3 possible routes to becoming an estate agent
According to specialist recruiter Property Personnel, we’re in the middle of the worst estate agency staffing crisis of a generation.
And recruitment guru Anthony Hesse predicts that the recruits who’ll fill the gap and perform best will be imported from outside the sector.
Property sales is one profession where there are currently no mandatory qualifications and you can gain a foothold with no experience.
If this sounds like a positive career move, here are three possible routes to becoming an estate agent.
If you want to dip your toes into the water in real estate without committing to a full-time position, applying for a property agent internship is thoroughly sensible.
Whether you’re a school-leaver, university undergraduate or mid-life career switcher, an internship provides you with intensive experience on the shop floor of a busy agency.
And it allows you to build confidence in dealing with customers and closing deals under the supervision of experienced managers.
Once your placement ends, you’re empowered to make an informed choice on whether to pursue this path any further — and if you’re keen, you might have impressed your host employer enough to offer you a permanent position.
- Apprenticeship
Another route to success in real estate is finding an estate agent apprenticeship.
And by working from the bottom up, you’ll grow your skills gradually until you’re a fully-fledged professional.
By learning how to listen attentively to clients’ needs, you’ll be able to act with integrity in helping them find their dream home or commercial property — before representing them in negotiations with sellers to drive a hard bargain on their behalf.
You’ll also learn how to market and promote properties, collect references and perform credit checks, and collect rent payments.
- Degree
Applying for an estate agent job with a degree under your belt might put you in a better position to secure a slightly more elevated role in the hierarchy.
So if you’ve been completing a distance learning degree to secure an MBA or a marketing-related qualification, property sales might be the perfect arena to put your skills to good use.
The leadership and management qualities you’ll absorb in a business degree will stand you in good stead in this sector — while an understanding of online and offline marketing tactics and strategies might prove very attractive to prospective employers.
So if you’re nearing the end of your degree but don’t yet have a firm idea of where it’ll lead your career, working for an estate agency can be lucrative and fulfilling.
Whatever road you use to enter estate agent work, you’ll need a great deal of self-confidence, good communication skills and plenty of resilience.
But any of these three possible entry routes can provide a springboard to success.
Do you work as an estate agent? Share your career secrets in the comments section.
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