Steve Thompson of Chamberlain Property Group has always had a penchant for sales. Born in England, he was nine years old when he moved to Penticton, where he had a successful run in audio-video sales at Woodward’s.
With a personal passion for real estate, he switched career tracks and entered the industry at age 27 in 1991. He hasn’t looked back since.
“I enjoy it tremendously,” Steve says. “It’s a pretty cool business because you’re working with people who are buying or selling their largest asset. Being able to provide sound advice and negotiate hard for your clients’ best interest is very rewarding, especially when everything comes together in the offer/closing.”
Early on in his career, Steve teamed up with his mother, Ann Thompson, who was also a real estate agent. They had a successful partnership for over two decades until Ann retired in 2014. “We had a little slogan back in the day: ‘Twice the attention with the Thompsons,’” he says.
His wife, Tanya Thompson, left her career in the financial markets in 2011 to join Team Thompson Real Estate Group; she retired in 2021. Juliana Harstone, who was already working for Team Thompson Real Estate Group, rolled into Tanya’s position, bringing tremendous work ethic and tech-savvy skills.
Steve and Tanya have three children, aged 22, 25 and 32. Two live in the Okanagan and the eldest is in Vancouver. Now that his kids have left home, most of Steve’s free time is focused on playing golf and hanging out with his wife and two bulldogs.
He loves living in Penticton.
“It’s a beautiful spot,” he says. “It’s a nice-sized city and it’s never going to become a huge city because we’ve got the two lakes—Okanagan and Skaha—with the city in the middle. We’ll see some densification, but we aren’t going to become a really big place. I like the size: everything is within a 10-minute drive. We consider traffic to be bad when there are four people ahead of us at a stop sign. There are lots of great wineries, great hiking and walking trails, and a ski hill (Apex) is just 45 minutes away. It’s gorgeous.”
The 7 Sins
Envy: Whose shoes would you like to walk in?
Rory McIlroy. Rory has been such a great ambassador to the game of golf. In addition to being a phenomenal player, he donates a tremendous amount of time and money to kids through his foundation.
Gluttony: What is the food you could eat over and over again?
My wife’s roast chicken and turkey dinners are top of mind. Dining out, my go-to repeater is Thai food.
Greed: You’re given $1 million that you have to spend selfishly. What would you spend it on?
This is an interesting one... Selfishly, I would replace both of our daily cars, which are seven years old. Additionally I would pay off a family mortgage and contribute a good down payment for my three kids to purchase homes.
Wrath: Pet peeves?
Bad manners.
Sloth: Where would you spend a long time doing nothing?
I’d say Mexico, poolside or on a sandy beach just chilling.
Pride: What is the one thing you’re secretly proud of?
My children’s impeccable manners.
Lust: What makes your heart beat faster?
My entire family. I’m fortunate to still have my mom and dad alive and healthy in their mid-80s. I have a cool wife, great kids, an amazing sister, two crazy bulldogs and a great niece and nephew.