Working in real estate is a dream job for many people. It’s a great field to work in. You can earn a lot of money in that field and enjoy your time in it. Housing and real estate is a sector which will be relevant in the future as well, people are going to want to buy houses after all. A real estate agent’s career can be very exciting and quite enviable for many people. We will go through all the things you need to do to become a successful real estate agent. We will talk about what you need to do in order to become a great real estate agent. Working in this field requires a lot of skill and expertise so taking a course/required schooling for real estate is a good option for aspiring real estate agents. In this post, we will also talk about how long schooling is for real estate. Without further ado, let’s get started.
How Long Is Schooling For Real Estate: All You Need To Know
What does it take to become a real estate agent?
While a successful real estate agent’s career requires a lot of things, there are three main things that need to be done by anyone who wants to be a successful real estate agent:
Study to be a real estate agent
If you want to take the first steps on how to be a real estate agent, it is essential that you study careers that are closely related to sales and learn about market trends.
One of the degrees that may have a direct relationship with the sector is Business Administration, which you can study at different universities across the world. Although this career will not cover real estate training, it will provide you with the necessary tools to develop as an independent salesperson and run your own business.
A lot of institutions across the globe make diplomas, workshops and courses for real estate agents available to the public that address the main issues in the real estate sector. The advantage of taking these courses is that, upon completion, you will obtain an agent certification that will open the doors to the job market.
Although this is not a requirement to be a real estate agent, it is advisable to take courses in real estate marketing to improve your sales techniques.
To exercise, it will also be necessary for you to know the legal processes to carry out the process of buying, selling or leasing a property. This legal knowledge will provide protection to you and your clients, by carrying out processes that are within the margin of the law.
How long is schooling for real estate?
Real estate school takes somewhere between two to six months to complete on average. Most people successfully earn their real estate licence in this time period. The exact duration of schooling depends on the exact place you are trying to get the licence for. The place’s licensing requirements and application procedure, along with the type of course you do (online or offline). Here are the few key factors that will decide how long real estate schooling take:
- Credit hours/courses required
Every place has its own requirements of the credit hours required to get a real estate licence. To avoid confusion, check with your area’s real estate authority to figure out how much time is required to obtain the licence. You must do it before you start your course and pay your fees. If you do 100 credit hours and your area requires 110, you will be stuck with an inadequate certificate.
- Online/offline class
Real estate schooling can be done in an online school or in a traditional classroom type setting. Needless to say, traditional classroom style courses will take longer to finish while online courses will end faster. However, there are certain things that a traditional classroom type setup can offer which online classes can’t. So weigh your pros and cons before making a decision.
- Time spent studying
Online real estate school will allow you to study at a time of your choice and you will be able to access your study material and course work at any given time on any device. This will help give you a lot of flexibility during your course period. You can get the required credit hours faster if you plan it properly. There are a lot of people who can finish their entire online courses within a month and get the required credit hours.
If you have a full time job, you can continue with that job and take the online course in your time off work. This won’t be possible in a traditional classroom setup.
- Application and exam process
The real estate agent exam and application process for every place are different. Some places accept online applications while some places require you to fill a form manually and send it by mail. This will obviously take longer to process and you should be cognizant of that before enrolling in a real estate course.
Join real estate associations
No matter the country you live in, you can find several real estate associations which you can join.
Being part of such organizations will help you project confidence in your clients, as you will have the backing of an association which has many years of experience. Buying real estate is not an investment to be taken lightly. For this reason, people trust real estate agents who have official certification or endorsement.
To enroll in any of the existing associations, it will usually be enough to visit the website of the institution that is of interest to you and identify the agent registration section, where you can send an application for admission. Among the requirements to be a real estate agent, you will be asked to verify your identity through official documents and to talk about your career.
Get well versed with digital tools
When talking about how to be a real estate agent, knowing how to use technological tools and implement them in your profession is no longer optional, but a primary need. Above all, in times when the new normal has forced us to carry out operations remotely, using digital media. The real estate industry has not been left behind, embracing real estate technology as a highly effective sales strategy.
Among the available options, video calls, videos and photographs will be a useful tool to carry out your professional work. By these means, you will be able to show the property to the client, using virtual tours, and awaken their interest, without the need to make a first face-to-face visit.
To implement these tools properly, it is necessary to learn to take real estate photography that highlights the attributes of the construction. It is also advisable to know a little about video editing or, in any case, hire an expert who is in charge of recording the tours.
In the post COVID world, it’s very important for real estate agents to be well versed with digital tools as virtual tours of properties will become more common in the future.
What are the key personality developments required for being a successful real estate agent?
Develop your self confidence
While technologies are an excellent tool to grow your career as a real estate agent, this is not always enough. Implementing traditional marketing techniques is one of the secrets on how to be a successful real estate agent.
This means that, in all likelihood, you will have to organize real estate events and actively participate in conferences or face-to-face meetings. These actions allow you to establish a relationship of trust with your customers.
If you are not comfortable speaking in front of large audiences, you will have to develop that skill. Whether you are looking for a coach or practicing recording videos of yourself, you will need to hone your communication skills and improve your body language.
Follow up with customers
The first impression is crucial, but monitoring the sales process is just as important to ensuring success. Try to respond to your customers’ questions and requests as soon as possible and respond to them correctly.
Come punctually to your appointments with clients and, during the duration of the meeting, pay full attention to their requests and doubts.
If you are not sure about any information, it is best to verify it first. Clients come to you for expert advice. Remember that giving your clients wrong information can make them doubt your experience and ability to continue with the process.
Provide good after-sales service
A real estate agent’s job doesn’t just end with the sale of the property. It also involves being able to provide good service later. Sending a thank you email at the end of a sale will leave your customers even more satisfied with the result, as this action shows real interest in them.
Sending them a postcard on special dates is a good way to remind them that you are still present for any real estate situation they require. In addition, this will allow you to have an active client portfolio.
Use different communication channels with your customers
Every good real estate agent, independent or not, must know how to use communication channels such as Messenger, WhatsApp or Telegram, to keep in touch with their potential clients.
In addition to providing them with a phone number where they can contact you, it is convenient to have other communication channels in case of any eventuality.
Within their marketing plan, some real estate agents employ the use of digital advertising tools such as the Facebook ad manager. If you want to know how to be a real estate agent with a high level of sales, go to a course platform that will teach you to implement advertising actions.
Take time for yourself
Even if you work independently, set a work schedule and stick to it as much as possible. Although you should not neglect your business during working hours, it is important that you respect your personal time.
Disconnecting from work on your days off is a factor that will benefit your productivity in the long run. Let your clients know the hours in which they can contact you and try to be aware of your messages only during those hours.
How to become an independent real estate agent?
Build your own contact network
To be successful as an independent real estate agent, it is recommended to have at least three channels that allow you to generate new clients. For example: by a sphere of influence or recommendations from fellow agents, as well as paid ads.
In the case of small cities, for example, trust is built through recommendations. Before you can start networking, you’ll need to have friendly conversations with people. Both the recommendations and the people you meet in the places you visit could help you find new prospects.
Now, if you have made a client feel satisfied with the results of your service, ask them to recommend you and visit your pages to leave a comment. This reputation will encourage those interested in hiring a real estate agent to hire your services.
Create a professional profile on digital media
Online presence has become one of the requirements to be a real estate agent , as this is the modern resume.
Create your digital profile and keep a professional and up-to-date profile photo. Avoid having a photo of when you started your career since, by connecting with clients digitally, they will expect you to look as they saw you online. Otherwise, it could arouse mistrust.
Some real estate agents even create promotional videos through YouTube channels. However, it will be enough that you make constant use of social networks such as Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn, to build a personal brand.
In addition to updating your networks with original content, commenting on the content of other real estate agents will bring you closer to a greater number of people and allow you to present yourself.
If you post on social media, be guided by the “one-third” rule that consists of posting about 3 important things: real estate, lifestyle, and family. These topics are relevant to your brand and are related to the services you offer so that your followers will begin to identify you as a reference.
Spend sufficient time while learning the new market
If the reason you want to become an independent realtor is that you are moving to a new city, you will need to take the time to research the area. Search online for real estate agent services in the area and try to identify a niche market.
Try to attend conferences given by experts in the real estate industry. Search for events online and choose at least 4 those that you consider mandatory to attend to expand your knowledge and become a real estate expert.
In an already established real estate agency, there is an area in charge of legal, administrative and financial processes. You will have to cover these aspects on your own by being an independent real estate advisor.
What are some critical mistakes that every real estate agent should avoid?
- Not listening to your customers
We are not referring to simply listening to customers speak, but to identifying their concerns, needs and desires related to the sale that they are about to carry out. In addition to repeating information can be annoying for the client, the inattentive realtor may miss out on key pieces of information that contribute to the closing of a successful sale. Avoid attending other matters as long as the meeting is in person
- Talk more than you listen
Whenever a sale is made, you must ensure that the dialogue flows in both directions equally. If the realtor speaks without giving the client a chance to speak, the client will probably be dissatisfied with the service and decline the sale. Remember that communication is key in the real estate business.
- Overconfidence
Boasting about your experience, accomplishments, and multiple successful sales can also be annoying to customers. While it is important to build a reputation and track record that conveys trust, it is also important to offer specialized customer service.
- Pressure Decision Making
All clients hate being pressured to make a quick decision. A requirement to be a real estate agent is to understand that choosing an ideal home is a complicated process. While you should make sure that your clients are aware of the possible change in the availability of the properties they have seen so far, it is not necessary to force them to make a sudden decision. When you have an appointment with your clients, try not to show yourself in a hurry and invest the necessary time in the visit to the property, this will make them feel comfortable and increase their interest.
- Try to control the result without taking into account the needs of the buyer
When a real estate agent insists on selling to his clients a property that does not meet the needs and requirements of the client, there is a high probability that the sale will fail. Show only those properties that meet your client’s expectations, both in price, size and other characteristics.
What is a Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform?
Customer Relationship Management platforms are a tool that will help you in the process of how to be a real estate agent.
It is a type of software that facilitates the real estate sale process in all its stages. It allows them to establish adequate management of contacts, identify sales opportunities and manage properties. This is very useful for large real estate agencies.
While knowing about the time spent in real estate school is important, ultimately, the key to being a successful real estate agent is to never give up, keep learning constantly and work with perseverance.
