I'm considered a bit of a unicorn around Canmore as a actual born & raised local. It's true - we do exist but are becoming extinct with the increased costs of living making it harder and harder for locals to stay in the Bow Valley but where there's a will, there's a way and it's well worth the effort!
Raised by hard working locals, my Mom was a teacher with Canadian Rockies School Division for over 25 years and my Dad is a plumber/pipefitter who has worked on a significant portion of the homes & hotels built in the Bow Valley between the 1980's-late 2000's and is still hard at work on the Spring Creek new construction. I grew up watching my parents work hard to create a life for my sister and I, often working multiple jobs to cover costs, as many locals currently do today too, as I have over the years but more about that later.
After graduating from Canmore Collegiate High School, I attended U of C as a business major for 2 years before deciding to study abroad and changing major to a Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. My concentration was news analysis and meta data which helps me understand the science behind digital marketing and mainstream news distribution. While I didn't expect to get into Real Estate when I chose my degree, it has a lot of real world application that has helped guide my marketing strategy in Real Estate.
Following my studies, I came home to Canmore but admittedly, was at a bit of a loss for what I wanted to do professionally. One thing I knew was that I needed a career that allowed me to sustain a future in the Bow Valley. Growing up I always had an interest in new construction, my Dad would let me look around his job sites and critique the homes before they were handed over to the new owner and I love seeing the different design elements and choices from a young age. Unfortunately for me, my sister inherited the creative gene so becoming a designer wasn't in my wheelhouse. Luckily my Grandma worked at Century 21 as a weekend receptionist which is where I got my first exposure to working in Real Estate as Grandma's (very helpful, I'm sure) Assistant. With more of an emphasis on numbers, stats and contract law than design, it was much more in line with my strengths and thus began my road to becoming a Real Estate Agent.
I got my first 'real' job as a Junior Administrator at PEKA Property Management in town in their Condominium management department where I gained invaluable experience in understanding how Condominiums function and created a mental inventory of what the various condominiums offered as far as unit style & amenities. At the same time, I worked part time for Shawn Biggins at Commercial Real Estate Services to learn the Commercial market and I worked part time at a local retail store too, all while studying to get my Real Estate License - needless to say, I thrive in a little chaos and can manage my time better than most! Gaining work experience in Property Management and Commercial Real Estate has helped project my career forward in ways I never anticipated, most importantly, showing me early in my career that although I have my commercial & property management licenses, my heart wasn't in either of those channels of Real Estate so I learned without a doubt that residential sales was where I wanted to concentrate my focus.
Once Licensed, I went down to part time at PEKA and started working at ReMax Alpine Realty in 2016 where I found early success but also didn't feel I was getting the exposure to the volume of transactions I needed to truly learn the craft and best represent my Clients. In late 2019, I was approached my a senior Agent & Associate Broker to join her top producing Team where I stayed for 3 years. Through the Team, I was able to get the volume I needed to become a well rounded, capable Agent. I'm grateful I could join a Team with a solid client base so I could focus my attention on building my knowledge base rather than my Client base. Taking a step back from building a 'name for myself' to learn things I didn't even realize I needed to learn about the industry was the smartest decision I have made for my career to date and I can confidently say that I can competently represent my in any purchase or sale, no matter what oddities get thrown my way.
Realizing I had plateaued in my development as an Agent on the Team lead to my decision to branch out independently and while a scary decision, the natural next progression. I decided to tie up any loose ends with the Team and branch off on my own to start 2023 with a clean slate. Excited (and nervous) for the next chapter in my professional life, I got a call nobody wants to get and my partner was in an Avalanche while ski touring in the backcountry and airlifted to Foothills in life threatening condition...on December 31, 2022... my last 'official' day with the safety net of the Team behind me. Without getting into too much detail, it was a rollercoaster of a few months but he is well on his way to a full recovery and I am able to focus my attention back on my career after a few month hiatus and excited to refocus my goals for 2023 both personally and professionally.
Thanks for learning a little bit about me :)
Kristen