Buying Process
Looking to buy a home?
the
Home Buying Process
Buying a home is a significant milestone, no matter if it's your first, your ultimate dream, or your tenth investment property. Your home is a substantial investment, and we understand its importance to you. With our team of dedicated experts, we're here to ensure we discover the ideal property that suits your specific needs and circumstances.
The first step is figuring out your wants vs. needs and determining your budget. We can help you get setup with a lender of your choice to get you pre-approved for a mortgage, and then you're ready to start house hunting. Search for your dream home from any device on our website.
Search for Your Dream Home
get the
VIP EXPERIENCE
When you save a search on our site, any new homes that line up with your wish list are sent right to your inbox the second they hit the market.
Click the ❤️ icon when you see something you love to save it in your favourites and let us know this is a property you're interested in. Click "See This Listing" or reach out to us directly to schedule an in-person tour. We'd love take you through the home and answer any questions you have about the property or the home buying process so that you can make an informed decision.
Need Financing?Understanding Mortgages
Let’s dive into mortgages – your golden ticket to home ownership. It’s like a deal with the future where you snag your dream home now and pay it off bit by bit. The options can be extensive, varying from one lender to another and from one buyer to the next. To ensure your financial peace of mind, it's important to take the time to explore these options and engage with multiple lenders. Get your keys, live your story, and build that equity by finding a mortgage that works for you!
Types of Mortgages
There are two primary types of mortgages in Canada:
Conventional Mortgage
This is the classic, low-risk choice for home buyers. With a 20% down payment, you skip mortgage insurance, enjoy lower interest rates, and keep it cool with stable monthly payments.
High Ratio Mortgage
Elevate your home dreams with a smaller down payment! Get in the game with less than 20% down, and mortgage insurance has your back.
What Does your Payment Include?
Your mortgage payment has 3 key parts, collectively known as "PIT" :
- Principal: This is the actual price of your house and the payment that chips away at the debt.
- Interest: This is the fee you pay to the lender for borrowing money to buy your home. It's a significant part of your mortgage payment, covering the cost of the loan.
- Taxes: Think of property taxes as your contribution to your community. It's the cash you kick in to fund schools, roads, etc. This amount isn't always added to your mortgage payment but is an option for your lender to collect from you monthly and pay it on your behalf annually.
Let's Get to Work
Choosing a Real Estate Agent
Your real estate Agent works as a trusted partner to guide you in this journey. Ensure you choose someone trustworthy, knowledgeable about the process, and someone you connect with - after all, you'll be spending a lot of time together
If you have questions about how to get started, reach out to the Real People in Real Estate today.
Contact Us
The Search Begins
Shopping Homes
Welcome to the best part of this adventure—home shopping! Here, you define what "dream home" means to you, from the type of property to the neighbourhood, and all the amenities that make a house a home.
We keep meticulous records of each home visit, recording likes, dislikes, and considerations.
Start Your Search
Once You Find Your Home
Making an Offer
You've found the perfect house, and now it's time to write your offer. Connect with your Agent to determine a price that aligns with your budget, is appealing to the seller and also in line with the market. Your offer should be competitive and reflect your seriousness.
Your REALTOR® will help you analyze comparable solds in the area to determine a fair market value for the property, which will inform the price.
Getting Started
What Will I Pay Upfront?
Earnest Money
This deposit signifies your commitment to the purchase and can be applied to your down payment or closing costs once your offer is accepted.
Closing Costs
Real estate closing costs are the various fees and expenses that buyers and sellers incur when a real estate transaction is completed.
Down Payment
This payment represents a percentage of the total purchase price and is paid using acceptable forms of payment.
Before You Close
Requesting a Home Inspection
Prior to closing, a professional home inspection is crucial to identify hidden problems. Ensure the house is in top shape before you move in, and request repairs if needed.
If the inspection reveals issues with the property, you can use this information to negotiate with the seller. You can request repairs, ask for a price reduction, or even choose to walk away from the deal if the problems are significant.
You're Almost Finished
Closing
If all is in order, it's time for the grand finale! Review your contract carefully with your Agent or lawyer to establish contingencies and protect your interests.
Collaborate with your chosen lender to complete your mortgage application, have your home appraised, and review your projected closing costs.
Congratulations
Pay, Close, and Get Keys!
The moment you've been waiting for has arrived—closing day! Once we get the go ahead from the lawyer, it's time to receive the keys to your new home.
The closing process typically concludes with filing the transfer of land documents with the Land Titles Office that officially transfers ownership from the seller to you.
Testimonials
"
Alex was polite, well knowledgeable about the area and was quick to respond to any questions we had. Would recommend!
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- Brendan Campbell
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Joelle was an Incredible realtor! She is professional and works hard for her clients. I would recommend her if you’re buying or selling. :)
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- Tracy McGrath
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Exceptional Home-Buying Experience with Sherese
I am extremely grateful for the support and guidance Sherese provided throughout my home-buying process. From the beginning, she was professional, patient, knowledgeable, and genuinely committed to helping me throughout the whole process.
Link to original post: https://share.google/Lx2FJGPaVS2S4lvWF
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- Greg Onuche Atabo
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Jessica is one one of the most organized, detail oriented people I know. Her ability to juggle life well as a mom, wife, private business owner and a realtor never ceases to amaze me. She has a natural niche for developing relationships and and a passion for maintaining them.
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- Jonna and Rob Hansen
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Alex was so patient and helpful as he worked with a family member of ours, to purchase a property. Thank you Alex!
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- TeLeni Woloszyn
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Professional, courteous and very efficient.
An absolute flawless experience.
Highly recommended.
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- Franco Rizzi
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Jessica is dedicated to making your buying or selling experience so positive from beginning to end. She’s friendly and helpful and cares about her clients.
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- Lana LeGresley
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We could not say enough about how great our experience was with Cheryl. She embraced the challenge of finding us the perfect home, via virtual tours, all the way from New Brunswick. She looked at many properties with a fine tooth comb for us. She provided us with wonderful recommendations and insight throughout the buying process. Worked tirelessly in a hot market just to find us the perfect home and secure a great and smooth purchase transaction. Cheryl is still there to answer any questions, even after the buying process was complete. We cannot recommend her enough to new or existing buyers in the area. She will get the job done for you!!!
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- Pam Gasmo
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Working with Cheryl was an absolute dream! As a military family, relocation can be incredibly stressful, but Cheryl made the entire home-buying process smooth and stress-free. Her deep knowledge of BGRS directives was invaluable—she guided us through every step with clarity and confidence, ensuring we stayed compliant and maximized our benefits. Cheryl’s professional relationships within the community made a huge difference, from connecting us with trusted inspectors to helping us find local services quickly. She truly understands the unique challenges military families face and goes above and beyond to support them. We couldn’t have asked for a better experience. Highly recommend Cheryl to any military family looking for a reliable, informed, and caring realtor!
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- Megan BM
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Our REALTOR®, Jessica, is the best! She went above and beyond for us, her confidence and assurance gave us peace of mind in the whole process. Her dedication, professionalism and especially her patience made the selling of our house so easy. For anyone buying or selling, this is the company for you, would recommend 100%
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- Sandra Hancock
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Having known Jessica for many years now , I can say that no one will work harder for her clients. Jessica is very detail oriented in everything she does. She misses nothing and sees all the tiny details. She is also one of the most selfless, kind hearted and compassionate people I have ever meet. She will do anything for you, at anytime despite any other plans she may have already had. If your looking for someone you can trust and has your best interests at heart, that is 100% Jessica.
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- Chrystal Normore
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I found Jessica to be very knowledgable with the current market conitions. She was very quick to respond to any questions i had and very friendly to deal with. Would definitely recommend whether buying or selling.
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- Chris Blackwood
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Jessica was very thorough with listing and showing our property! She kept constant communication and we were able to sell our property quickly. Also, her display of our property was a huge asset towards our sale. If ever selling a property again, Jessica would be our first choice!
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- Jack Korfmann
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What a terrific REALTOR® we had with Carmen Chiu. She sold our house in one day, and above the asking price. The transaction went smoothly and the deal closed on schedule without any complications. We highly recommend Carmen and People 1st Realty if you are looking to buy or sell a home. Could not be happier.
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- Eric Bergenstein
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I highly recommend Jessica! She’s awesome at what she does!
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- Marianne Corbett
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My wife and I have been looking for a retirement property for close to 5 years, and People1stRealty delivered. So, my wife and I are more than happy to submit a review for People1stRealty. This agency is definitely worth a 5-star rating for a number of reasons.
First off, Tracy Lord...the agent who found our dream home. Tracy certainly knows her craft and was more than attentive to our never-ending questions. As an example, she went above and beyond the call of duty as she was available in the evenings and on the weekends. We even felt guilty for bothering her so much, but she was always there for us.
Tracy's knowledge of the area was extremely helpful too. Moving from BC, and being unfamiliar with the Athabasca area, Tracy aligned herself with what we were looking for and located a property that went beyond our expectations.
Even after the deal was sealed, Tracy thoughtfully put together a welcoming care package for us that was unique to Alberta's way of living...and eating. Nice touch.
Now that were now living on our dream property, we've had the opportunity to meet many locals who very friendly and genuine (a welcome change). When Tracy's name came up in conversation with the locals, it is quite evident that her reputation is very well regarded within the community. From time to time, Tracy still reaches out to us to make sure all is well.
If this is the caliber of professionalism that People1stRealty showcases, then this agency will continue to flourish and prosper. When the opportunity arises where we can recommend an agent and an agency, it will be Tracy Lord from People1stRealty.
Thank you Tracy, and thank you People1stRealty. Keep up the awesome work.
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- Russ Roest
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Bought a vacation property. We used Sueanne, she was great, anything we needed she was only a phone call away. She got back to me within minutes with any questions or concerns. She was very accommodating and worked around our schedules. We are now enjoying our home away from home.
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- Connie Maguire
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Jessica Curran was the absolute best! She went above and beyond in getting our property sold. Her perseverance was simply astronomical! Highly recommend Jessica to anyone who is looking for pure professionalism and the knack to get it done! well done Jessica!
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- Tony Webber
"
Sherese was absolutely wonderful from the very first moment we met her. She brought such a genuine warmth and professionalism, and she always took the time to answer every question we had—no matter how complex—making us feel completely supported throughout the process.
We took quite a while deciding on an agent, but something just felt right about Sherese, and we’re so glad we trusted that instinct. She truly was the perfect person to guide us through the sale of our home.
We’re incredibly grateful for her dedication and care, and we can’t recommend her highly enough!
Link to Testimonial: https://share.google/JKCoIZs9E8UE0QyOY
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- Gerrard Myles
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Sherese Ricketts is a fantastic realtor. She worked with us over a few months to help find our new home, and throughout the entire process she was patient, committed, honest, knowledgeable and informative. Possesses the right tools to make the experience as smooth and stress-free as possible. She genuinely cares for her clients and always goes the extra mile.
Link to Testimonial: https://share.google/fqlZRCJdXTqvqcyCP
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- Tasheba Brown
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Jessica Curran was the absolute best! She went above and beyond in getting our property sold. Her perseverance was simply astronomical! Highly recommend Jessica to anyone who is looking for pure professionalism and the knack to get it done! well done Jessica!
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- Tony Webber
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Jessica is fantastic, so easy to talk to, very outgoing and has a great personality! She has been very knowledgeable and I would suggest her to all my friends and family 🤩
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- Jenn Bailey Todd
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We recently had the pleasure of working with Jessica for both buying and selling our home, and I can’t recommend her highly enough! From start to finish, she was an absolute rockstar—professional, attentive, and incredibly knowledgeable about the market. Jessica guided us through every step of the process, answering all our questions patiently and making what could have been a stressful experience feel smooth and manageable. Her expertise helped us navigate negotiations, paperwork, and timelines with ease, and we ended up with fantastic results on both transactions. If you’re in the market to buy or sell, do yourself a favour and give Jessica a call, you won’t be disappointed!
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- Nishantha Mullett
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Alex went consistently above and beyond to help us sell our home and find a new house. He took us to countless showings, put in extra time and effort to help us get our home ready, and took the time to help us get our new house in shape to live in. He is an outstanding realtor, and an incredible human being. He listened to our complaints and hopes and helped us find the perfect home for us. I recommend him to anyone with a home to sell.
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- Naomi Roberts
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Sherese Ricketts is a fantastic REALTOR®. She worked with us over a few months to help find our new home, and throughout the entire process she was patient, committed, honest, knowledgeable and informative. Possesses the right tools to make the experience as smooth and stress-free as possible. She genuinely cares for her clients and always goes the extra mile.
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- Tasheba Brown
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Alex was great to work with!! He made the process stress-free and got our home sold in a tight timeline. Would recommend him to anyone.
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- Brooke Hill
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Working with Joelle was flawless! She was very knowledgeable and always willing to go above and beyond. She took our calls at all hours and always responded to texts promptly. She genuinely care about getting us the perfect house after she sold ours. 100% recommend Joelle for all your Real Estate needs - she is the BEST!!!! I’ve dealt with lots of others so I can truly say this!
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- Tammy Russell
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I would recommend Sherese ricketts to anyone buying or selling a home she goes above and beyond for everyone and she an outstanding person.
Link to Testimonial: https://share.google/rcNWuihNLAUa56PXo
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- Darcy
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Alex was a fantastic realtor. He found us so many possibilities for our first place. Even though it took a while for us to find the place that was right for us he was persistent and diligent the whole time.
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- Nathan Hall
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Shelley did an amazing job on selling our home, she really puts in the extra to bring attention to the listing
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- Robert Lacroix
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Sherese was outstanding. She was incredibly knowledgeable about the market, always prompt in her communication, and very thorough in explaining each step along the way. What stood out most was how she consistently went above and beyond, whether it was arranging viewings quickly, answering all of my questions, or making sure nothing was overlooked. I always felt like I was in capable and trustworthy hands.
Thanks to Sherese’s dedication and expertise, I was able to find a home that truly fits my family. I’m very grateful for the level of care and professionalism I received and would highly recommend People 1st Realty to anyone looking for a positive and successful home-buying experience.
Link to Testimonial: https://share.google/cZysol1NdgxpcV6rM
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- Audian Howell-Denton
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Jessica is a phenomenal realtor with great people skills! She’s kind, smart, and works hard! Highly recommend!
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- Katie Ayer
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Great realtor that takes the time to connect the right home with the right person.
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- Spencer Bennett
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Jessica is the most caring person & the best realtor because of this. She goes above & beyond in every way. If you choose her as your realtor, you can be sure that she is 100% invested in helping you & your family find the perfect fit. She’ll think of the little things even you haven’t considered because she’s always thinking of how she can help, that’s just the kind of person she is. Cannot recommend her enough!
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- Suanne Blackwood
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Dina Ross is an exceptional Realtor. Our home purchase process spanned over months as we work out of province. Dina was there for us every time we were in Fort Mc. She showed us multiple homes, provided insights to neighbourhoods, and when it came to making the offer on the home we purchased she was invaluable. The deal closed the 15th of April, Dina continues to work with us after the fact assisting with planned upgrades. I cannot say enough good about Dina, if you are looking for a professional who cares, I strongly recommend going to see Dina!! Dina, Thank you for all that you did and continue to do, you are the best!!
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- Bernie Miller
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Worked with Jessica Curran and she was fantastic!
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- Megan Pickard
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Alex is a great real estate agent who truly cares about his clients.
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- Joelle Fraser-McGaghey
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Working with Alex as my realtor has been a pleasure. His professionalism, knowledge, and easy-going nature made the process enjoyable and stress-free. I’d highly recommend their services to anyone in search of a reliable and trustworthy real estate agent!
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- David Woodruff
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Alex is an awesome realtor! Gets us all the information we need and beyond. Went out of his way for us multiple times. Highly highly recommend
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- Emily Woloszyn
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We are pleased that we chose Sherese with People 1st Realty. Was very professional from start to finish. Sherese is genuine, honest and was fair in our negotiation of price. Sherese knew that we loved the home we needed to sell & encouraged us to stand firm knowing the right person would come along and see what we saw in this home. She never gave up and continued to stay positive & stood strong with our decision. She listened to us & heard us. Never tried to talk us down just to make a sale. Was always available day and night. Kept us informed with every possible buyer. Even when she went on vacation she was still working on our behalf. What a pleasant realtor to have working for us! Thank you Sherese for all your hard work and encouraging words! We were so happy when you called to tell us “It’s SOLD!” You served us well!! Highly recommend her.
Link to Testimonial: https://share.google/CHsvUzrEQ9aTGJUx5
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- Eileen Drover
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We recently purchased our new home with Alex. He was so helpful and knowledgeable of the area and things we should consider when buying. We had an extremely tight timeline that we could view houses and he worked tirelessly within those parameters. We would recommend working with Alex to everyone we know!
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- Wendy Tuck
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Alex helped us purchase our first home. He worked with us every step of the way. From trying to figure out what we want all the way to going though with the purchase. He was an absolute life saver and extremely knowledgeable about anything we had questions about.
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- Chase Woloszyn
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Awesome job with selling my home thanks a bunch especially to Jolene Gunn
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- Corrina Mooney
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Alex is always up to date with the market and provides me with the best information on the buying and selling process. I trust him to help me in the Real estate Market.
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- Piotr Podolski
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We found our house through Rhonda and Alex. Alex is very sweet and kind. He was very easy to chat with and get along. We had a couple fun days driving to different homes to see what we liked, and we never felt pressured or stressed to find a home right away. We really enjoyed our time. Thanks Alex for helping us find our forever home! We appreciate it. I definitely recommend going with Alex :)
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- Jasmine Sulko
"
Alex is a fantastic realtor and an even more fantastic human. He was pivotal in us selling our home! I’d highly recommend him.
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- Brian Hill
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Wonderful experience with Jessica Curran and her team at People 1st Realty! They all truly work together for the common goal of giving the best customer service to their clients.
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- Shantha M.
"
Our realtor, Jessica, is the best! She went above and beyond for us, her confidence and assurance gave us peace of mind in the whole process. Her dedication, professionalism and especially her patience made the selling of our house so easy. For anyone buying or selling, this is the company for you, would recommend 100%
"
- Sandra Hancock
"
Jolene was amazing at walking us through our first time buying a house! Extremely knowledgeable, professional, and personable. She guided us through what to look out for when buying and was very honest with any issues she saw. She was also available to us whenever we had questions and was able to provide recommendations on outside professionals as well. We will definitely be returning to her when we are ready to buy or sell again.
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- Brenda Robertson
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We worked with Alex to purchase our land for our farm. It was a great experience dealing with him and we would highly recommend him to anyone! Thank you Alex
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- Heavenly Rooted Acres
Copyright 2026 by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton. All rights reserved.
Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton.
The trademarks REALTOR®, REALTORS® and the REALTOR® logo are controlled by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify real estate professionals who are members of CREA. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by CREA and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.
Information last updated on September 18, 2026 2:24 PM UTC
Data is supplied by Pillar 9™ MLS® System. Pillar 9™ is the owner of the copyright in its MLS® System. Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Pillar 9™. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.
Data is supplied by Pillar 9™ MLS® System. Pillar 9™ is the owner of the copyright in its MLS® System. Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Pillar 9™. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.
Last Update: September 18, 2026 2:03 PM UT
Information should be deemed reliable but not guaranteed, all representations are approximate, and individual verification is recommended. Copyright ©2026 All rights reserved.
Data is supplied by Pillar 9 &trade MLS ® System. Pillar 9&trade is the owner of the copyright in its MLS ® System. Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Pillar 9&trade. The trademarks MLS ®, Multiple Listing Service ®, and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.
Last Updated: September 18, 2026 2:11 PM UT
Data is supplied by Pillar 9™ MLS ® System. Pillar 9™ is the owner of the copyright in its MLS ® System. Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Pillar 9™. The trademarks MLS ®, Multiple Listing Service ®, and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.
Last Updated: September 18, 2026 2:21 PM
Data is supplied by Pillar 9™ MLS® System. Pillar 9™ is the owner of the copyright in its MLS® System. Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Pillar 9™. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.
Data is supplied by Pillar 9™ MLS® System. Pillar 9™ is the owner of the copyright in its MLS® System. Data is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed accurate by Pillar 9™. The trademarks MLS®, Multiple Listing Service® and the associated logos are owned by The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) and identify the quality of services provided by real estate professionals who are members of CREA. Used under license.
All information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. All properties are subject to prior sale, change or withdrawal. Neither listing broker(s) or information provider(s) shall be responsible for any typographical errors, misinformation, misprints and shall be held totally harmless. Listing(s) information is provided for consumer's personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties consumers may be interested in purchasing. The data relating