: Jane Thuet answered our questions in the fall of 2025, as part of a feature in a special print edition of REM.