10. The Real Estate / Property Industry Is A Profession With Prospects

The idea of working in a real estate office has appealed to many over the years. Whether it is the lure associated with the "Great Australian Dream" of home ownership, the attraction of working with a high profile product in which most people have an interest, or perhaps the presumption that everyone working in the industry drives a prestige car!

In fact, getting a start in a real estate office has given many people an exceptional opportunity to progress through to higher level roles within the wider property industry. Certainly a large number have remained in agency roles within residential real estate, but one should not overlook those who have commenced in, or moved on to, other property disciplines.

New or established homes, apartments and lifestyle projects, shops and shopping centres, factories, warehouses, offices, hotels, retirement villages, leisure developments, hobby farms and rural holdings are just some of the property types one may associate with in the industry.

Wide Range Of Choice

Working within the property industry offers a wide range of employment choices. For example within an Estate Agent's office there are:

• Various office administrative positions,
  
• Leasing and management of leased premises,
• Valuers and advisers, and
  
• Sales and marketing consultants who conduct the transactions between buyers and sellers.

All of these roles may operate within the diverse property types mentioned above.

There are also a wide range of other organisations that employ "property staff". These include businesses of all sizes from small to large property developers, investment companies, property portfolio advisers and managers, owners corporation management companies, banks, insurance companies and superannuation funds. Government departments and instrumentalities also have property departments. Many retail companies and corporations employ property staff to control leasehold, freehold and investment transactions on their behalf. On-site staff are also required to operate from major shopping centres… and so on!

Imagine the broad range of employment opportunities this provides.

The various types of work within the property industry draws on a wide range of skills at every level of employment from the cadet to the CEO.

However, there are also many who have been attracted to this high profile vocation but have not been successful, and subsequently left the industry. We therefore constantly encourage interested parties to 'look before you leap'. We recommend you talk with as many people in the industry as you can through your network of contacts, ask questions and really consider your suitability. If you aspire to obtain professional qualifications to support your long-term career prospects, investigate the various courses and property-related qualifications on offer.

GETTING STARTED

In a Real Estate Agency

As recruitment consultants specialising in Real Estate/Property, Buckmaster Hawkey are constantly encouraging our clients to provide opportunities to those willing to find their first position in the industry.

When working in a real estate office people skills are paramount. A real estate agency is the ultimate service industry environment - it's all about getting the business and retaining it. In our opinion it is really a 'people business' - the by-product just happens to be property!

All age groups are catered for. Aside from highly developed people skills the most successful property industry professionals offer a strong work ethic. Public expectations also mean that it is not the place for the "clock watcher"! To be successful you must be prepared to assist clients at times that suit them (which can often mean weekends). Initiative and patience plus the technical skills for the type of job you are targeting are also required.

Many get started in the various office support roles and with similar experience in other industries. We recommend that relevant transferable skills are clearly identified when attempting to obtain a position that will allow you to make that first step into a real estate office.

If Property Management is of interest, an ability to liaise effectively as "the man in the middle", to mediate and solve problems, plus skills to co-ordinate, organise, effectively manage time and administration are all vital for success.

In some Property Management roles selling and business development skills are also in demand.

A natural sales flair and a substantiated sales track record in another business field will also be well regarded by many employers if seeking a career in residential real estate sales. See "Getting Started in Residential Real Estate Sales" for more information.

You can also visit www.bla.vic.gov.au to find out about Agents Representative requirements.

Other Property Careers

As mentioned earlier there are a wide range of organisations that employ "property staff".

From our experience it is easier to get a first step into these areas if you are:

• a graduate of the various property courses, or
  
• transferred internally from other departments in larger corporations, or
  
• experienced in Real Estate agency, in particular Commercial/Retail/Industrial Property Management or Valuations.

Take The Next Step

Once you have considered the above points, carried out your research of the industry and decided that you are keen to proceed, you are welcome to register on our database by calling our office or applying to appropriate vacancies by clicking here.

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Click here to view more information on Getting Started In Residential Real Estate Sales