Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, December 17, 2007

HAY RIVER - Sue West finds it rewarding to share people's excitement when finding a new home.

"Especially when it's their first home and they're thrilled to bits by it," said the licensed real estate salesperson in Hay River.

West has been a real estate salesperson for more than nine years, and there are many things she likes about the career.

"I love looking at homes," she said.

West said she also enjoys dealing with the buyers and sellers.

"You meet lots of interesting people," she said.

She also likes the flexible hours of the work.

In a small town like Hay River, West said she has sold the same houses two or three times as people trade up.

Her job basically involves finding out what a buyer is looking for in terms of size of house, price range and other factors, and then matching a person to the houses on the market.

"Some people have some specific requirements," she said.

The main factor is the size of a family and the number of bedrooms required.

West then shows a prospective buyer what's available and accompanies a person on visits to properties.

She explained a real estate firm helps a seller in the process by marketing the property and doing much of the paperwork.

"It takes the load off the property owner since they're generally busy with their lives," she said.

As for the buyer, she said, "You can come and see what's available in one spot."

West said the Hay River real estate market is busier at certain times of year than at others.

"From early spring to the beginning of winter, the market is most active," she said.

Depending on the time of year, there could be 20 to 25 homes on the market in Hay River.

Currently, the market is in one of its slower periods but there are still homes being bought and sold.

West studied to become a real estate salesperson through a correspondence course at Aurora College in Fort Smith.

The course in Fort Smith no longer exists, but a person can still train by correspondence from Alberta or go to school in Edmonton or Calgary.

West emphasized she is a licensed real estate salesperson, not a real estate broker.

Prior to selling real estate, the native of New Zealand worked with the South Slave Divisional Education Council as the manager of student accommodation.

West said there are a variety of homes in Hay River from trailers to houses worth several hundred thousand dollars.

"There are a lot of different homes," she said, adding that includes older homes that have been upgraded and newer houses.