Meet Matchmaker Leora Hoffman [2024 Profile & Review]

Single in Maryland and looking for a matchmaker? It’s no surprise you’re wondering if Leora Hoffman can help find your ideal partner - she’s been in the industry for over 3 decades. 

But is she the best matchmaker for you? This Leora Hoffman matchmaker review will help you answer that question!

We’ve been in the matchmaking industry for over 14 years, and all that first-hand experience means we’re intimately familiar with what customers value most in a service. 

Our team of experts has reviewed more than 200 matchmaking services, ranging from small independent agencies to large international services. Our reviews are built on comprehensive research and a keen understanding of the industry.

Let's start by meeting the matchmaker…

Meet Leora Hoffman - From Law To Love

Born in Israel and raised in New York City, Leora Hoffman earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Juris Doctor (JD) from Hofstra University School of Law. 

After spending some time in London, she settled in the Washington, D.C., area to begin her legal career.

However, a pivotal conversation with her sister sparked a career shift that would take Hoffman from the courtroom to the realm of matchmaking. 

Her sister was thinking about hiring a matchmaking service in the area and told Hoffman it would cost her around $30,000, which Hoffman said was too high. 

As she shared in an interview, “I told her I’d be very leery spending that kind of money with anyone. But you just gave me a brainstorm for my next career.”

In 1989, she founded Leora Hoffman Associates, later rebranding as Love by Leora. 

The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, and serves singles in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. Her main area of focus is Baltimore and DC.

Hoffman mainly helps single baby boomers and seniors, describing her clientele in an interview:

“Many are divorced or widowed, and they want to start a new chapter in their lives. But they’re picky, and they’re busy. It really requires a specialist, in my opinion.” 

In the same interview, she revealed that around 60% of her clients are female, emphasizing the importance of finding eligible men for her database.

In 2020, Hoffman shared her accumulated knowledge and experience by publishing a book, “Catch Me a Catch: Chronicles of a Modern-Day Matchmaker.”

Her motivations for writing the book were to encourage people to introduce single friends and family members to one another and to inspire hope in those facing relationship struggles. 

In her own words, 

“Culturally, I think it’s so important for people to look out for each other and help them meet. It doesn’t seem to happen as much as it used to. The bottom-line reason I wrote the book is, if I can succeed after what I’ve been through, so can you.”

Her Matchmaking Philosophy

When working with clients, Hoffman's primary goal is to help them find their true love. 

As she describes it, 

"My mission is to find them their true love. It sounds corny, but it's really like trying to find the needle in the haystack." 

She understands that while she can introduce two people, it is ultimately up to them to connect and determine if there's chemistry.

Hoffman takes a more traditional approach, initially vetting potential clients through a phone conversation. 

As she mentioned in Matchmaker Review, one of the factors she uses for screening is “whether somebody wants to be in a loving relationship and wants to invest in that direction.”

Following the phone call, she schedules face-to-face consultations in which she delves deeper into each person's relationship history and personality. 

As she explains, 

“I get a complete history—a relationship history and a personal history. Everyone’s a new puzzle waiting to be solved, and every match is a new dynamic.”

These first few sessions are just the beginning of Hoffman’s matchmaking process. She maintains close contact with each client throughout their journey, from initial meetings to the potential development of a committed relationship.

Hoffman focuses on helping clients find physical, intellectual, and spiritual connections, rather than focusing on a single criteria, like occupation. 

She states that in today's speed-dating culture, many singles underestimate the time and energy needed to cultivate a lasting relationship. As she told the Washington Post, 

“People want instant results, and it doesn’t work that way.”

Hoffman advises clients to be patient and give potential partners more than one chance, even if the initial sparks don't fly. As she elaborates, 

“People are making very instantaneous judgments…and often they’re wrong. I’ve seen some situations where it may not be the bolt of lightning at first, but it developed into something very enduring.”

Her philosophy revolves around understanding each individual's needs and providing tailored coaching to help them navigate the path to a lasting relationship. Her approach is a blend of guidance and coaching, which she views as crucial for successful matchmaking. 

In her own words, 

“It’s really understanding somebody’s needs, being able to give them meaningful advice, encouragement, direction, focus, and also the coaching that is so critical when it comes to matchmaking." 

What To Expect As A Love By Leora Client

The matchmaking process at Love by Leora begins with either submitting an online inquiry or contacting the office via phone. Following an initial phone call, you’ll meet Hoffman in person to determine if you're a good fit for her services.

Love by Leora offers different levels of membership, including Basic, Executive Search, and Premier. The distinguishing factor for each level is not a fixed number of match referrals, but the amount of time and effort that will be invested during the membership period.

Active memberships run for 12 months within a two-year time frame, allowing you to place your search on hold if you meet someone and want to explore the relationship further. 

At the end of the two-year period, the membership expires, however, clients are eligible for renewal memberships at a discounted rate.

As a paying client, you’ll meet matches from within her existing singles database or sourced via her network.

The other option is to become a Resource Member, which simply means having your profile listed in her database. To go that route, submit an application online and Hoffman will contact you to arrange a meeting.

You’ll also complete a brief questionnaire, and share a little bit about yourself and what type of people you want to meet.

While the website does not disclose pricing for inclusion in the database, various online articles suggest you can expect to pay around $200 for this membership level.  Keep in mind this level is a passive search, so you may only be contacted sporadically, if ever. 

In addition to matchmaking, Hoffman also provides relationship consultations, online coaching, and prenuptial agreement planning.

How Much Does It Cost To Hire Leora Hoffman?  

Pricing for Leora Hoffman's matchmaking services isn’t disclosed on her website, which isn't uncommon. The cost of any matchmaking service often varies depending on the geographic scope of your search, your matching requirements, etc.

Based on prior reviews and media interviews, it’s safe to anticipate spending anywhere between $5,000 to $15,000 or more for Leora Hoffman matchmaking service.

Let’s take a look at what a few other Maryland matchmaking services charge, so you can budget accordingly.

Enamour, for instance, provides highly personalized and customized matchmaking services to successful, high-achieving singles in Maryland and beyond. 

As a client, your dedicated personal matchmaker will start by sourcing potential matches from within Enamour’s exclusive "invite-only" database. 

The matchmaking team also undertakes a proactive search beyond the database, using an extensive network of scouts and recruiting technology to identify candidates via a variety of online and offline sources. 

Enamour matchmaking packages start around $20,000.

Michelle Jacoby, the founder of DC Matchmaking, helps singles in DC, Maryland, and Virginia, much like Hoffman. Jacoby's service typically offers one-year packages, with prices starting around $15,000.

Exclusive Matchmaking, based out of Maryland, was founded by Susan Trombetti and typically works with men as paying clients. 

Matchmaking packages range anywhere from $7,500 to $250,000+ depending on the scope of your search. 

Leora Hoffman Reviews 

You won’t find too many online reviews, as the service has yet to be mentioned on platforms like Google, Trustpilot or the BBB. 

But Leora Hoffman Associates has been reviewed on Yelp, with 8 reviews resulting in a 3.4-star rating.

Of those who gave the service 5 stars, a few clients reported meeting someone special with Leora Hoffman’s help:

And this former client shared a positive experience with Hoffman’s attention to detail and open communication:

There were three 1-star Leora Hoffman reviews all mentioning incompatible matches. However, they were not recent and in two cases the former clients waited over a decade to post them. 

There are also 6 ‘not recommended’ Leora Hoffman reviews, the majority of which are 5-star. The sole 1-star reviewer shared that they received a very limited number of matches. 

Is Leora Hoffman The Best Matchmaker For You?

Online service reviews can be useful for gaining insights into a particular customer's experience. 

You can use those details to inspire questions to ask about a matchmaker’s process during your initial consultation. (Want a ready-made list, straight from the experts? Check out our Insider’s Guide To Hiring A Matchmaker!)

But reviews are only one piece of the puzzle. You also want to consider a matchmaker’s experience, clientele, etc. when making your decision. Leora Hoffman has been in the industry for decades, and she’s carved out a niche helping older singles find love.

And who you’ll be matched with is definitely something you want to consider! Many matchmaking services pull candidates from an internal database, and either don’t do proactive scouting or charge a premium for the additional service.

While your perfect match may have signed up with the same matchmaker, statistically speaking it’s almost impossible for any service to make consistently high-quality pairings from within a limited number of profiles in any one location. 

That’s because the numbers simply aren’t there when you consider that compatibility has to flow both ways for a match to work. 

This is why the most common complaint you’ll hear about matchmaking services in general is meeting people who don’t fit some - or any - of your specified criteria. It’s not because the matchmaker is a bad one, it’s because you’re being matched with who they have available. 

That’s why in general it’s good to consider using a service that provides proactive scouting outside of the database as well, like Enamour or VIDA Select. As you already read, Enamour uses AI, recruiting technology, and an extensive network of scouts to find qualified candidates. 

And VIDA Select’s modern approach leverages the single largest source of eligible singles there is. That means you can look forward to first dates with truly compatible matches, matches who are also excited to meet someone like you.

With VIDA, packages are offered on a monthly basis, so you can pay as you go rather than investing in a long-term, multi-month contract. Basic matchmaking starts at just $1195 per month, with Premium options beginning at $1795 per month. Elite packages start at only $2595 per month.

Clients typically meet someone within just 3 months of starting service. Intrigued? Go here to see if VIDA is right for you!

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