Feature Article

THE NOBLE REALTOR

Written By: Krista Goheen
Published By: Calgary Real Estate News
Article Used with permission of the Calgary Real Estate Board. © Copyright Calgary Real Estate News, 2007
2005-09-15

While sitting down for my interview with retired Realtor Kitty Noble, it quickly became apparent why she was, and continues to be, such a prominent presence in the Calgary real estate industry. During our lunch, Realtor Marg Partridge approached our table. After learning that Kitty was being interviewed for a Legends of Real Estate article, Marg replied, Well, you're an icon in the industry! All [Kitty’s] clients loved her.

Essentially, that five-minute encounter encompassed the qualities that have made Kitty so successful. She’s genuine- she never forgets a name, she remembers details like people’s anniversaries and their children’s names and she is the epitome of a what it means to be a people person.

Her skill at selling was apparent early-on, when she got her first job selling hotdogs for the day at the Calgary Stampede, then called the Calgary Fair, in 1940. She turned a one-time gig into a job that lasted the duration of the stampede.

Despite possessing an obvious flair for selling, Kitty’s foray into the real estate industry almost didn't happen. One day in 1967 Kitty’s friend, Evelyn Hines, a legend in her own right and a Realtor who started the first all-woman office in Calgary, invited Kitty for lunch. Eager to try something new, Evelyn suggested Kitty get into real estate.

I laughed and laughed, she says. I didn't know the first thing about real estate! But Evelyn told me to just try it. She said: 'For the next 48 hours, anytime you see someone, look them in the eye, shake their hand and say, My name is Kitty Noble and I sell real estate.'

Always up for a challenge, Kitty decided to try it. The first person she tried it on was her mother; the second, her neighbour.

As it happened, her neighbour was eyeing a property on 90th Avenue going for $18,500 (a substantial amount of money back then) and asked Kitty if she would take her and her husband to look at the home that Friday night.

Because Kitty wasn't licensed, she phoned her prospective sales manager, Pauline Mason.

I'll take care of everything, Pauline said, and picked them up that night at 6:45 p.m.

But, Pauline said to Kitty, don't say a word, you're not licensed- I'll do all the talking.

After some negotiations, the house was sold.

Guess what" Kitty said to her husband. I just sold a house and I don't know the first thing about real estate!

Kitty was hooked and decided to pursue her new career with the encouragement of her husband, Ken Noble, whom she married in 1948, and her two children, Tracey and Jeff.

The next Monday morning Kitty’s neighbour’s house was sold for the listing price with the help and advice of Pauline.

Within two weeks, Kitty had enrolled in the realtor’s course, and I never looked back! she says.

At the time, women were just beginning to branch into the industry and not highly thought of, Kitty says.

But, she says many women had a special knowledge of what makes a great home.

Many women lived in the house and worked in the house and we knew a lot of things men didn't, she says. So we did very well, much to many males' resentment.

During her real estate career, Kitty worked at the office of Evelyn Hines for five years, then Villa Real Estate for seven followed by P. J. Toole and Cote for eight years before joining RE/MAX Real Estate Chinook where she stayed until her retirement.

Her years in the business have taught her a few tricks of the trade.

You leave a card everywhere, even if it’s to the waitress who serves you in a restaurant, she says.

Kitty also attributes her success to three little words, Keep in touch, and stresses the importance of making personal connections with clients.

But, she says, never discount the importance of hard work.

A lot of people say it’s luck but it’s funny how the harder I worked the luckier I got!

While juggling a family and a demanding career in real estate, Kitty still found the time to teach an Offer to Purchase class at the real estate board and work as a director for the Calgary Tourist and Convention Association.

Kitty is also an honorary director of the CREB Charitable Foundation and served on the auction committee for many years. Additionally, she is a lifetime member of the Heritage Park Society.

She says she never had a bad deal and was proud that she retired from the business with what she says is an untarnished reputation.

Ever the consummate people person, Kitty says it is the people she worked and dealt with that she will remember the most from her time in real estate.

It’s easy to bring out the best in people, she says.

This article was written for Calgary Real Estate News, a division of the Calgary Real Estate Board, for the series “Legends of Real Estate” showcasing important members of the Calgary Real Estate Board. Please visit the Calgary Real Estate Board online.This article is part of the collection of the Calgary Real Estate News. Please visit them online.