Blair Thompson

Sherman Oaks Real Estate | Home Sales | Construction | The Next Step Homes

A Different Kind of Real Estate Experience

Growing up on a small goat farm in Indiana taught Blair Thompson some things that have stayed with him throughout his life: the value of hard work, the satisfaction of accomplishing something difficult, and the understanding that sometimes things don’t go according to plan.

Those lessons have served him well through more than three decades in the real estate and housing business.

Blair came to Los Angeles from Indiana more than 35 years ago and has made Southern California his home ever since. He has been involved in virtually every aspect of residential real estate—from buying and selling homes to marketing, escrow and transaction management, brokerage, foreclosures and short sales, property rehabilitation, remodeling, new construction and construction management.

Today, Blair brings all of those experiences together as a real estate professional serving Sherman Oaks and the surrounding San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles communities. His particular focus has evolved toward helping homeowners navigate what he calls The Next Step of Housing—the often complicated decisions that come when a home that once worked perfectly no longer fits the way a person or family lives.

But his story started somewhere very different.

From Indiana to Los Angeles

While attending Purdue University, Blair learned to appreciate both the value of education and the importance of being exposed to different people, ideas and experiences. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Institutional Management in 1997.

During college, he worked in the hospitality industry as an auditor and night manager for hotels and restaurants. He also spent time working in the catering department at the Indianapolis 500 and later helped open a new luxury hotel.

It was an interesting education in its own right.

Blair quickly discovered that hospitality is very much a 24-hours-a-day, 365-days-a-year business. That realization led him in another direction—travel.

He entered the travel industry and quickly discovered that his growing aptitude for computers, combined with what he describes as a natural “soft sales” approach, made him well suited to the rapidly developing business of arranging travel. He moved into outside sales management positions and eventually made the decision to change both careers and geography.

That brought him to Los Angeles.

Discovering Real Estate in Los Angeles

After arriving in Los Angeles, Blair became an Outside Sales Manager for a regional travel agency. But the travel industry was changing rapidly. Computers, airlines and hotels were beginning to handle many of the functions traditionally performed by travel agents.

Once again, it was time for a career change.

Blair looked around at the place he had chosen to live. Los Angeles was—and remains—one of the most challenging and valuable housing markets in the country.

His thought was essentially: If I’m going to live in one of the most expensive housing markets in the country, I might as well learn how it works.

So he enrolled in real estate school.

With very limited previous real estate experience and having recently arrived in California, passing the California Department of Real Estate salesperson examination was no small accomplishment. Blair put in the hours, studied late into the night and passed the examination on his first attempt.

That began his real estate career in 1993.

Learning the Business From the Ground Up

Blair was fortunate early in his real estate career to work under the guidance of an experienced mentor who was a well-known and respected fixture in the residential real estate community of Toluca Lake and surrounding neighborhoods.

She provided Blair with an invaluable introduction to the business of representing both buyers and sellers of homes. Together, they eventually moved from a small Better Homes and Gardens franchise to RE/MAX, which at the time represented a relatively new concept in real estate—an entrepreneurial company built around highly motivated independent agents.

That environment fit Blair extremely well.

When he joined, the company had one office and approximately 25 agents. Over the following decade it grew to seven offices, including a significant commercial division and some of the leading residential offices in the area, eventually reaching more than 600 agents.

Blair was learning not only how to sell homes, but how a real estate business actually works.

The Sherman Oaks Connection

At some point, Blair decided that if he was going to tell people about the importance of owning a home and becoming part of a community, he should practice what he preached.

He purchased his own home in Sherman Oaks.

That decision cemented his connection to the community. Sherman Oaks wasn’t simply a place where Blair sold houses. It became his home, his neighborhood and a community in which he developed roots.

Over the years, he has developed an extensive understanding of Sherman Oaks and the surrounding communities, including Studio City, Encino, Valley Village, Toluca Lake, North Hollywood, Van Nuys and Tarzana.

That local knowledge matters.

Real estate isn’t simply about square footage, bedrooms and comparable sales. It is about understanding neighborhoods, streets, development patterns, schools, traffic, housing styles, property improvements, community concerns and how people actually live in a particular area.

Building One of Sherman Oaks’ Leading Real Estate Teams

During this period, Blair joined four other experienced real estate agents to form a team at a time when the concept of real estate teams was still relatively new.

The idea was simple: combine talented people, pool resources, specialize in different parts of the business and create a stronger operation for clients.

Blair became heavily involved in the internal operations of the team, overseeing marketing, escrows, transaction processes and other aspects of the business.

That meant he was intimately involved in virtually every transaction.

The volume was intense. At its peak, the team handled as many as 30 closings in a month.

The team eventually grew to eight agents and three assistants and became the #1 producing real estate group in Sherman Oaks and Studio City, with a substantial presence throughout the surrounding Los Angeles neighborhoods.

The experience gave Blair something that cannot easily be learned in a classroom: exposure to hundreds of different houses, buyers, sellers, negotiations, problems and solutions.

It also taught him that successful real estate is about much more than getting a listing and putting a sign in the yard.

Becoming a California Real Estate Broker

After several years on the team, Blair returned to selling real estate independently.

In 2004, he upgraded his California real estate salesperson license to become a Real Estate Broker.

Becoming a broker required substantial additional education and a significantly more demanding examination. Blair passed the broker examination on his first attempt.

Soon afterward, he joined Sotheby’s International Realty, where he was exposed to a very different segment of the residential real estate market.

The Sotheby’s brand carried high expectations, high-profile clients and higher-end properties. Blair adapted his business accordingly, expanding his experience with luxury and higher-value residential real estate.

Then the housing market changed dramatically.

The 2008 Housing Crisis Changed Everything

The financial and real estate meltdown beginning in 2008 reshaped the housing business.

Blair responded the way he has throughout his career—by adapting.

Together with several former team members, he formed a new operation specializing in foreclosures, short sales and institutional real estate sales. At the time, these properties represented a significant portion of the market.

This required developing relationships with banks and financial institutions, managing distressed properties and figuring out how to transform neglected and often severely compromised houses into marketable, livable homes.

That experience became an important bridge between Blair’s real estate career and his future in construction.

From Selling Homes to Understanding How They Are Built

As the housing market recovered, Blair began working extensively with investors who were purchasing properties to renovate and resell.

He helped buyers locate potential properties, analyze the economics, determine what improvements made sense and plan for the eventual resale.

Eventually, a large investor approached Blair about creating a repeatable process for purchasing distressed properties and systematically renovating them.

The relationship expanded into construction management.

Other investors subsequently hired Blair to manage the complete process of buying, renovating and selling investment properties.

What began as an extension of his real estate business became a substantial part of his professional life.

At one point, his business was roughly divided between real estate sales and construction/project management.

More Than a Real Estate Agent

Over the years, Blair has managed an extensive range of residential construction projects.

His experience includes major remodels, additions, property renovations, new construction and the construction of an entire tract of nine homes from the ground up through final completion.

His role has varied depending upon the project. At times he has served as an Owner’s Representative, protecting the owner’s interests and coordinating the process. In other situations he has acted as a Project Manager, becoming the day-to-day face and driving force behind the General Contractor and construction team.

He has been involved in virtually every phase of residential construction:

• Concept and feasibility
• Property acquisition and analysis
• Design and basic CAD drawings
• Planning and architectural coordination
• Permitting and entitlements
• Geological and other property studies
• Contractor selection and management
• Construction oversight
• Remodeling and additions
• Budget and schedule management
• Inspections
• Completion and certificates of occupancy
• Preparing properties for actual occupancy or resale

That construction background has become one of Blair’s greatest assets as a real estate professional.

A house isn’t just a house to him.

He understands how it is put together, what improvements can add value, what problems can become expensive surprises and where homeowners can sometimes spend money that will not be recovered when they sell.

That knowledge is particularly valuable when helping homeowners decide whether to remodel, sell as-is, renovate before selling, move, downsize or remain where they are.

A Different Kind of Real Estate Business

As the real estate industry continued to evolve, Blair chose to work with Skymark Real Estate Group, a boutique independent brokerage based in Beverly Hills.

The independent environment allows him to conduct his business in the way he believes works best for his clients.

For Blair, that means relationships come first.

He doesn’t believe every seller needs the same strategy. He doesn’t believe every buyer needs the same approach. And he certainly doesn’t believe that every homeowner should simply make their house look like the latest model home before putting it on the market.

Sometimes the smartest decision is to remodel.

Sometimes it is to do nothing.

Sometimes the best move is to sell.

And sometimes the real estate decision is only one part of a much larger life decision.

That realization has led Blair to his current focus.

The Next Step of Housing

Today, Blair is placing particular emphasis on helping mature homeowners navigate downsizing and housing transitions.

He calls this The Next Step Homes.

As we get older, our housing needs inevitably change. Sometimes the change is exciting. Sometimes it is necessary. And sometimes it is a combination of both.

The house that was perfect when children were young may feel very different after the kids leave.

A large property may become more maintenance than a homeowner wants.

A longtime homeowner may have substantial equity but be unsure how to turn that equity into a better housing situation.

A homeowner may be considering a condominium, a smaller home, a senior community, moving closer to family, moving out of Los Angeles or moving into the city.

Families may be considering multigenerational living, an ADU or guest house, bringing parents into the home or having adult children return.

And sometimes a family simply reaches the difficult point where a parent’s longtime home needs to be sold.

These situations involve far more than real estate.

They involve finances, family, emotions, timing, possessions, maintenance, lifestyle and the memories accumulated over decades.

Blair has personally experienced these issues within his own family and has helped many clients navigate similar transitions.

His goal is not simply to sell a house.

It is to help people understand their options and make an informed decision about what comes next.

A Longtime Member of the Sherman Oaks Community

Blair’s connection to Sherman Oaks extends well beyond real estate.

He has been actively involved with the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association, including co-directing a committee that worked to provide community input regarding the redevelopment of the Sunkist Cooperative property into a significant housing and retail project.

That process involved working with developers, city departments and regulatory agencies and balancing the interests of the community with the realities of development.

The result was a project that ultimately served the developer’s objectives while becoming a productive addition to the community.

Blair believes that being a good real estate professional means understanding the community in which you work—not simply knowing the current listing inventory.

A Life of Service

Blair has always been involved in activities outside his business.

He has been a husband for more than 30 years and is the father of two now-adult children.

Over the years, he has chaired major fundraising efforts benefiting Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He served on the board and as President of the School Parents Association in Sherman Oaks. He also served on the board and as President of his spiritual center, helping guide the organization through the extraordinarily difficult period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He has always believed that being successful is about more than business.

It is also about being useful.

Currently, Blair is putting his construction experience to work helping build the 2026 Rose Parade float for Burbank, welding and constructing portions of the display that will ultimately be seen by millions of people on New Year’s Day.

Whether he is selling a home, managing a construction project, helping a family navigate a housing transition or volunteering in his community, Blair enjoys being hands-on and finding practical solutions to complicated problems.

Life Beyond Real Estate

Blair is also an enthusiastic home coffee roaster.

In his search for better and fresher coffee, he began sourcing green coffee beans and roasting them at home. What started as an interest in finding great coffee has evolved into Simplee Sumptuous Select Coffee, a small personal brand he enjoys sharing with fellow coffee enthusiasts.

He also enjoys taking his retro-themed camper to local beaches for a little quiet, solitude and time in nature.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly for someone whose career has revolved around houses, he continues to spend considerable time working on and remodeling his own home.

He has owned that home since 2000 and enjoys being hands-on—understanding a project, figuring out how to make it better and creating the finished product himself.

Why Blair?

There are many real estate agents in Sherman Oaks.

Blair believes what distinguishes him is the breadth of experience he brings to the table.

He has been a California real estate professional since 1993 and a licensed Real Estate Broker since 2004. He has represented buyers and sellers, managed high-volume residential transactions, worked with luxury properties, handled distressed real estate, worked with banks and investors, managed renovations and construction projects, and helped homeowners make difficult decisions about their homes.

He has lived in Los Angeles for more than 35 years and has deep roots in Sherman Oaks.

He understands the emotional side of selling a longtime home because he understands that a home is rarely just an asset.

He understands construction because he has actually managed it.

He understands investment properties because he has worked extensively with investors.

He understands the mechanics of a real estate transaction because he has been involved in thousands of them.

And he understands that sometimes the most important question a homeowner can ask isn’t:

“How much is my house worth?”

It may be:

“What should I do next?”

That is the philosophy behind Blair Thompson Homes and The Next Step Homes.

Whether you are buying your first home, selling a longtime Sherman Oaks residence, moving within the San Fernando Valley, considering a major remodel, evaluating your home equity or beginning a downsizing or housing transition, Blair brings decades of real-world experience to the process.

Real estate is about houses. But ultimately, it is about people and the lives they build in those houses.

And after more than three decades in the business, Blair still finds that to be the most interesting part of what he does.