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- Help people buy and sell homes and other properties
- Spend your time liaising between buyers and sellers and managing viewings
- Progress into management or set up your own agency
As an estate agent you could work for an independent estate agent or a chain.
DAY-TO-DAY DUTIES
- Visit sellers and landlords to value properties
- Arrange appointments and show properties to buyers or renters
- Get feedback on viewings
- Negotiate between buyers and sellers
- Generate sales leads for mortgages and conveyancing
- Manage auction sales
- Work under pressure to meet sales targets
- Update computer records
DAY-TO-DAY ENVIRONMENT
You may earn an extra fee (commission) for each sale you make. You're likely to work Saturdays as well as weekdays. You'll be based in an office or a high street agency but will spend a lot of your time visiting properties with prospective buyers and sellers, and making valuations.
You'll need
This role would be ideal for someone with good negotiation and selling skills, and organisational and administration skills.
There are no formal entry requirements but you'll need to have a full UK or EU driving licence, held for at least 12 months.
You may be able to start as a trainee sales negotiator and learn on the job.
You could also start as an administrator in an estate agency or lettings company and work your way up.
Local knowledge of the area where you'll be working would be an advantage.
Some estate agents offer an intermediate apprenticeship as a junior estate agent or an advanced apprenticeship in property services.
You could do a foundation degree, higher national diploma or degree in business studies, civil and structural engineering, estate management, property development or management, surveying or urban and land studies.
Alternatively, you could start by taking qualifications offered by an industry body like NAEA Propertymark. Introductory qualifications can be done whether or not you're working in property. There are also courses aimed at people in the industry who want to develop their career.
CAREER PROSPECTS
With experience and a good sales record, you could be promoted from sales negotiator to senior negotiator and then branch manager. Larger chains of estate agents may offer more opportunities for promotion than smaller companies. You could also become self-employed as a partner in a firm, or set up your own agency online.