Buy or Sell a Calgary Home With a Realtor Who Has Built and Inspected Them
I'm Colin Craig — a licensed Alberta REALTOR® with Diamond Realty, a CanNACHI-certified home inspector, and 20+ years in residential construction across Calgary and Cochrane. Buyers get a builder's eye at every showing. Sellers get a home priced and prepared so the buyer's inspection never costs them the deal.
Diamond Realty & Associates Ltd. · Serving Calgary, Cochrane & area
The Construction Advantage Most Calgary Buyers Never Get
Anyone can open a lockbox. Knowing whether the home behind it is worth the asking price takes two decades on job sites — and the training to inspect the systems buyers can't see.
20+ years building homes
Basement developments, custom kitchens, full renovations and new builds. Colin has designed, built and transformed homes across Calgary and Cochrane — so he reads a house the way a builder does, not the way a listing photo does.
A licensed home inspector on your side
Colin is a CanNACHI-certified, fully insured home inspector as well as a licensed Alberta REALTOR®. Very few agents in Calgary can walk a property and tell you on the spot whether that ceiling stain is cosmetic or a $14,000 problem.
Problems spotted before you write the offer
Poly-B plumbing, aluminum branch wiring, hail-battered shingles, grading that dumps water at the foundation, suspect basement development without permits — these get flagged during the showing, not after you're committed.
A trusted trade network behind every deal
Roofers, electricians, plumbers, foundation and remediation specialists Colin has worked with for two decades. Real repair numbers, fast — the difference between a confident negotiation and a guess.
How Buying a Home With Colin Works
A clear four-step process built around condition, cost and confidence.
1. Strategy and budget
We map out what you actually need, what it costs in today's Calgary market, and which communities fit your commute, schools and lifestyle. Pre-approval first so your offer carries weight.
2. Showings with a builder's eye
At every showing Colin checks structure, roof age, mechanical systems, moisture, drainage and renovation quality — and tells you what a fix realistically costs before emotions take over.
3. Offer and negotiation
Offers written with the right conditions for the property's age and condition, and negotiated with documented facts about repairs — not a wish list.
4. Conditions, inspection and possession
Because I'm acting as your REALTOR®, a third-party inspector completes the official inspection to avoid any conflict of interest. I help interpret the findings, negotiate credits or repairs, and do a final walk-through at possession so nothing is missed on key day.
Listing Your Calgary Home With an Inspector as Your Agent
Most Calgary listings that fall apart fall apart at the buyer's inspection. I find those issues before your home hits MLS® — so we fix them, price for them, or disclose them on our terms.
1. Free home evaluation
A realistic price range based on current Calgary and Cochrane sales, your home's condition, and the upgrades buyers actually pay for — not an inflated number to win the listing.
2. Pre-list condition review
As a certified inspector I walk your home first and flag the issues that kill deals at the buyer's inspection — roof, furnace, Poly-B, grading, moisture. We fix, price in, or disclose before the sign goes up.
3. Professional marketing
Pro photography, floor plans, drone and video where it helps, plus full MLS® syndication, social campaigns and targeted exposure to Calgary buyer agents.
4. Offers, negotiation and close
Offers reviewed on price, conditions and buyer strength. When the buyer's inspection report lands, I already know what's in it — so repair demands get answered with facts, not discounts.
No surprises at the buyer's inspection
The most common reason a Calgary sale collapses is an inspection finding the seller never saw coming. Yours are identified before listing, with real repair costs from two decades of trade relationships.
Priced with condition in mind
Two homes on the same street sell for very different numbers depending on roof age, furnace life and basement finishing quality. Your list price reflects what your home actually is.
Pre-listing inspection option
For older homes or estate sales, a HomeWise pre-listing inspection lets you sell with the report in hand — fewer conditions, stronger offers, less renegotiation.
Repairs that return money
I'll tell you which fixes and updates pay you back before listing and which ones to skip entirely — advice from someone who has run the renovations, not guessed at them.
Thinking about selling this year? Start with a free home evaluation and an honest list of what's worth fixing first.
Calgary Buyers I Work With
First-time buyers
Step-by-step guidance from pre-approval to keys, plain-language answers, and an honest read on which starter homes are a smart buy versus a money pit.
Move-up families
Selling and buying in the right order, school and community advice, and a sharp eye on renovation quality in established neighbourhoods.
New-build buyers
Builder contracts, spec upgrades worth paying for, pre-drywall and pre-possession checks, and the Alberta New Home Warranty milestones that matter.
Investors and flippers
Realistic renovation budgets from someone who has run the trades, plus rental-suite legality, permits and resale-value guidance before you commit.
What I'm Looking At While You're Looking Around
Calgary homes have their own failure patterns — freeze-thaw cycles, hail seasons, expansive clay soils, and decades of basement developments done with varying levels of skill and paperwork. On every showing I'm quietly working through the same list an inspector would:
None of this replaces an independent home inspection during your condition period — it means you only pay for an inspection on homes actually worth inspecting. If I'm your REALTOR®, the official inspection is always handled by a qualified third party to avoid any conflict of interest. Learn how a pre-purchase inspection works.
Where I Buy and Sell
Calgary and Cochrane are home base, with buyer representation and listings across the surrounding communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Colin Craig a licensed realtor in Calgary?
Yes. Colin Craig is a licensed Alberta REALTOR® with Diamond Realty & Associates Ltd., serving Calgary, Cochrane and the surrounding communities. He is also a CanNACHI-certified home inspector and owner of HomeWise Property Inspections.
Why buy a home with a realtor who is also a home inspector?
Most buyers only learn a home's real condition after their offer is accepted. Because Colin has inspected hundreds of homes and spent 20+ years building and renovating them, condition issues surface at the showing — so you write a smarter offer, or skip the property entirely and save the inspection fee.
Does Colin inspect the homes he sells?
No. When I'm your REALTOR®, performing the official inspection on the same transaction would be a conflict of interest, so a third-party inspector is required. I'll help you choose a qualified independent inspector, coordinate access, and interpret the findings during negotiations. My construction and inspection background is used during showings and offer strategy — never to replace an arm's-length inspection.
Can Colin list and sell my Calgary home?
Yes. Colin lists homes, condos, acreages and mobile/modular homes across Calgary, Cochrane and the surrounding communities. Listing service includes a free home evaluation, a pre-list condition review, professional photography and floor plans, MLS® and social marketing, and full negotiation through to possession.
Should I get a pre-listing inspection before selling in Calgary?
Often, yes — especially for homes over 20 years old, estate sales and rental properties. Knowing the condition up front lets you fix or price for issues instead of renegotiating after the buyer's inspector finds them. HomeWise offers a pre-listing inspection, and Colin will tell you honestly whether your home needs one.
What is my Calgary home worth?
Call or text (403) 710-7770 for a free, no-obligation home evaluation. Colin prices from recent comparable sales plus the condition of your roof, mechanical systems, basement development and finishes — the factors buyers and their inspectors focus on.
What areas does Colin serve?
Calgary and Cochrane primarily, plus Airdrie, Chestermere, Okotoks, Langdon, Strathmore, Crossfield, Carstairs, High River, Bragg Creek and Canmore.
What does it cost a buyer to work with Colin?
In most Alberta transactions the seller's brokerage pays the buyer's agent commission, so buyer representation typically costs you nothing directly. Colin will confirm the arrangement in writing before you view homes.
How do I get started?
Call or text (403) 710-7770, or email colin@diamondrealtygroup.ca. Buyers get a no-pressure consultation and listings that actually fit; sellers get a free home evaluation and a walk-through of what to fix before listing.
Buying, Selling, or Both — Let's Talk
A free, no-pressure consultation or home evaluation with a licensed Calgary REALTOR® who has built, renovated and inspected homes for over 20 years.