Why I Closed My Real Estate Brokerage After 29 Years
After 29 years in Alberta real estate, I closed my brokerage. The uncertainty I was seeing in the industry troubled me more than starting something new.
On September 30, 2026, I closed Infinite Realty Service, bringing nearly three decades of my professional life in Alberta real estate to a close. I had sold homes, become a broker, owned brokerages and spent years managing the responsibilities of running a business. Real estate had occupied so much of my working life that whenever someone asked what I did, I could usually answer with two words.
Those two words covered quite a lot. There were contracts, financing conditions, negotiations, regulations, clients, colleagues, staff and agents who needed answers. I enjoyed the industry and the relationships I developed within it. Many remain important to me today. But after 29 years, I was ready for a substantial change in how I spent my working life.
Closing my brokerage was a leap of faith. What surprised me was that I had become more anxious about the uncertainty within the real estate industry than about beginning another professional chapter.
The Business Behind the Real Estate Signs
People often associate real estate with houses, listings, sold signs and commissions. Behind those visible activities is an enormous amount of work involving legal obligations, financial considerations, professional judgment and the management of people.
Property transactions depend on more than a sold sign. Brokerage work includes financial details and professional responsibilities. Photo by RDNE Stock project on Pexels
Owning a brokerage adds another layer. I was responsible for administrative operations, sales training, weekly meetings and the ongoing questions that arise when agents are working with buyers and sellers. Those questions did not always arrive conveniently during business hours. When a transaction becomes complicated, people generally want answers sooner rather than later.
I spent many years working alongside clients, colleagues and staff whose knowledge and contributions I valued. Those professional relationships were among the most rewarding parts of my career. There were also long administrative hours and substantial responsibilities that required constant attention.
After nearly three decades, I understood both the rewards and the demands of operating a brokerage.
Why I Became Concerned About the Industry's Direction
My decision was influenced by changes I had been observing in real estate and the broader business environment.
Market uncertainty was one concern. The changing geopolitical landscape was another. I was also troubled by what I perceived as declining professional standards in parts of the industry and the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence without sufficiently clear safeguards around its responsible use.
I have worked with excellent real estate professionals who take their responsibilities seriously. Their commitment does not prevent me from questioning the wider direction of the industry or the pressures affecting those who work within it.
Real estate decisions can involve a person’s largest financial asset, significant legal obligations and circumstances that affect an entire family. Accuracy and professional judgment matter. I believe those responsibilities deserve considerable care, particularly as technology changes how information is produced and communicated.
After 29 years, I recognized that the industry I had spent much of my adult life working in was entering another period of substantial change. I had to consider whether I wanted to continue carrying the responsibilities of operating a brokerage within that environment.
Eventually, the answer became clear enough for me to act.
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Making the Decision to Close
Closing a business has practical consequences that are sometimes overlooked when people talk about changing careers. There are operations to conclude, obligations to address and established routines that have been part of everyday life for years.
When Infinite Realty Service closed, so did the long administrative hours, sales training programs, weekly meetings and expectation that I would respond to agents’ questions throughout the day. I was stepping away from responsibilities that had occupied a substantial portion of my professional life.
The relationships and experience remained.
Writing and speaking were already part of my life. I published Heaven Time in 2012 and continued exploring subjects that interested me alongside my real estate career. By the time I closed the brokerage, I had been a published author for fourteen years.
I wanted to devote considerably more time to writing, speaking and education, rather than continuing to divide my attention between those interests and the demands of operating a brokerage.
Closing Infinite Realty Service gave me that opportunity.
What 29 Years in Business Taught Me
Nearly three decades in an industry exposes you to situations that cannot be fully understood from a training manual. I encountered complicated negotiations, difficult conversations, competing interests and decisions that carried real consequences.
Real estate transactions frequently involve much more than the property itself. People are making decisions about their homes, families, financial commitments and futures. A broker must understand the professional obligations involved while recognizing that the people making those decisions may be under considerable pressure.
Operating brokerages also gave me experience managing businesses, supporting other professionals and maintaining relationships through difficult circumstances. I understand the responsibility of providing guidance, responding to problems and making decisions that affect people beyond those immediately involved.
I value that knowledge, although 29 years in an industry certainly does not mean every decision was correct or every experience enjoyable. There were mistakes, challenges and situations I would approach differently with what I know today. That is part of acquiring genuine professional experience.
Those years shaped how I think, communicate and approach responsibility. They gave me practical knowledge and professional discipline that I intend to carry into my work as an author, speaker and educator.
Beginning Another Professional Chapter
Changing careers after spending most of your adult life in one industry requires more than choosing a different professional title. There are routines to leave behind, relationships to maintain and responsibilities that no longer belong to the work you intend to pursue.
For me, it also meant acknowledging that my interests and abilities extended well beyond real estate. I had been an author for years while operating my brokerage. There were subjects I wanted to write about, conversations I wanted to pursue and work I wanted to develop further.
I described closing the brokerage as a quantum jump and a leap of faith because it represented a significant personal and professional change. I was finally prepared to devote myself more fully to work that had been important to me for a long time.
I have no desire to dismiss my real estate career to explain that decision. I enjoyed much of the work, developed valuable relationships and acquired knowledge that continues to serve me.
Today, when someone asks what I do, my answer is author, speaker and entrepreneur. Nearly three decades in real estate remain an important part of the experience I bring to those roles.
I remain proud of the career I built and appreciative of the people who were part of it. Closing Infinite Realty Service gave me something I had wanted for years: the opportunity to give writing, speaking and education my full professional attention.
The leap of faith was closing a business I knew how to run. The uncertainty of what came next had already become the easier part.
