By Michelle Foong
There has been a growing interest in pursuing a real estate degree after the hugely popular TV series, Selling Sunset was released on Netflix. Viewers were hooked watching the elite real estate agents in action, selling beautiful, extravagant and expensive properties to their affluent clients in the heart of Los Angeles. Their luxurious lifestyle and careers have influenced many to want to be part of the real estate industry, including the International University of Malaya Wales’ new intake students who are studying the Real Estate Management and Auction degree.
So what does it take to become a real estate agent and be part of this fast-paced and exciting industry?
Strong Communication Skills
Real estate is a people business, and communication leads everything that an agent does, whether it’s explaining the process of buying or selling homes, understanding the interests of their clients and investors, negotiating an offer or preparing marketing materials. Effective interpersonal skills will help to get a message across in a clear and concise way, making sure every party understands the terms and offers. Communication plays a prominent role in helping people to buy and sell their homes by providing them with professional advice about the real estate market. Being able to convince both parties and discuss all aspects of a deal before a contract is drafted will lead to a successful transaction, and in turn, a successful career.
Passion and Motivation
Successful real estate agents are those who enjoy what they do for a living with great enthusiasm and excitement. They do not wait for clients or investors to approach them; a real estate agent takes the initiative to meet them by proactively fixing appointments and scheduling meetings. The fascinating part about real estate is that the industry covers a wide range of areas from finance, management, law, investment, valuation to marketing. Having the persistence and passion to continuously learn and stay updated with the current trends will help you move up the career ladder.
A Bachelor’s Degree
Whether you’re applying for a job in marketing, public relations or accounting, Malaysia’s human resource managers tend to favour a bachelor’s degree holder and this goes for the real estate industry as well. This becomes even more important when venturing into other real estate areas such as managing an estate agency. With a bachelor’s degree at IUMW, a student can also apply for 4 real estate licenses which enable them to practice as a licenced estate agent, property manager, valuer, and auctioneer. At IUMW, the Bachelor of Real Estate Management and Auction (Honours) has been designed in line with the requirements of Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers Malaysia (BoVAEA), The Royal Institution of Surveyors Malaysia (RISM) and The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, United Kingdom (RICS) making sure students are able to achieve and excel in their real estate and auctioneer career.