Last week CIR REALTY’s Okotoks office became the largest real estate brokerage in town, growing to house 22 REALTORS to beat out Royal Le Page Foothills, Remax Signature and Century 21 Foothills.
CIR’s Okotoks office started as a two person operation in 2006. Within two years the office grew to 5 people, and in the last two and a half years skyrocketed to 22 REALTORS.
Ian Wisdom, one of the CIR REALTORS who started the original Okotoks office in 2006 remembers opening the space and being incredibly optimistic regarding the growth of the office and the town of Okotoks as a whole.
“We opened up the office during a population boom. It has continued to grow ever since,” says Wisdom.
According to Shane Olsen, the Economic Development Team Leader for the Town of Okotoks, Okotoks grew at a rate of 48% between 2001 and 2006 and then 42% between 2006 and 2011.
“From 01’ to 06’ Okotoks was the second fastest growing town in Canada. According to the Federal Census taken in June of 2011, although growth has slowed down, we are still the 10th fastest growing town in Canada,” says Olsen.
When asked if similar growth was expected for the town over the next period, Olsen says that the philosophical choice to remain a small town along with limited water supplies means that is, at least for now, impossible.
“The Town of Okotoks has an urban growth barrier of about 30,000 people. Right now our population stands at 24, 511. Unless we change our boundaries or decide to bring up a water pipe from Calgary, we have a finite population cap,” Olsen says.
That same small town mentality is shared by the CIR REALTORS in Okotoks who are committed to community involvement and that small town mentality.
“We wanted to set up a business that focused on community and family. The REALTORS who have joined us understand that and want to be a part of the experience we bring to the town. From participating in the Sports Day Parade, Light Up Okotoks and various other events throughout the year, we like to support our town” says Wisdom.
CIR REALTY, who also holds claim to the largest real estate office in Airdrie, also operates in many other satellite communities including: Carstairs, Crossfield, Cochrane, Cochrane, Didsbury, Irricana, Langdon, Olds and Sundre.