You're standing in front of a house for sale, admiring its beautiful condition and imagining the happiness that its new owners will experience. Suddenly, a friendly voice interrupts your thoughts, and you turn to see a property practitioner smiling at you.
"Are you interested in buying a home?", she asks.
You shake your head, but the encounter leaves you wondering: could you be the one showing houses and making dreams come true? Should you become a real estate agent? To help you make a decision, here are some questions to consider. The more you answer "yes", the more likely real estate is a career path that would be the right fit for you.
Are you up for life-long learning?
While becoming a qualified property practitioner is more accessible than in other industries, you'll still need to invest in yourself. As part of your initial training, you'll need to complete a 12-month internship, gain an NQF 4 qualification, and write your PDE4 (Professional Designation Examination). After you gain your full status, you'll still need to maintain it with Continuing Professional Development (CPD).
Are you passionate about real estate?
Like any other profession, it helps to have a keen interest in property. This is an industry where understanding the real estate market, rising trends, new regulations, and other developments can help you succeed. With that, having the drive to stay on top of it will benefit both you and your clients.
Do you want an unlimited earning potential?
As a real estate professional, you aren't limited by an hourly rate or company salary. If you have the talent and put in the effort, your income can soar to great heights. However, on the flip side, you should be prepared to budget and plan for your future. If you or the market slows down, so will your income. You will also need to consider whether you want to be your own boss or work with an agency or brokerage with a favourable commission structure.
Do you value flexibility and independence?
Real estate is a good career option if you don't want to work a 9-5 job. If you get satisfaction from creating your own schedule, setting goals, and managing your workload, this will be the dream. Be careful, though. You'll still need to exercise discipline to get things done, strive for a work/life balance to avoid burnout, and work around clients to secure sales.
Do you enjoy working with people?
In order to build relationships with clients, negotiate deals, and close sales, it pays to have strong communication and interpersonal skills. Clients want to work with practitioners who aren't just competent but also friendly and trustworthy. It is also important to genuinely like working with people as some of your clients will be challenging. However, knowing you are helping people reach their real estate dreams and sharing huge milestones will help you get through a tough day.
Can you market and network like a pro?
Being able to sell properties and services is crucial to make it within a competitive real estate market. If you have a silver tongue, you'll unlock opportunities. However, being willing to improve your sales savvy will help you make it big in this career. For that, there's a wealth of courses, books, podcasts, and seminars available. A willingness to socialise with others during power breakfasts, events, and roadshows is also important to build your network of potential clients or referrals.
Are you open to admin work?
Many just see the glamorous side of the industry: showing and staging gorgeous homes. However, much of your work will include answering emails and text messages, returning calls, writing listings, scheduling viewings, compiling contracts, nailing down legal work, and following up on other parts of the transaction process. Some real estate agencies provide administrators and marketing support, but you should still be prepared to get stuck in these tasks.
Do you have the determination to succeed?
This is a career where only the best can make it. Being able to juggle multiple hats, operating during a tough market, dealing with difficult clients, or staying steps ahead of your competition needs willpower. If you have it, you'll find this is a field where you will not just survive but thrive!
Become a property practitioner with us
If you've raised your hand to most (if not all of these questions), you're the property practitioner Century 21 South Africa is looking for. Starting a real estate career at one of our branches gives you everything you need from professional tools, unparalleled support, to award-winning training. You can even launch your own business as a Century 21 South Africa franchisee and join others who have the might of our world-recognised branch behind them.