Working in real estate and property is all about socialising and schmoozing with people. Of course, you also need to be highly organised, to have done your research and to be able to close a deal – but at its core, it’s an inherently social job. Whether you’re selling homes, valuing properties or liaising with renters, you’re essentially providing a service to customers. It’s about making sure people understand what they’re getting into and answering their questions so that they feel comfortable with buying, selling, leasing or renting a property.

WILL IT SUIT ME?

As with any sales role, real estate agents need to be confident and outgoing; they need to display their competence to the customer. It’s important to remember that buying or renting a home is one of the most important (and often expensive) decisions for most, so they’re going to put a lot of thought into it and buy/rent from someone they trust. If you’re that person, you need to be reliable, up front and easily contactable.

HOW CAN I GET THERE?

You can study real estate and property development as a university degree, but it’s not a necessity for working as a real estate agent. In fact, real estate agents can get certified through training organisations within just 5 days. TAFE also offers courses in real estate sales that run for one semester. Essentially, there are multiple paths to a career in real estate, it just depends what kind of training and how much training you need depending on what role you wish to get into.

WHAT SKILLS WILL I LEARN?

In the industry you’ll learn a handful of skills like:

• Knowledge of real estate market.
• Communication skills.
• Negotiation skills.
• Establishing rapport with clients.
• In-depth local area knowledge.
• Organisation and punctuality.
• Responsiveness.
• Reliability.

Real estate and property has a reputation for being glamorous and very lucrative, but it can also be a stressful industry that demands long hours. Real estate agents generally get paid a commission of each sale they make, which means they can earn very big money at certain times, and then end up waiting long periods between sales. To be a successful real estate agent, you need to be sociable, self-motivated and organised. If this sounds like you, working in Real Estate & Property may just be your cup of tea.