DIFFERENT ROLES IN REAL ESTATE

A step by step guide of the process and what each involves

It all begins with a Land Owner and a Land Promoter, who plays a vital role in the supply of housing. This job entails working with commercial and rural land-owners to unlock the value of their land through a land promotion agreement.

Responsible for promoting land to secure planning consent for the building of the new homes or business spaces - which will greatly enhance the value of the land.  

Alongside, you also have Sales Agents who typically buy, or sell property for clients. Being in the front lines of customer service, this role involves supporting clients either in person, over the telephone or internet. Alongside studying property listings, accompanying clients to property sites, discussing conditions of sale, putting together real estate contracts, maintaining client files and ensuring that returning customers are receiving the highest level of service. 

The land will then be purchased by a Real Estate / Property Developer. This involves buying property or partnering with landowners, then developing a plan for what to build or rebuild on that property. With the help of investors, they are required to predict how much money the new homes or buildings will rake in. They then manage the construction side and sell the project overall. 

Overseeing commercial, residential and industrial projects from start to finish, other duties include; scouting land for projects, renovating existing buildings, managing construction details, negotiating deals, taking care of project funds, attending public hearings to gain public approvals, as well as planning and executing projects. 

The developer may have in-house construction teams or it’s likely that they will assign a Main Contractor to control and manage the delivery of construction. This role involves looking for products that offer the most ease of installation, good availability and which represent value. Ensuring that the project work will not be delayed by lack of product availability and that the product cost remains within the estimate, so they can remain profitable. Roles you could find yourself in are; quantity surveyor, site engineer, or project manager. 

Undertaking the Main Contractor, we have the Subcontractor - who carries out the work that a contractor can’t do but which the contractor is still responsible. They can be anything from a self-employed individual, like a plumber carrying out work for a building contractor, to a large national organisation. The developer might also assign a team of consultants specialising in project management, quantity surveying, architecture, design, and engineering. 

Then follows the selling or the leasing of the property. This is where Estate Agents come into play. They are required to help find buyers for the properties being built.

Using skills of advertising, selling, and negotiating sales of property. Your responsibilities could range from selling new houses for a developer, to working with private clients trying to sell residential properties. As well as negotiating the sale of commercial properties, and managing rental properties.

Marketing and sales teams also play a key role in this stage of the process, with roles such as property marketing & sales administrator, social media marketing manager, property marketing consultant, etc.

Lastly, onto the occupation of the property. Occupied properties, in particular commercial buildings such as offices, will usually require a Property Manager.

They are responsible for collecting rent and managing the overall maintenance of the property.

Other duties include maintaining property rentals by advertising and filling vacancies, enforcing / negotiating leases, maintaining and securing premises. As well as establishing the rental rate by surveying other rental rates local to the area and calculating overhead costs, depreciation, taxes, and profit goals.

Entry level roles include; residential surveyor, junior property manager, lettings negotiator.

And there you have it! 

These are the different stages of the Real Estate industry, from start to finish. It’s probably a more complex process than you originally thought, with so many different people from various job sectors all contributing to the same end result. 

We hope this was helpful to you in discovering some more of your career options. 

Get in touch with the HICAMO team if you have any questions or need any help at all with your career search. 

AUTHOR: GRACE MCGRATH - DIGITAL RESEARCHER