May 15, 2018
Imagine all the stories. As part of CREB®’s 75 anniversary celebration, we thought it’d be fun to ask 75 Calgary REALTORS® about their advice for first time buyers and to recount their own experience entering the market for the first time.
Check out some of the 75th yearbook REALTORS® below.

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Manny Aldea
Brokerage: RE/MAX Real Estate Central
Years as a REALTOR®: 12
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Astronaut REALTOR®
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: When buyers are looking at potential homes to buy and not sure about commute times to work or schools, I would suggest using the google maps app on your phone. Just enter the address of the home and destination location and it will give you a live estimation of commute times. You can check times during morning and afternoon rush hours without having to actually be in traffic!
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Natalie Berthiaume
Brokerage: CIR Realty
Years as a REALTOR®: 7
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Teacher
Nickname in high school: Bug
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: Have your REALTOR® pick a “wild card” property for you when going to look at homes. They have a lot of experience and may see something in a property that you don’t. It may surprise you to see something you may not have considered, and who knows, it could be the one you end up falling in love with!
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Ron Douglas
Brokerage: Royal LePage Integrity
Years as a REALTOR®: 2
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Engineer
Nickname in high school: Disco
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: Bring your mom. Then your dad. Never both for the first showing.
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Joe Cimino
Brokerage: Maxwell Capital Realty
Years as a REALTOR®: 29
What you wanted to be when you grew up: REALTOR®
Nickname in high school: Cimi
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: Stay mindful of your budget. Make sure to have funds available for beer, pizza and vacations!
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Madison Jager
Brokerage: Royal LePage Solutions
Years as a REALTOR®: 5
What you wanted to be when you grew up: A hustler (I was born to make a boom)
Nickname in high school: Jager Bomb
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: When searching for your perfect home, keep in mind the age demographic of the community you’re looking in. It should match closely to yours, making those block parties and neighbour drop-ins fun and enjoyable.
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Miranda Moser
Brokerage: century 21 Bamber Realty Ltd.
Years as a REALTOR®: 13.5
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Adventurer
Nickname in high school: Mighty Mouse (field hockey)
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: Location is critical. Think about what makes you happy. Is it being closer to family/friends, less of a work commute, easy escape to the mountains? Sometimes, first-time buyers get so wrapped up in the excitement of owning a place for themselves that they forget about what else is important to them. As well, don’t overthink the little stuff. Paint can be changed, location cannot!
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Jen Rekrutiak
Brokerage: Century 21 Bamber Realty Ltd.
Years as a REALTOR®: 1.5
What you wanted to be when you grew up: A mom
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: When you move in, start a house file. Put all your home-related receipts and warranties in there. When it comes time to sell, having a record of all you have done at the ready will put you ahead of the game.
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Tyree Stephens
Brokerage: CIR Realty
Years as a REALTOR®: 7
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Detective
Nickname in high school: Smiler/Ty-Tys
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: Did you know as a first-time buyer you can use your rrsps (up to $25,000) tax free as a deposit for your home?
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Megan Stuart
Brokerage: Greater Calgary Real Estate
Years as a REALTOR®: 8
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Professional Equestrian
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: Be creative in how you look at space. Just because it’s used as a dining room or living room, doesn’t mean you can’t change things to meet your needs. Every property is unique and so is everyone’s living style. Dream of how it can work for you!
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Shirley Wright
Brokerage: Re/Max House of Real Estate
Years as a REALTOR®: 4
What you wanted to be when you grew up: Cellist
Nickname in high school: Dandy Long Legs
One piece of advice for first-time homebuyers: Real estate is like a bus – if you miss one opportunity there will be another coming along shortly. Don’t let yourself be too stressed!
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