Janek Joins Exclusive Realty Chain Local Company Affiliates With Sotheby’s International Realty

People searching for the finest in luxury accommodations might consider a villa on the French Riviera, an English estate or a mansion in Greece.

But a log home in North Idaho?

Clients of Sotheby’s International Realty have begun to view properties in Eastern Washington and North Idaho.

A Spokane real estate firm, Janek Co., has become affiliated with the real estate arm of the exclusive London auction house.

“It gives us an opportunity to showcase our properties internationally,” said Jan Ekstrom, Janek’s owner. Janek pays a yearly fee, and had to be approved, to be affiliated with Sotheby’s.

Initially, Janek will list four properties through the Sotheby’s network: a $6 million dollar log home in Bonners Ferry, a $1.5 million ranch on the Elk River in British Columbia, a $1.4 million log home on 160 acres near Sandpoint, and an $895,000 Post Falls home.

Sotheby’s doesn’t have a minimum price requirement for homes listed on its network, Ekstrom said, but most cost at least $500,000.

“There are a lot of people outside our area who are very interested in the Northwest,” Ekstrom said. “We have some wonderful properties.”

Sotheby’s will give Janek access to an international network including 500 affiliated markets, client lists and regular advertising in Sotheby’s publications.

“The Idaho market in particular has become a destination market for second, third and fourth homes,” said Zack Wright, Sotheby’s western regional manager.

“People have known about Coeur d’Alene for years, but as better known markets such as Aspen, Vail and Sun Valley become glitzier and more populated, many are seeking what those markets were 20 years ago,” Wright said. “The North Idaho market sort of represents that new frontier.”

Since her affiliation with Sotheby’s began Sept. 1, Ekstrom has received new properties to list and has referred clients looking for property in Germany and in Florida to Sotheby’s agents in those places.

Though she’s only been in business for two years, Ekstrom has 50 employees and three offices, in Spokane, Coeur d’Alene and Post Falls. A fourth, in Liberty Lake, is under construction.

Ekstrom attributes her success to her focus on the region’s up-scale market.

“When I started, I looked for areas in our market where there was a void of service,” she said. “The upper end stood out clearly.”

Based in New York, Sotheby’s International Realty has U.S. offices in Palm Beach, Fla.; Beverly Hills, Calif.; San Francisco; Greenwich, Conn.; and Southhampton, Bridgehampton, and East Hampton, N.Y. International offices are in London, Paris, Hong Kong, Melbourne and Sydney.

Sotheby’s International Realty was founded in 1976. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sotheby’s Holdings, the parent company of the fine art auction house that held its first sale in 1744.

, DataTimes