Career summary

Details for Real Estate Brokers


Description

Operate real estate office, or work for commercial real estate firm, overseeing real estate transactions. Other duties usually include selling real estate or renting properties and arranging loans.

Tasks

  • Sell, for a fee, real estate owned by others.
  • Obtain agreements from property owners to place properties for sale with real estate firms.
  • Monitor fulfillment of purchase contract terms to ensure that they are handled in a timely manner.
  • Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
  • Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers over property prices and settlement details and during the closing of sales.
  • Generate lists of properties for sale, their locations, descriptions, and available financing options, using computers.
  • Maintain knowledge of real estate law, local economies, fair housing laws, types of available mortgages, financing options, and government programs.
  • Check work completed by loan officers, attorneys, or other professionals to ensure that it is performed properly.
  • Arrange for financing of property purchases.
  • Appraise property values, assessing income potential when relevant.
  • Maintain awareness of current income tax regulations, local zoning, building and tax laws, and growth possibilities of the area where a property is located.
  • Manage or operate real estate offices, handling associated business details.
  • Supervise agents who handle real estate transactions.
  • Rent properties or manage rental properties.
  • Arrange for title searches of properties being sold.
  • Give buyers virtual tours of properties in which they are interested, using computers.
  • Review property details to ensure that environmental regulations are met.
  • Develop, sell, or lease property used for industry or manufacturing.
  • Maintain working knowledge of various factors that determine a farm's capacity to produce, such as agricultural variables and proximity to market centers and transportation facilities.

Interests

  • 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 of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
  • Training - Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
  • Experience - A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.

Knowledge

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Economics and Accounting -Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  • Computers and Electronics -Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Law and Government -Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • 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.
  • English Language -Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Related careers

None found.