What Do Real Estate Agents Do?
Due to the complexity of buying or selling residential or commercial property, many people choose to seek assistance from a professional real estate agent. Alongside real estate brokers, real estate sales agents are experts at representing clients in a transaction to buy, sell, or rent any type of property.
While buyers’ agents meet with clients to understand what they are looking for in a home that will fulfill their needs, the sellers’ agents help them decide how much to ask for to attract a qualified buyer.
Daily Duties for a Real Estate Agent:
- Soliciting prospective clients to buy, sell, or rent properties
- Giving clients advice on prices, market conditions, or mortgage loans
- Comparing properties in the area to determine the most competitive marketing price
- Producing lists of properties for sale and their features for buyers
- Advertising properties through open houses and other listing services
- Walking potential buyers or renters through properties
- Presenting purchase offers and mediating sale negotiations
- Preparing deeds, loyalty contracts, and purchase agreements to ensure terms are met
Real Estate Agent Job Description
Many real estate agents are self-employed and work independently from out of their homes instead of a typical office environment. Other sales agents are employed in the real estate industry within brokerage firms, leasing offices, and other real estate franchises owned by a real estate broker. Since the majority of their time is spent away from their desks showing properties or traveling to see properties for sale, real estate agents usually work more than 40 hours each week with irregular evening and weekend hours to accommodate clients’ schedules.
Skills Needed to Be a Real Estate Agent
With at least a high school diploma and postsecondary training program, most states require that real estate agents pass a licensing examination to ensure the sales agents are knowledgeable on real estate fundamentals, legal regulations, and mortgage financing. Since it is essential that real estate agents are well-versed in finance, business administration, law, and economics, many pursue a certificate, associate’s, or bachelor’s degree.
Due to the complexity of real estate deals, it is essential that real estate agents possess superb business skills to help clients handle their finances, communication skills to interact effectively with customers, organizational skills for planning or prioritizing their work, and problem-solving skills to address client concerns immediately. In order to attract and keep clients, the most successful real estate agents must also be enthusiastic, amiable, and reliable.
