OUR STORY

RU boss

CHRIS SQUIRES

BROKER + CO-FOUNDER

For as long as I could remember, there were two things I wanted: to start my own business and to get a dog. Both ambitions collided during my MBA at the University of Alberta when I focused my final project on the real estate industry. After hours of research and over 700 calls to consumers, I was surprised to learn that no one mentioned service when working with a REALTOR®, even though it’s one of the industries biggest claims. I began to envision a business that not only would focus on service but become known for it.

Day dreaming in accounting class one day, I doodled a logo in my notebook of my future dog nestled between two words. I intended it to be a Golden Labrador, but when my daughter fell in love with a picture of Pierre, a French Bulldog,  there was little to stop the wheel set in motion. I can’t imagine a better dog to represent our brand.

The first person that helped me develop Realty Unleashed into a business was Jen Armstrong. She worked as a consultant initially and quickly turned into being Realty Unleashed’s first employee. Jen is a co-founder in so many ways and her contributions have been insurmountable. Above all, we are most grateful for our clients who, through their trust in us, have helped us grow our Realty Unleashed dream into reality.

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Jen & Chris 2

JEN ARMSTRONG

ASSOCIATE BROKER + CO-FOUNDER

One of the first conversations that I had with Chris when I met him in 2015 was about his final MBA project. He was working on a theoretical real estate brokerage that reimagined the service and satisfaction levels of consumers who have sold homes. It focused on a client-centric philosophy that cared for home sellers in a manner that the industry had never seen. At that time, it was still an idea, well flushed out and thoroughly researched, but an idea nonetheless. Fast forward to a cold and snowy winter, still prior to Realty Unleashed. I was in the process of selling my home under some very sad circumstances. I spent hours, days and weeks getting the inside ready for photos, but had zero gas in my tank to tackle the outdoors. One day, after assessing the levels of snow that concealed my beautiful, two level deck, Chris grabbed a snow shovel. He attacked the snow heap until all that remained were lovely lengths of cedar. In that moment, there was no way to overstate my feeling of gratitude for this act (nor Chris’ innate commitment to curb appeal).

It wasn’t long after that Chris asked me to join him to turn his project into reality and we launched Realty Unleashed in March 2018. This anecdotal experience is woven into our fabric; Chris picks up a shovel when no one else does. And that’s what Realty Unleashed is all about, tirelessly serving clients first, each other second, and selves last.