subject: Career Opportunities In Estate Agency And Property [print this page] Being an Estate Agent can be a fruitful business but you are susceptible to market conditions which have certainly been struggling in the past couple of years.
This is a service orientated business and you will certainly need good people skills, be self motivated and don't get despondant when you have worked for weeks with buyers/sellers, lawyers, mortgage lenders etc to conclude a sale that falls through at the last minute. This is regular occurance, particularly at the higher end of the property market when you have several families in the chain and one breaks down for whatever reason.
You will need to be flexible, as this industry requires working weekends and evenings, whether it be to show someone a house, do a valuation or just be present in the office waiting for the phone to ring.
The rental market is particularly high at the moment as less and less people are choosing to sell their homes because of the fall in prices. People relocating often rent their homes out with an agent who will ensure that the right tennants are found, do all the credit checks and ensure the home is kept to the same standard throughout the rental period. rental prices are high at the moment and will generally cover your mortgage costs as well as the agents fee and a little extra for you. There are also issues associated with rentals such as doing evictions, non payments and public nuisance problems. You will need to deal with all of these, often getting lawyers, police force and the county councils involved.
There are many other Job opportunities in the Property industry, such as, building surveyors, facilities management, quantity surveyor and planning surveyors. These will generally require a university degree.
When property prices are high and the market is moving, many people get involved in buying and selling houses and making a healthy profit. Many of these people have little or no experience and learn as they go along. Many suceed and become wealthy but it is a risky business and you may well pay over the odds for a property, spend a fortune on it, then the market drops and you are seriously out of pocket.
There are several Internet Job boards and Job sites advertising vacancies in the Estate Agency/Property business. Most of these are free for the Job seeker and will give a good choice of opportunities both in the UK and overseas.
