Making investments on house and lot and condominium properties is becoming more and more popular as years pass by. A lot of people are realizing the advantages and the other benefits of having such investments. Investing on properties such as condominiums, ready-to-own house and lot properties, and more provides tons of profitable opportunities to you and your family. If you look at investing on a property on another perspective, you would see that there are more opportunities that are waiting to be discovered. Yes, you could invest and own your own property, but you could also sell properties to other people as a job. If you’re interested on this idea, then consider becoming a real estate agent. Becoming a real estate agent isn’t as hard as you think and you don’t even have to look any further. This guide on how to become a successful real estate agent will help you to achieve your goal in no time with additional tips to be on the top of your game all the time.
What is a Real Estate Agent?
Before we move on with this guide, let’s review what a real estate agent is and what they actually do.
A licensed real estate agent is the person responsible for connecting the seller to a possible buyer or client and act as a representative in legal negotiations and agreements about the property being sold. Real estate agents are compensated usually through commissions that depend on the agreement between the seller and the real estate agent. An effective real estate agent must know their right percentage of commission and must inform the client beforehand to avoid confusion and misunderstandings. A licensed real estate agent can act independently and usually searches for clients for themselves through online networking sites or through recommendations of family, friends, and acquaintances. However, a licensed real estate agent can also be a part of a brokerage, which is an entity that manages the list of properties that the real estate agents can sell. Being a real estate agent that is a part of a brokerage means that you can use their company brand, legal team, and existing connections.
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A real estate agent is different from a real estate broker. A lot of people are usually confused between the two and thought that they are the same thing; they are not. But what are the differences between a real estate agent from a real estate broker? A real estate agent is licensed just by completing the necessary steps and submitted the requirements and has also taken the courses needed and passed the qualifying exam. A broker is the same but undergoes a more detailed training and more courses to be officially a managing broker. A real estate agent works to help the client find a property to buy or help the client to sell their existing properties. Meanwhile, a real estate broker can do what a real estate agent does but can also manage a brokerage. In other words, a real estate broker is a real estate agent but with more training and qualifying experiences.
Why become a real estate agent?
So why become a real estate agent? Real estate is one of the leading industries in the Philippines and in the world and is continuously flourishing in the recent years. A lot of people are selling their properties and more people are finding affordable properties to buy. This means that the real estate industry is always moving as clients are continuously pouring. Many Filipinos found a career in real estate and you could be one too.
Becoming a real estate agent is easy but it is not an easy-as-cake type of job. Just like with any other job, becoming an effective real estate agent also has responsibilities and rules to follow. In the real estate industry you are not just selling properties you are also selling yourself. It is a job that should be taken care of as your reputation matters.
Real estate agents, whether you choose to be a real estate broker or with a real estate company, are getting stable salaries or income. Besides the monthly salary, whenever you close a deal or successfully sell a property, you get a commission that depends on the percentage agreed by both parties. Being a real estate agent also widens your connections in the real estate industry as you get to meet a lot of new people and communicate with them. Having connections and knowing a lot of the right people builds your reputation up and provides you a lot of benefits in the industry.
How to become a Successful Real Estate Agent?
So you’ve decided to try your luck in the real estate industry. There are easy steps that you need to accomplish first before you become a licensed real estate agent. Do not worry, it’s not hard to do and you could become one in no time. Following these steps properly and making sure that everything is smooth and polished before you go to the next step assures you that no problems will arise on your journey on becoming a real estate agent.
Here are what you need to do:
- Make sure that you are qualified to become a real estate agent in your area. In the Philippines, the qualifications are: you must be a Filipino citizen, completed at least 72 units of college or at least two years, attended and undergone the trainings required and participated in seminars of at least 12 units of credit in real estate brokerage, and you must possess a good moral character and must not have any criminal records or not have convicted with any crime.
- You must have the necessary requirements on hand for an easier processing. Having all the requirements complete and with you always make sure that there would be no delays on your real estate journey. The required documents are and not limited to:
- Original and a photocopy of your NSO Birth Certificate
- Original and a photocopy of your NSO Marriage Certificate or CENOMAR
- Original document of your Certificate of Educational Attainment that proves that you have completed the required units in college or of at least two years with notarization
- Original NBI Clearance
- Original certificate of the twelve units of credits required on Real Estate Brokerage with notarization
- A photocopy of the PRC license of the Real Estate Broker that trained you with three signatures. The Real Estate Broker’s PRC ID must be valid of not less than six months of your application
- A photocopy of your community tax or cedula
- A set of passport size photo on white background with a name tag below that shows your complete name
- At least two government issued ID that is considered as a Valid ID in the Philippines
- After you have completed the requirements stated above, the next thing to do is head to the Application Division located at the fourth floor Annex Building of the PRC Central Office. This is where you will fill-out your application and submit them with the required documents for pre-evaluation.
- Head to the Legal Division for notarization then the next step should be at the cashier where you would pay a fee of P450.00. After this, proceed to the Customer Service Center for the documentary stamp.
- Submit all the needed requirements to the Application Division and wait and check the PRC website to the verify the status of your application.
Becoming an Effective Real Estate Agent
Being a licensed real estate agent is not a hard thing to achieve that is why a lot of people are applying to become one. The next challenge now is building rapport as a real estate agent in the industry and maintain a good status and reputation. Becoming a real estate agent is easy but being an effective one is not. If you’re wondering how to become a successful real estate agent, you must:
- Be approachable. If your job requires you to communicate and build connections to a lot of people, then being an approachable person in real life and online is a strict requirement. Giving a feeling to your possible clients that you are someone they can talk to and ask questions from is a nice start on gaining a lot of recommendations and positive feedbacks. Being approachable and an all around friendly person assures you that people would not hesitate to start a conversation with you, ask for assistance, and eventually hire you to aid them in their goal to sell or buy a property. Being approachable is not even a hard thing to achieve. All you need to do is be genuine and accommodating to people. Making sure that your clients feel that you are someone they can trust goes a long way.
It is easy to be approachable online because all you need to do is respond actively to questions and inquiries as informative as you can but becoming approachable offline or in real life is another challenge. In order to have an approachable persona, the first thing that you must have is a welcoming and not intimidating body language. Smiling is an asset that rarely fails so go on and strike your best and genuine smile. Try not to exclude or isolate yourself, as a real estate agent, you must always be accessible to guide your clients and answer their questions, avoid being on your smartphone or being occupied by something unnecessary always whenever you are meeting with a client. Just like smiling, having a good eye contact game ensures that both you and your client is invested in the conversation. Lastly, on becoming approachable, try on having a brighter and a more positive personality, this gives of an aura and bounces of your client as well.
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- Be honest and genuine. One of the most common thing that clients hate are people who are dishonest and sugarcoating issues that should have been talked about properly. One of the key things to remember on how to become a successful real estate agent is to be honest and genuine. Being honest in the real estate industry means that you are transparent with the client. Selling or buying a property is a big deal and having misunderstandings and issues that is caused by something that you must have told or marketed that is untrue is a huge problem in your agreements and reputation.
Being truthful and building a trustworthy personality is important in the real estate industry. You need to be straightforward when talking about the details of the property that your are trying to sell, of course, you need to try your best to get them sold but straight out lying isn’t the right move. Being genuine also make sure that your are trustworthy enough for the client to have another agreement with you in the future or have your name or company recommended to other people and possible clients. Being truthful also reduces the chances of your client being disappointed with the property because whatever the things that you have said to them are the things that will expect. Honesty is a basic character of a decent human being and being trustworthy is almost synonymous to being respected.
- Be skillful and open to learning new things. Going in on the real estate industry doesn’t require you to be top notch just after a few months. But in order to be a real estate agent that is effective, you must be skillful and if not yet, must be open to learning new skills to be a better real estate agent. There are tons of skills that must have or learn in order to be a reliable. First you must have good communication skills, this will help you make your client understand everything they need to know about your agreement and the property. You must also be flexible with working as an individual or completing tasks that require teamwork and group participation. You must also be digitally literate because a lot of things nowadays are done online so knowing the basics or more is an advantage. Knowing how to drive is optional but is a very helpful skill because being a real estate agent requires you to visit locations from time to time.
Being an effective and successful real estate agent is an opportunity that a lot of people take. SipIf you’re wondering what kind of properties that your client would be interested in then try thinking about affordable properties that is also good in quality. Bria Homes offers a wide variety of affordable properties ranging from house and lot properties to condominiums. Bria Homes helps you find the right property for you by giving you the option to browse by type of property or location through the Bria Homes website. Investing on a high quality and affordable property is a good move, and it’s a better move to choose Bria Homes guide you along the way.
Written by R.M
