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Join former CBC radio host Mark Connolly as he sits down with real estate insiders to bring you behind-the-scenes perspectives that answer your questions about home ownership.
With topics that matter whether you’re buying, selling, or staying put, this is the place to get the latest market updates for the Edmonton housing market, hear conversations about housing affordability, learn about mortgage options, and so much more.
Join us twice a month for episodes that cover local trends with context you won’t find in the national news, and get actionable insights that give you confidence for your next move.
The RAEdio podcast is presented by the REALTORS® Association of Edmonton.
Welcome to the RAEdio Podcast brought to you by RAE, the REALTORS Association of Edmonton. So that's the RAEdio Podcast. We deliver easy to understand market insights, some homeowner tips, perspectives from industry experts so that you can feel informed and empowered wherever you are in your homeownership journey because better decisions start with better information.
Mark:We are recording live at RAEcon 2026. Joining us this morning is Kristi Dubeau, the program manager of business and productivity with NAIT Continuing Education, and we'll be talking this morning about an educational roadmap to getting licensed as a realtor in Alberta. Thanks for joining us, Kristi.
Kristi:Yeah. Thanks for having me.
Mark:Now what are some of the biggest misconceptions people might have about kind of what it takes to become a REALTORS?
Kristi:Well you know the, becoming a REALTORS, it's an interesting journey, it's a very interesting profession, it's a profession that requires you for most folks that get, licensed to start their own small business. So just because you become licensed, it doesn't necessarily mean you're gonna have a job sitting there waiting for you. Right. Often when we talk to students who are interested in becoming licensed, we get a lot questions around, like, how do I break into the industry? What should be my first step?
Kristi:And we sort of encourage them to do their own research on the different brokerages, the type of real estate they might wanna practice. And then, you know, they're also doing some of the interviewing to find the right fit for where they should land. And, typically, it's an arrangement where they would be starting their small business, but they're connected to a broker.
Mark:Right.
Kristi:So it isn't like you're just landing a job, you know, a traditional job, quote unquote. You are launching your own small business. And of course, what comes with that is a whole other set of things being an entrepreneur.
Mark:Yeah. For sure. And I think that another important aspect, because you see this with REALTORS all the time, is a connection to the community and not being afraid to put yourself out there because, I mean, you really have to people have to know who you are and what you're doing to be a success in this. Right?
Kristi:Yeah. You bet. And, I mean, buying or selling a home or if it's a a recreational property or a condo or something, it's typically one of the biggest financial investments or purchases a person, or a family's gonna make, and so they wanna trust who they're working with. And different folks are looking for different kinds of expertises from these REALTORS. So having lots of options in the market for sure.
Kristi:Some of the very best REALTORS though are ones that yes. It's sort of competitive in the sense that there's REALTORS that work around you that are also wanting that listing or vying for that same business. But it's quite a collegiate industry in that the very best REALTORS are great collaborators with their peers. So, you know, if they're doing a a deal and they're on the selling side, they need to work in a collaborative fashion to try and make something happen, for both of the client's benefits to do a deal on the so the buyer and the seller are sort of aligned so that they can make the magic happen. So some of the times, REALTORS or people going into REAL ESTATE feel like it's a very solo type of endeavor, but it's really not.
Kristi:Mhmm. Yes. You're you're running your own business. Yes. You have to be a go getter and chase the business.
Kristi:But the ones that have developed like a good network of collaborators, other licensed REALTORS, and then all of like the ancillary people that are involved in the business like network of whether it's law professionals, trades people
Mark:Home inspectors.
Kristi:Just chatting with these folks here, and they do lots of cleanup and readiness to get your home either ready for sale or get you packed up and cleaned out to do the move. Yeah. So they provide that sort of concierge service. So that whole piece, it's really about the realtor to, like, flush that out and make those connections so that, yes, they're they're kind of a solo realtor, but they can pull on any number of those strings in their network and provide some extra value for some of their clients.
Mark:So let's talk about your role and Nate's role in this whole process. How does someone come to take the course at Nate? Are there any prerequisites for it? Or how do the how do you approach when people ask you about it?
Kristi:For sure. I mean, the the we we love to get folks from all walks of life into the real estate profession. I think also that's what makes the business really interesting because we have people that have come, let's say, right out of high school, so you need a high school education, or maybe they've done something else in their life and they're pivoting. And so now then they've come over and said, hey. I'd like to make a career pivot.
Kristi:I would like to get into real estate. And so everybody has different backgrounds and some different frame of references for what they do. But at the end of the day, to get into the the licensing path, which is what it's called, we work we work closely with the governing body, the licensing body, which is the REAL ESTATE COUNCIL OF ALBERTA. Right. So they are the ones that do the intake of the would be students who would like to be licensed, so they're called licensees.
Kristi:You have to have, you know, have your high school diploma. You have to be able to provide evidence of, a certain level of, English language competency depending on where you did your schooling. Right. And then, there's application process. So you need to be a citizen here as well.
Kristi:You get you get approved in the sort of intake for the stream, and then the student would go off and figure out where am I gonna take my courses from. So to become licensed, you need to be first approved as a licensee, and then you need to go off and take some courses. You need to take the do the courses, then you need to take your exams with the REALTORS Council of Alberta. And then once you do that, and there's a couple of courses that you need to take for sure to get that initial license Right. Then there would be some annual professional development to do beyond that.
Kristi:So, Nate is one of the course providers. I mean, we're we're a big name in Edmonton. We're quite well known, and it's, fairly new to what we offer here in continuing education. In the last three, four years, we've started offering the the education.
Mark:Now from what I've heard, it's not it's not an easy thing. It's it's it's very it takes a while to go through all the courses. It's very challenging. I have a friend whose whose wife is actually doing it right now.
Kristi:Okay.
Mark:So she's given me a bit of feedback on that. So I'm sure you try and press upon people that this is something you really have to dig into.
Kristi:You do. And it's you know, you have to have you have to have the motivation and the organization and some resiliency to sort of stick with it, which actually is is translates, if you would, or it's a sort of a parallel to what the industry requires for success. Right? So the way that we run our courses is that we run them online, and they are, what we call remote on demand, which basically means you access them and you move through them at your own pace. Okay.
Kristi:But we do have a finite time to complete the course. But within that, so, like, let's say our our first course, the fundamentals course is a three month course. Mhmm. You know, if you have ebbs and flows in your life and different commitments with maybe the current full time job you're doing or you might be doing other courses or you've got family and busyness in in other parts of your life, you can pick away at the courses, but you have to have the discipline to do them. And the the students who are most successful sort of figure out their own, like, weekly rhythm for how to dig into the course, set aside some time so that they're dialed in and not kind of distracted.
Kristi:Because like you said, it it is a fairly high volume course, and there's lots of different areas to cover. Right.
Mark:How how long typically would it take? Is or is there a typical time? What be what would be the minimum, and what was the what would be the maximum you would allow?
Kristi:Sure. We set all of our courses up to run for three months. You can get an extension if you would like Mhmm. Beyond that, but the vast majority are are finishing within three months and are are successful at that.
Mark:So for the whole process, three months?
Kristi:No. Three months for the first course.
Mark:For the first course.
Kristi:So there's Yeah. No. I'm glad you're asking. Yeah. There's some course.
Kristi:There's an exam. Yeah. And then there's another course and an exam.
Mark:Okay.
Kristi:So each course, three months. But if somebody has got, you know, lots of time or they're on a roll and they're getting into the course material, you can finish that in a shorter time frame because we're not tied to having to be in class with an instructor live.
Mark:Right. What if you you do your three month course study, you fail the course, can you come back and write it again? How does that work?
Kristi:Yes. There's a RECA allows a student to retake the exam Mhmm. If they're not successful the first time. And then, unfortunately, if if it's a second time that they're not successful, then they would need to redo the course. Okay.
Kristi:And, I guess if you will, it sort of starts at Clark starts again, we'd redo the course, and then they would be eligible to take the exam again.
Mark:Well, know, I passed my high school diploma with 50% in math, which was fine. The government of Alders said, you're fine. You can move on. What do you have to where
Kristi:do you
Mark:have to pass in this course?
Kristi:Yes. 70% is the pass rate. Okay. And it is funny you mentioned math because they're you know, math can be quite anxiety inducing for a lot of people.
Mark:Wait a minute. Is there math
Kristi:in this course? Well, that's why I'm mentioning it. There's there's a wee bit a wee bit of math. A little bit more in the the next like, the the second course that needs to be taken, the residential course, but, you know, if you haven't been in math for a long time Yeah. Sometimes it's about students getting back into just learning mode.
Mark:Right.
Kristi:Which can be a that's a tough exercise. Like, it's been a long time since I've been in formal school. So Yeah. I wasn't terrible at math, but if I were to do math today, boy. Yeah.
Kristi:I don't know if I would like it.
Mark:It's a tough one.
Kristi:It is. Yeah.
Mark:Is there a certain personality type that would excel in this program, do you think?
Kristi:You know, there's I think there's characteristics of of people who would be, you know, what we might characterize as, like, the most successful or the you know, doing the best in the realtor profession. Some of those things would be folks who are you know, like to connect with people, and have a way to connect successfully with, like, different people, different types of people. You need to be a self starter and proactive and organized, and you gotta be able to, like, work hard and and hustle to get the business. Like, you're you gotta sell yourself. You have to ask for the business.
Kristi:And when there is business to be had, you gotta be prepared to work hard and grab that because it is a little cyclical. And, you know, you you wanna take advantage of the times when it's nice and busy and there's lots of work around, and then it also helps to backstop you and, you know, maybe it's a bit of a down cycle and and the industry isn't quite so, quite so busy. So I've interesting sort of side note. I said it on one of the breakout sessions, and it was he was it was really good, actually. He was talking about personality types.
Mark:Right.
Kristi:And conclusion is when you asked about the type of person that would be successful in this business, his point was, it doesn't matter what personality type you are. The idea is you need to get to know your client, and you're responsible as the licensed realtor to adjust your style Mhmm. To meet your client's needs. So I would sort of say, I think anybody could be really successful and suitable, but you have to be very self aware, and you gotta be able to stretch and do what you need to do so that if this client wants something that's more methodical and logical and all the facts and figures, you can do that. Or if this one over here just wants the bottom line, give it to me quickly.
Kristi:I don't want all the research and all the numbers. You need to figure out what your client needs and give that to them.
Mark:Right. That's a good point. Now there's all kinds of different real estate, you know, venues you could do. I mean, residential, commercial, rural, property management, condos, that sort of thing. Does the course sort of give you the overlay of everything?
Mark:Can you specialize in something, or is that something you do after you've passed?
Kristi:Well, the the fundamentals course is the is the base course that all licensees need to take regardless of what they call the area of practice.
Mark:Right.
Kristi:So the fundamentals course, everybody takes it, and then from that point, that's the springboard for the potential area of practice. So at NATE, we offer the the residential or the practice of residential real estate, but a student could choose to specialize in, yeah, the rural, to specialize in property management or commercial, for example. And it sort of depends on sometimes it's a factor of, like, where you live, what your interest area is, and sometimes you learn by by doing and trialing to see kind of where you might find yourself land in some of those places.
Mark:I mean, I think that as you said, people should do a little bit of research. Go talk to people you might know who are REALTORS. Talk to somebody who might potentially wanna hire you.
Kristi:Yes.
Mark:Like, make those connections. Really dig into what the lifestyle of a real estate agent is before you actually even apply for this. Right? I think most people probably would figure that out.
Kristi:I think so. I mean, my our good our good friend and he's our course facilitator. He's a licensed realtor. He's also an educator. So we have a a bit of a unicorn, and he does all of our coursework.
Mark:And Yeah.
Kristi:This is always a topic that we talk about is, like, sort of what are the expectations coming in. And, you know, he he's the first one to say, it's not like watching these REALTORS on some HDTV show. Right? Like, the real yeah. The reality of it is it's it's it's hard work.
Mark:Yep.
Kristi:And you gotta be disciplined, and you can work as much as you wanna work or as little as you wanna work, and then you'll sort of reap the benefits of that. Right? So it's, it's kinda what you make of it. And so the idea of, you know, when we talk to would be students, so, hey. You're actually gonna be starting a small business, and then you're getting into things like I have some book keeping, I got some budgeting to do.
Kristi:What about my other professional development to round out some of my skills if I feel like I've got some areas of of opportunity? So those all come with being like a small business owner and Right. Able to sort a lot of that out yourself.
Mark:Mhmm. Now a lot of people, as you say, sometimes they're making a pivot to real estate. So they're maybe they're halfway through a career or they're just early in another career and they say, no. I'd rather do this. They still have to work, you know, to make a living.
Mark:So what is how much time do they have to take in this course? Like, what's the minimum you would say to somebody where you're gonna need to do this ten hours a week, twenty hours a week as you go through this process so they can realistically think, do I have enough time to do it?
Kristi:Yeah. You bet. I mean, we get lots of lots of people who are working full time, and that is, like, the number one question. How can I fit this in with my life?
Mark:Right.
Kristi:Because I can't get rid of the job. I still gotta pay the bills, but I'd like to pivot. We say roughly five to ten hours a
Mark:week Okay.
Kristi:That that we ask you to devote. That'll get you through the courses that we have easily in three months. You know, if you're a a faster reader and you can pick up material a little more quickly, you're gonna be on the lower end of that. And if you're somebody who's a little more methodical and you like to reread content and, you know, you're you're very thorough, well, you might be on the kind of the upper range. Now the nice part is the way we're set up is all of our materials there and you can go in and review it and go back to go back to the content for for reference.
Kristi:So it it's sort of set up in a nice way to do review, however that best suits the student.
Mark:What kind of support do you give to those students when they're in the course and they have questions?
Kristi:Yeah, you bet. So our our facilitator instructor who's the licensed REALTORS and the educator, he's the one in there and he's shepherding the students through. So, we have some discussion boards that students need to participate in. He's watching and checking their progress in the course and he roughly can see like we're, oh, we're a third of the way in the course. Students should roughly be this far into the course and he can check completions.
Kristi:He can look at their, their quiz scores and he can identify like if he sees a student that looks like they're really struggling, he'll reach out.
Mark:Right.
Kristi:Or he's all also available for students to reach out to him. And then what he can do is he can do some, one on one sessions. They can do it through email. They can set up a one on one time, like, through Teams, and they do a bit of coaching. Because sometimes there's some topics in there that are just a little sticky.
Kristi:And depending on your background or what your strengths are, you might just need a bit of extra help in that area. So that's what he does and he's there to mark discussion boards and provide some thought starters and feedback. But also if somebody's got like a burning question or there's a roadblock that's preventing them from really feeling comfortable about the material Right. He's your guy. Students go to him and he's able to help them through that.
Mark:Now obviously you have a guy who as you say is a licensed realtor. He's in the business. You're getting real time sort of information from somebody. So how do you keep the course up to date with him and with the licensee, and how is that relationship worth?
Kristi:For sure. Like, we're we're always interested in what student feedback is because, I mean, we're talking about learners here. We very much value their perspective and we want their investment in our courses to be time and money well spent. Right. So so it's sort of a combination as we work with our subject matter experts.
Kristi:So we've actually got one here today on the floor who's just done a helped us with some updates that we're relaunching our courses here next month. Our our facilitator in the classroom, he's able to say, hey. This section is coming up every single month and students are not grasping it.
Mark:Oh, okay.
Kristi:And then we sort of, you know, grab all of the different avenues of feedback and then we take a look sort of on an annual basis. Hey, what do we what needs to hit the deck here for improvements? And how can we how can we better kind of give a better experience for students? So sometimes it's in we need to flush out some course content. Sometimes it's, hey, we need to add some more questions on our practice exams because we have a bunch of practice exams in the course itself.
Mark:Right.
Kristi:Sometimes it's like, this piece is no longer relevant because there's been an evolution in how we do it in the industry. We need to remove it entirely.
Mark:Yeah. Like recently, a bunch of condo laws changed. So I'm sure that's something you'd have to take into account.
Kristi:Exactly. So that that's that's some of the heavy lifting, and we've got, like, our curriculum folks here as well. So we've got a whole kind of team at NAIT that works on how do we keep courses current, how do we keep our finger on the pulse so that we know that, like, what we're putting out there for for students to enter into is current, it's relevant, and we've got, like, tied into what's going on in industry today.
Mark:What does it cost?
Kristi:Always. Yes. So fundamentals course. So the the fundamentals real estate course, that's the first course. It's $600.
Kristi:We are we are running a special though for the next, six days here based on us being at RAECON, so a $100 off that course. The other course and you can register for both at the same time if you like. The other course is the practice of residential real estate, and it is $400, and we're offering a a sale of $50 off on that one. So really excited. Hope to get some enrollments here by virtue of being at the event.
Kristi:And this is a this is a great conference. We get lots of traffic at our booth. People love NATE. They always wanna stop by and say hello and tell us, you know, the program they took or someone they know that took an NATE program, so we love it here.
Mark:Now I went to an eight myself. So course. Did. And are there scholarships or financial help for folks? I mean, it's a thousand dollars.
Mark:It's not a lot of money in the big scheme of things, but not everybody has that kind
Kristi:of money to Mhmm.
Mark:Jump in.
Kristi:Yeah. We because our courses are on the continuing education side, we there's my friend there in the real estate business. We we don't offer student aid per se or student funding from MAIT. Some students when they inquire about how they can get supported, we do get some students who are already working in real estate. So they might be working at a broker or for another licensed realtor, whether that's as an assistant or an inside sales representative or doing some, administrative work.
Kristi:So some of those roles don't actually require, the license. And so if you do happen to find yourself already working for a licensed realtor broker and they have an appetite to help support you with some of that education, that might be an avenue for some, but I mean it's not a given. So that's again is like you gotta suss out the market and see if you can get some get some support with maybe your current work arrangement.
Mark:So anybody who's listening right now and they've decided, okay. Count me in. I'm gonna sign up. Yep. Is is there a rotating like, is there deadlines as you go through the year?
Mark:Can you start at any time? And how many like, how many groups do you start per year?
Kristi:Yeah. That's a great question. We we do like rolling cohorts. So we start our classes on the first day every month every month of the year.
Mark:Okay.
Kristi:We don't follow a traditional academic calendar. We love to always be available for whenever a student is ready to start. And so the, you know, maximum you're waiting is probably twenty nine days, if you decide right after the the day that the last course started. So we run them every month of the year. Typically, you know, we get nice and busy in the fall and winter.
Kristi:A little bit lighter in the summer stands to reason lots of folks are are doing other things and hanging out outside with summer. So we have such a short summer here in Edmonton.
Mark:Yeah. Absolutely. Mhmm. Kristi, thanks for coming in to talk about this. This is really interesting.
Mark:Know a lot of people are very interested in it. Our final question is always this one. It's a little bit off off subject, but it's about REALTOY. K. For you, what makes a house a home?
Kristi:Oh, great question. I think it's the people you put in it. That's all I would say. It'll probably make me cry if I get into it more, but, yeah,
Mark:go ahead. You can cry.
Kristi:Oh, no.
Mark:I'm just trying to make people cry in this podcast.
Kristi:Oh, there. You can see a little little glassy eye, so you've done it. Yeah. Yeah. Stuff is stuff.
Kristi:And nice stuff is nice, but people are people. So
Mark:Absolutely. Yeah. Well, Kristi, you're one of our favorite people.
Kristi:Oh, thank
Mark:for coming over to do this. We appreciate it, and best of luck going forward.
Kristi:Thank you. Thanks for having me.