A Conversation with Alan Gee on Trust, Longevity, and Doing Real Estate the Right Way
There are very few people in real estate who can speak with clarity about longevity — not just surviving, but staying relevant, respected, and trusted over nearly four decades. Alan Gee is one of them.
In this episode of Behind the Sold Sign: Four Decades In, we sat down with Alan to talk about the decisions, values, and mindset that shaped his career. What emerged wasn’t a story about numbers, rankings, or hype — it was a conversation about trust, reputation, restraint, and relationships.
This is the story behind a career that lasted.
How It All Started: The Turning Point
Alan didn’t enter real estate with momentum or a safety net. He entered at a low point.
He was closing down a business that hadn’t worked, flat broke, carrying debt, and trying to figure out what came next. Real estate wasn’t a lifelong plan — it was an opportunity he observed from the outside. Realtors and bartenders would come into his bar, and he started asking questions. Slowly, curiosity turned into possibility.
That decision — to step into real estate when things were uncertain — became the first turning point of a nearly 40-year career.
Years later, another pivotal moment arrived. After building a strong individual business, Alan found himself burned out. The hours were long, the pace relentless, and the cost to family time was real. In 2007, during a booming market, he made a counterintuitive decision: he stopped chasing volume as a solo agent and began building a team.
That shift didn’t just change his business — it saved his energy, extended his career, and allowed him to build something that could last beyond him.
Trust Is the Business
When asked how he built a reputation where people trust his name before they even meet him, Alan didn’t talk about strategy or branding. He talked about how he was raised.
From the beginning, he made a conscious decision to operate on what he calls the “straight and narrow.” Everything had to be ethical. Everything had to feel right. If it didn’t, he wouldn’t do it — even if it meant losing a deal.
That philosophy applied everywhere: how he treated clients, how he treated other agents, how he handled multiple offers, and how he represented both sides of a transaction fairly. Trust, for Alan, was never situational. It was foundational.
Over time, that consistency compounded. And it became something he deliberately instilled in his team: fairness, honesty, and professionalism aren’t optional — they’re the business.
Why He Still Loves It After Nearly Four Decades
After almost 40 years, many people would be counting the days until retirement. Alan isn’t.
What keeps him engaged is evolution. His career has shifted repeatedly — from individual agent, to team leader, to working on condo projects, custom homes, and new housing. More recently, his focus has moved toward collaboration, mentoring, and supporting other agents in the industry.
Family also became part of that evolution. With his daughter entering the business, the work took on a different meaning — not as succession in the traditional sense, but as shared understanding, mutual respect, and parallel paths.
The common thread through every phase has been curiosity. Alan doesn’t stay excited because he chases trends — he stays excited because he stays engaged, open, and invested in people.
The Power of Specialization
One of the most defining choices Alan made was geographic focus. Instead of working the entire city, he chose to specialize in southwest and south Edmonton.
That decision wasn’t about status or luxury branding. It was organic. Clients he helped early on grew, moved up, and stayed in touch. Relationships deepened. Referrals followed. Over time, that network naturally led to larger homes and higher-end transactions — not because he chased them, but because trust carried him there.
Specialization allowed him to become known, not just visible. And that clarity made his business stronger, more resilient, and easier to sustain.
Loyalty Is Built Through Value
Loyalty — from clients, team members, sponsors, and industry peers — is a recurring theme in Alan’s career. But he’s clear about where it comes from: value.
Whether it’s hosting Lunch and Learns, collaborating with sponsors, or creating spaces for real conversations about the Edmonton market, the goal has always been the same — give more than you take.
Those events weren’t about self-promotion. They were about relevance, community, and mutual benefit. Sponsors returned because they felt respected. Agents showed up because the content mattered. Clients benefited because the exposure and activity added value to their listings.
Loyalty, in Alan’s world, isn’t demanded. It’s earned — over time, through generosity and consistency.
Reputation Under Pressure: Restraint and Empathy
Some of the most powerful moments in the conversation came when Alan spoke about restraint.
Real estate is full of tension — emotional clients, difficult agents, high-stakes decisions. Alan has seen it all. His approach is patience. He gives people a long line. He listens. He tries to understand what the other person might be dealing with.
That doesn’t mean he tolerates everything — but it does mean he chooses his moments carefully. Biting your tongue, he says, often protects your reputation more than reacting ever could.
Empathy, adaptability, and reading personalities have been critical skills throughout his career. Different people need different approaches. And learning how to meet people where they are has been just as important as knowing contracts or markets.
What’s Changed — and What Hasn’t
Technology is the biggest shift Alan has witnessed, especially in the last five to ten years. Tools, automation, AI — they’ve all changed how the business operates.
But he’s cautious.
When technology replaces too much of the human element, agents risk becoming commodities. Differentiation disappears. Value erodes.
What hasn’t changed — and never will — is relationships. Trust. Communication. Getting back to people. Explaining decisions. Being present.
Alan describes his approach as old school and new school. Use technology where it helps — but never at the expense of connection.
Advice for New Agents: Think in Decades, Not Deals
If Alan could offer one piece of advice to newer agents, it would be this: it’s not a race.
He’s watched countless agents rise quickly and burn out just as fast. The ones who last are the ones who build relationships, stay present, adapt to change, and pace themselves.
Face-to-face still matters. Community involvement still matters. Clients remember how you made them feel — not how automated your follow-ups were.
Markets will shift. Conditions will change. But agents who stay grounded, flexible, and human will always find their footing.
Values and Legacy
When asked about legacy, Alan is thoughtful and honest. He doesn’t need to be remembered as number one. Rankings fade. Titles change.
What matters to him is this: that he did things right.
That people don’t avoid him when they see him. That colleagues still ask for advice. That his name carries trust. That his team continues forward with integrity, even as they evolve in their own ways.
For Alan, legacy isn’t about domination — it’s about dignity.
Final Thoughts
This conversation wasn’t about how to sell more homes. It was about how to build a career that lasts.
Nearly four decades in, Alan Gee’s story is a reminder that the real work in real estate happens quietly — in decisions no one sees, in restraint under pressure, in relationships maintained over years, not weeks.
Behind every sold sign is a process.
Behind every reputation is a thousand choices.
And behind a lasting career is a commitment to doing the work the right way.