The rise of major towns such as Nairobi has boosted Kenya’s real estate agency sector. These towns have transformed into property hubs, drawing affluent investors’ attention both within the country and abroad. Therefore, becoming a real estate agent in Kenya is an excellent career choice for both full-time and part-time. Entry into the profession can be achieved through employment in a real estate market or by starting a real estate firm. An education qualification offers an advantage when entering this field; however, this is not mandatory. One only needs to have the thrill of connecting clients to a perfect home of their choice. In this case, the primary role involves assisting clients in leasing, buying, and selling properties.
Duties of a Real Estate Agent
As a real estate agent, your main role involves helping property owners and clients to sell, lease, rent and sell properties. The performance of this function is enabled by other functions such as analyzing the real estate market, scheduling appointments with potential clients, observing and adjusting to market trends and listing properties on websites and other marketing platforms. The real estate agent must also build constant connections and networks with other realtors, plan open house programs, evaluate properties and prepare necessary real estate documents such as lease offers.
Requirements and Guidelines for Becoming a Realtor
The first requirement for becoming a real estate agent in Kenya is to be a citizen of the nation. This is because government licensees are only provided to Kenyans. As per the labour regulations, you must also be above 18 years of age. The licensing requirement must be fulfilled through an application to Kenya’s Estates Agents Registration Board (EARB). One is charged a one-time fee of Ksh 1000, after which one is considered for admission. Once the application is approved, EARB will give the real estate agent a unique identifier. The agent must also be knowledgeable about Real Estate Act cap 523 which is the law regulating the industry in Kenya. Understanding these regulations ensures legal compliance and tracking changes. Other requirements which offer an advantage in the profession are an educational background and experience working under a real estate agent.
Working in a Real Estate Company
Satisfaction with the above requirement qualifies an individual to work in a real estate brokerage company. As a realtor, your role in the company will involve finding clients and helping lease and sell properties. However, experience may be acquired through serving under experienced and leading agents. Other roles as new employees include the creation and handling of documentation. Payment, on the other hand, will come in the form of commissions from properties sold. The payment will, therefore, vary based on the performance of the individual. This can also be affected by the reputation and goodwill of the company.
Starting a Real Estate Agency
While some individual follows the employment path, others prefer to launch their own agencies. In this case, the real estate agent must stay ahead of the competition through exemplary services, building customer trust and putting in discipline, hard work and dedication. The company must convince the clients to trust them with their products and simultaneously guarantee them profits in return. While a new venture may be operated through online platforms, it is recommended to have a physical office. The operational model primarily involved searching for property owners and offering to sell their properties for them. This means that the realtor is not required to own the properties they sell. Several options for seeking clients are available, after which the products are listed on the company website and other platforms. The agency must also modify its sales strategy by monitoring and adjusting to market trends.
Tips for Ensuring the Success of Your Real Estate Company
The competitive nature of the real estate industry means that maintaining operations and the agency’s success is more demanding than the creation process. As such, one needs to consider and adhere to several guidelines. One of these is having a marketing strategy. The strategy ensures that the agency is disciplined and on the right track. The changing dynamics in the market also mean that the agency must adopt several strategies as per the present conditions. For example, an organization can access different customers based on a chosen advertising platform. This means an advertisement strategy must include these different platforms instead of relying on one.
Another crucial aspect of going ahead of the competition involves ensuring that the real estate agent and the agency staff have the required expertise in the field. This can be attained through studies, constant work improvement and gathering relevant information through different platforms including online searches. The agency must also operate under clearly defined goals. Both the short-term and long-term goals must follow the SMART approach. The agency staff will be required to have clarity on the goals, and progress must be tracked through key performance indicators and milestones.
The agency must also be easily accessible to the clients, accompanied by timely responses to their messages and inquiries. Clear and effective communication through various tools such as phone, emails and text messages creates a positive client impression. Establishing partnerships and cooperation by trusted and relatable companies can also be an effective way of boosting growth and customer loyalty. The companies will complement each other in addition to enabling the provision of different types of products.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the real estate market is an opportunity-filled world for anyone interested in. All you need is dedication, hard work, processes and employment of SMART strategies, after which you are promised steady revenues and career growth. You, therefore, have a chance to start now, with or without academic qualifications.