Career summary

Details for Real Estate Sales Agents


Description

Rent, buy, or sell property for clients. Perform duties, such as study property listings, interview prospective clients, accompany clients to property site, discuss conditions of sale, and draw up real estate contracts. Includes agents who represent buyer.

Tasks

  • Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
  • Confer with escrow companies, lenders, home inspectors, and pest control operators to ensure that terms and conditions of purchase agreements are met before closing dates.
  • Interview clients to determine what kinds of properties they are seeking.
  • Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
  • Coordinate property closings, overseeing signing of documents and disbursement of funds.
  • Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
  • Promote sales of properties through advertisements, open houses, and participation in multiple listing services.
  • Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
  • Coordinate appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.
  • Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.
  • Display commercial, industrial, agricultural, and residential properties to clients and explain their features.
  • Arrange for title searches to determine whether clients have clear property titles.
  • Review plans for new construction with clients, enumerating and recommending available options and features.
  • Answer clients' questions regarding construction work, financing, maintenance, repairs, and appraisals.
  • Inspect condition of premises, and arrange for necessary maintenance or notify owners of maintenance needs.
  • Accompany buyers during visits to and inspections of property, advising them on the suitability and value of the homes they are visiting.
  • Advise sellers on how to make homes more appealing to potential buyers.
  • Arrange meetings between buyers and sellers when details of transactions need to be negotiated.
  • Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.
  • Evaluate mortgage options to help clients obtain financing at the best prevailing rates and terms.
  • Review property listings, trade journals, and relevant literature, and attend conventions, seminars, and staff and association meetings, to remain knowledgeable about real estate markets.
  • Investigate clients' financial and credit status to determine eligibility for financing.
  • Contact property owners and advertise services to solicit property sales listings.
  • Develop networks of attorneys, mortgage lenders, and contractors to whom clients may be referred.
  • Visit properties to assess them before showing them to clients.
  • Contact utility companies for service hookups to clients' property.
  • Conduct seminars and training sessions for sales agents to improve sales techniques.
  • Appraise properties to determine loan values.
  • Solicit and compile listings of available rental properties.
  • Secure construction or purchase financing with own firm or mortgage company.
  • Rent or lease properties on behalf of clients.
  • Locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites, based on evaluations of area market conditions.
  • Contact previous clients for prospecting of referral business.

Interests

  • Social - Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
  • Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
  • Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Education, training, experience

  • Education - Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
  • Training - Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
  • Experience - Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Knowledge

  • Geography -Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
  • Public Safety and Security -Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Communications and Media -Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • Economics and Accounting -Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  • Building and Construction -Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
  • Psychology -Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
  • Education and Training -Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Mathematics -Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Law and Government -Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Computers and Electronics -Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Administration and Management -Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Clerical -Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • English Language -Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Sales and Marketing -Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • Customer and Personal Service -Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills

  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

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