Estate agent trainees are people who are training to become independent estate agents — those who facilitate transactions associated with property. They can perform business dealings that involve homes, commercial facilities, and apartment buildings, and usually must be licensed by passing an industry examination. An estate agent trainee is responsible for honing his or her skills with selling properties, helping clients to purchase buildings, and participating in leasing activities for customers.
A chief job of an estate agent trainee is to help a client sell his or her property. When potential buyers arrive at the customer’s property, the trainee is responsible for emphasizing the positive aspects of the home such as the building’s square footage. If a person chooses to buy the property being sold, the trainee then must make sure that his or her client meets any requirements of the contract established between the two parties. For example, if an aspect of the house needs to be fixed, a person in this field has to ensure that this is done prior to the ownership of the building being transferred.
A person in this industry also assists people with buying new establishments. When doing this, an estate agent trainee learns the process of gathering information from a customer to find out the type of establishment in which the client is interested. The trainee has access to properties and therefore can show a customer how a building looks and answer any questions that he or she has about the purchasing process. An estate agent in training additionally helps the customer to create a purchase offer for the property as well any counteroffers required before a final sales price is reached.
Leasing is another aspect of this career area for a person in training. An estate agent trainee practices working with a landlord and his or her tenant to negotiate payments for rent and standards for a contract between the two individuals. This professional has to create the agreement in writing, receive rent payments, and organize necessary repairs to the property being rented. He or she markets a vacant property for the landlord as well.
Another important part of a job in this field is to stay current on legal developments. A person who aims to become an estate agent must understand his or her regions laws regarding the buying, selling, and leasing of property. Failure to do this can actually cause an estate agent trainee to lose his or her license. Completing continuing education requirements is necessary to maintain a credential in this industry.