What does a real estate broker do ?
WHO IS A REAL ESTATE BROKER?
REAL ESTATE brokers sell, lease or rent properties which may be either commercial or residential. They liaise with either the buyer, the seller, or the renter and assist them in reaching their desired aim of buying, renting or selling a property at the desired price.
WHAT THE WORK INVOLVES
At some time during the workday a real estate broker may: Meet with clients, either buyers or sellers, in order to discuss their needs. Advertise and promote properties. Act as an intermediary between buyer/renters and sellers. Advise sellers on how to enhance the look of their property in order to attract a buyer. Keep in touch with clients. Accompany potential buyers to view properties which are up for sale. Real estate agents spend most of the working day outside of office. They are usually able to set their own hours but must make themselves available for clients to view properties, even on weekends and outside of regular work hours. There is some amount of paperwork to be done relating to sales or rental contracts.
WHO IS THIS CAREER FOR?
Real estate agents need to be entrepreneurial in nature and have very good persuasion skills in order to sell the properties. Strong interpersonal skills are essential for real estate brokers and sales agents. A great deal of time is spent interacting with clients. They need to be pleasant, enthusiastic, and trustworthy, with good negotiating, organisational and problem-solving skills.
WHAT CAN I EARN?
Real estate agents earn commissions based on their sales. Hard and consistent work goes in before rewards are reaped. It will usually take a long time for all of the paperwork relating to a sale to be completed so you may need an additional, more stable source of income initially. To improve your income, you may look to the future of owning your own real estate company as a real estate dealer who employs brokers.
HOW DO I QUALIFY, AND WHO OFFERS TRAINING?
Real estate brokers must be trained and licensed. The Real Estate Board sets out on its website information relating to becoming qualified as a real estate broker – www.reb.gov.jm.
A licence can only be granted after successful completion of the prelicensing course offered at the Real Estate Training Institute and when qualifying requirements are met. The pre-qualifying course covers many aspects of real estate, including real estate sales, leases, rentals, valuation, property management, strata management, timeshare and auctions. The institute can be contacted via the Real Estate Board website.