Meet Dave McGrath —
Your Columbia Valley Real Estate Guide

From mountain trails to building foundations, Dave’s journey to real estate is rooted in local knowledge, hands-on experience, and a lifelong love for the Columbia Valley lifestyle.

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Born in Calgary and raised in Lethbridge, Alberta, I’ve always cherished the prairies of my youth. However, my true love has always been the mountains. Since childhood, I’ve been drawn to the Columbia Valley.

In 2001, while juggling multiple food and beverage businesses in Lethbridge and raising three young children, I took a spontaneous solo camping trip with them to Fairmont Hot Springs. Standing on a trail overlooking my kids playing with the valley, mountains, and Lake Windermere as a backdrop, a voice spoke to me, clear as day that said – “you need to LIVE here!”  I captured that moment in a photo that became my computer screensaver. After months of persistently nagging my wife (and blasting Go West by the Pet Shop Boys), we sold our businesses, took a pay cut, and moved to the Valley, where I became the F&B Manager at Panorama for 3 years.  Following F&B I worked in construction and headed up the maintenance department for a large vacation rental management company.  This gave me an invaluable insight on the inner workings of houses; how they were built, how to spot problems and most importantly, how to fix just about anything.

Raising my family here has been an incredible gift. The mountains, lakes, and trails shaped my children’s lives in ways that nothing else could. They’re not that great at navigating anything in the city, but if you blindfolded them and dropped them deep in the back country and they had to navigate their way home, odds are they wouldn’t show up for a week!  Not because they got lost, they would just find fun stuff to do!  Their love for this place has kept them here, where they now raise their own families.

In 2009, I decided it was time to combine my life’s experiences into one neat package – Real Estate became that vehicle!  My passion for service, my knowledge of maintenance and home building combined with my deep love for mountain life, made it a natural fit. You could say “Real Estate is in my Nature!"

Cursive handwriting of the word 'Dave' in black.

Let’s Talk Real Estate, Life in the Valley — or Both

Whether you’re dreaming of making the Columbia Valley your home, ready to list your property, or just want to chat about what’s possible — I’m here to help. No pressure, just honest advice and local insight from someone who lives and breathes this place.