About Igor Ryltsev

Calgary REALTOR® with eXp Realty · Investor · Economist and certified project manager · 220,000+ people follow my videos

I did not grow up dreaming about real estate. I came to it the long way — through another country, a few hard years and a career that taught me how to solve problems for people under pressure. That path is the reason I work the way I do.

From Kharkiv to Calgary

I grew up in Kharkiv, Ukraine, and spent about six years of my school life in Qatar. In August 2012 I came to Canada on my own as an international student in Toronto — no family here, no network and no Canadian work history. I learned how renting, banking, credit, taxes and housing work in this country by going through all of it myself. That is why I can walk a newcomer family through the same steps without guesswork.

Education

• Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Economics
• Diploma in Logistics
• Accounting certification
• Diploma in Canadian Immigration Law
• Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification

Before real estate

I started in sales — as a sales manager in Ukraine, and my first job in Canada was in sales too. After that I worked in logistics and distribution, project management and construction, and finally as a truck dispatcher. Every one of those jobs comes down to the same skills a real estate deal needs: negotiating, keeping many moving parts on schedule and picking up the phone when someone needs an answer.

Along the way I have owned several small businesses in Canada, and I still run some today, including short-term rentals.

Real estate and investing

I have been a REALTOR® in Calgary for more than five years with eXp Realty. I am also an investor: I buy property for my own portfolio, rent it out and renovate homes. I work with private investors to find the right property, finance it and add value. My advice on suites, rentals and renovations comes from my own money, not from a brochure.

As a certified project manager, I run your sale or purchase like a project: a clear plan, dates, responsibilities and no surprises in the last week before possession.

Why I make videos

More than 220,000 people follow me across YouTube, TikTok, Facebook and X. I publish almost every day — the Calgary market, the Alberta economy and politics, mistakes to avoid when buying or selling — in English and in Russian. Most of my clients have watched me for months before they call, so our first meeting starts with trust instead of a sales pitch. And when I list a home, that audience sees it.

Family, and mortgages in the same conversation

I live in south Calgary with my wife and our two sons. My wife Neethu Ryltsev is a licensed mortgage broker with Mortgage Architects. She works independently, but it means my clients can get a pre-approval or a straight answer about financing without waiting days for a call back.

What working with me looks like

• Straight answers. If a home is overpriced or a plan does not make sense, I say so.
• Numbers first. Pricing and offers built on real Calgary sales data and an economist’s view of the market.
• An investor’s eye. I look at every home the way I look at my own purchases — resale, rental potential and what it really costs to fix.
• One point of contact. You deal with me from the first call to the keys.
• English or Russian. Every document and every step explained in the language you think in.
• Relocation experience. I have been the newcomer myself, and most of my clients come from somewhere else.