To become a real estate agent, or not to
become a real estate agent? That is the question.
I think I may be having a midlife crisis. Or rather, a quarter-life crisis, since I hope to live past my sixties (“God willing”).
I’m not really sure what I want to do with my life anymore. Even though everything is going so well for me, and I’m pretty content. Have you ever felt like that?
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the flexible admin work I’m currently doing and nothing beats being a mum. It’s pretty amazing, even when I’m forced to moonlight as a referee whenever one kid (usually the younger one, surprisingly) declares war on the other.
And yet, I desperately crave a change of pace and new challenges. Especially now that the Little Miss is spending two days a week at preschool and one day with my sweet mum.
I know what you’re thinking. Corel, honey, what could be more challenging than juggling school pick-ups with cooking and cleaning. Not to mention, wiping vomit off the floor when the tiny humans are sick?
Yup, that’s quite an achievement. And one I’m very proud of, especially since I’m currently doing some admin hours from home as well.
But I really want to put myself out there and work with adults, face to face. I’ve always been a people-person and quite the talker. My husband tells me that I could persuade a wall to divulge its secrets, if given the chance
(though I’m not certain he means this as a compliment).
Real estate could be my future...
With that said, I’m thinking about
becoming a real-estate agent.
I’ve read a few articles lately about the
anticipated growth for Sydney’s property market. It seems like a decent time to enter real estate, as far as I can tell.
I understand that real estate can be a difficult industry to crack into. There seems to be the perception that you need to be a bit of a “shark” who knows how to make things happen. You have to be self-motivated, good at problem-solving AND have an engaging, honest personality. It also helps to be determined and passionate about what you do.
Not to toot my own horn, but I feel as though I already have many of these traits. The rest, I hope, would become polished on the job. There’s nothing like being thrown into the deep end to remind you of your capabilities (after all, it’s sink or swim out there).
The idea of helping others find their dream home also appeals to me. I used to help people in crisis find sustainable employment, as a full-time job, before the little Mister came along, so this doesn’t feel like too much of a stretch.
So how does one go about becoming a real estate agent?
According to my research, it’s not too difficult to become qualified at an entry level. In NSW, you need a Certificate of Registration to be able to sell or lease property. Before you do this, you need to complete at least four competence units:
- Work in the real estate industry
- Identify legal and ethical requirements of property management to complete agency work
- Identify legal and ethical requirements of property sales to complete agency work
- Communicate with clients in the property industry
There are also
other courses, which aren’t compulsory, but could be useful further down the track (if I decide to go “all out” with this).
Right now, I’m really intrigued by the fact that I can complete this course from home. This would fit so perfectly with the part-time work I’m currently doing, and my duties as a mother.
So far the positives are:
- As a career, there’s room for growth and I’ll be challenging myself
- I could probably work flexible days
- I’ll be working with other adults
- Studying from home is an option (RETS offer a hotline support 7 days a week)
- I’ll get to put my negotiation skills to the test
I haven’t decided yet, I need to think about it and do more research. This isn’t something I want to go into lightly, but I’m excited by the possibilities.
