An Okotoks real estate agent gets a big smile across her face when she talks of helping someone move to what has become her hometown.
Karen Salmon, co-owner of RE/MAX Prime in Okotoks, can’t think of a better place to live – a small-town feel with all of the amenities.
“As far as a community, Okotoks has practically everything that you need,” Salmon said. “You can easily raise a family here and never leave Okotoks. It’s got the best schools, all the gyms, sports activities, it’s safe…
“It’s easy for me to sell Okotoks.”
Salmon was the bronze medal recipient in the Best Real Estate Agent in the Best of the Foothills Readers’ Choice Awards.
“It’s nice to see that people recognize my name and think of me fondly,” Salmon said. “I don’t have to remind them that I am a real estate agent in Okotoks.”
She moved to the Okotoks area in 2005, following her parents, who had moved to the community about a decade prior.
Salmon estimated that in the past six months, she has helped move eight families from other parts of Canada and the province.
“I am finding a lot of grandparents and a lot of older people are now moving to Okotoks, to be with their kids and grandkids,” she said. “They are also recognizing all that Okotoks has to offer.”
When it comes to real estate, there is no place like your hometown.
“When you start talking to someone about the kind of home they want to live in, the kind of community they want to live in, I can usually narrow it down very quickly,” Salmon said. “It’s always fun when you have someone who is brand new to the area and you can fill them in all the good things in Okotoks.”
She quickly established roots in Okotoks and those roots have grown deeper. In August 2019, Salmon, along with Tim Jones, purchased RE/MAX Prime in Okotoks.
“Why? To give back,” Jones said. “It is fun helping other people succeed. And it’s fun being part of the community, being involved with the community, having a local presence.”
They have been able to adapt to COVID-19 and the agency has continued to more than hold its own.
“Our agents are busy, we’re busy,” Salmon said. “I think it came down to mindset.
‘Hey, we are going to sit back and let this pandemic thing happen or we can continue to help people… We can’t do things the old-fashioned way.”
The other recipients in the Best Real Estate category were: Gold – Julie Parry, RE/MAX First; Silver – Jay Magnussen, Magnussen Real Estate team, RE/MAX First; Bronze (tie) – Tracy Barker, RE/MAX First.
