Do you have a passion for people and property? If yes, then why not consider a career as an Estate Agent? You’ll take on a privileged position; helping people to rent, buy, and sell their homes.
For many people, moving home is an exciting, hopeful, yet daunting process and they will trust you to make the process as smooth and stress-free as possible. If you like what you hear, read on…
What do Estate Agents do?
Estate Agents are usually the first point of contact when people are looking to buy, rent, or sell a property. They can also manage properties for Landlords for an agreed fee e.g. if the roof of a rented house is leaking, an Estate Agent will inform the Landlord and offer to send a roofer to fix the problem.
Estate Agents take on the responsibility of getting properties sold for clients at the best price possible, working with the wider branch team to help everyone achieve their performance goals. When someone is looking to sell their property, an Estate Agent will usually visit the property to determine the estimated value at which it can be sold.
When people start taking an interest in renting or buying a property, Estate Agents will arrange viewing appointments, so they can be shown around the property and decide whether it’s suitable.
During viewing appointments, Estate Agents use their sales skills to highlight the best things about the property, increasing the chances of someone agreeing to buy or rent it. They need to think creatively about how to find potential buyers for the property and when it comes to closing a sale, they need expert negotiation skills to get the best sale price for the property.
Prospective buyers or renters rely on Estate Agents to tell them everything they want to know about a property as honestly as possible. Estate Agents also play a large project management role in a housing transaction as they need to make sure that all parties involved in the sale or renting of a property remain aware of what’s going on at each stage of the process.
Other tasks include helping to finalise mortgages and rental agreements, as well as making sure all the relevant documents are signed and the keys are handed over at the appropriate time.
Who would suit this role?
The right person will:
- Be self-aware and understand the impact that their role has on colleagues and customers.
- Be a great team player; you’re the focal point of the whole transaction and so you’ll need to work with colleagues, customers, mortgage advisers, and conveyancers to deliver fantastic customer service.
- Enjoy learning about property and land and keeping up to date with house prices in the relevant areas.
- Be friendly and approachable – clients will want to feel like they can ask you anything.
- Have good communication skills.
- Have great sales and negotiation skills.
- Have excellent organisational and admin skills.
- Usually have a full UK driving license so you can visit properties.
What will I love about being an Estate Agent?
- Helping people buy their dream homes and knowing that you played a part.
- Variety – you’ll be dealing with a wide range of properties and new ones will enter the market all the time. You’ll also be involved in a wide variety of property-related activities, so the role will suit someone who likes variety in their day.
- The social aspect; you’ll meet a host of different people and one of your main responsibilities will be to communicate between buyers and sellers, and tenants and landlords.
- You won’t be stuck at a desk all day – you’ll have the opportunity to go out and about; meeting applicants, valuing houses, and attending viewing appointments.
What are the challenges of being an Estate Agent?
- You’ll be expected to remain calm under pressure. You’re dealing with something that has a huge impact on people’s lives and if things don’t go to plan, people can get upset.
- Striking a balance. You’ll need to be driven in order to meet sales targets and earn commission, but it’s also important that you maintain your duty of care to customers and give them all the relevant facts about a property, even the less glamorous parts.
How much will I earn as an Estate Agent?
An Estate Agent’s salary is typically based heavily on commission. So how much you earn will depend on the number of sales and lettings contracts you can deliver. Base salaries are therefore relatively low and start off with a typical starting salary of £14,000, potentially rising to £30,000, plus.
Are there opportunities to progress?
Estate Agents who perform well are usually rewarded with promotion and this can lead to opportunities to progress into Negotiator and Manager roles. Finally, when you know the local market inside out, you could even think about opening your own Estate Agency.
How do I get started?
Apply for a job straight away…
You usually don’t need any academic qualifications to become an Estate Agent and some large estate agencies will offer to take interesting candidates with no experience and train them up. If you’re interested in this route, you can browse our range of roles below.
...Or complete an industry-related qualification
Others feel more confident going into an interview having already attained a relevant qualification. New Skills Academy offers an Estate Agency Diploma (Level 3) course which is perfect for anyone who has an interest in learning more about the role and industry.
This 10-hour online course will teach you everything you need to know to kickstart your career as an Estate Agent. It’s broken down into 16 modules, including A Day in the Life of an Estate Agent, Valuation Process, and Sales Progression.
After successfully completing the course, students will receive a CPD accredited diploma certificate which can be shown to prospective employers as proof of your industry-related knowledge and skills.