Real Estate Sales Advisor

As a property salesperson or negotiator, you will be working for an estate agent and using a mixture of negotiation, marketing and sales skills.
As well as finding new clients and convincing them that your agency is the right one to handle their sale, this specialist sales role also involves helping to advertise properties.

Your duties will depend on the sector you work in, but generally you will be:

• Convincing prospective clients that your agency is the right one to handle their sale and agree the terms
• Arranging advertising to promote the property
• Sending out details of new properties on the market to people on your database
• Making appointments and showing buyers around a property
• Finding buyers in a position to proceed with purchase and willing to pay an acceptable price
• Referring buyers to mortgage arrangers for quotations and advice.
• You may specialize in residential houses and flats, in commercial property and businesses or in letting and managing properties.

The finer details...

• You will usually work from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Saturday. However, many agencies also open for part of Sunday and may have some late evenings.
• You may also need to meet clients and buyers outside of normal working hours.
• You could work part time in some agencies.
• You'll be based in an office, but are likely to spend a lot of time visiting properties and showing prospective buyers around. In view of this, a driving license may be useful.
• You'll find jobs advertised in local newspapers and in publications such as The Estate Agent, The Negotiator and Estate Agency News. There are also recruitment agencies that specialize in estate agency jobs.

With experience, you could become a senior negotiator or manage a department. You're likely to find more opportunities for promotion in larger agencies, particularly if you're prepared to change location. It's also possible to become a partner, or to set up your own agency.