Real Estate Agent

Tasks

• Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.

• Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.

• Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.

• Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.

• Confer with escrow companies, lenders, home inspectors, and pest control operators to ensure that terms and conditions of purchase agreements are met before closing dates.

• Promote sales of properties through advertisements, open houses, and participation in multiple listing services.

• Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.

• Coordinate property closings, overseeing signing of documents and disbursement of funds.

• Interview clients to determine what kinds of properties they are seeking.

• Contact previous clients for prospecting of referral business.

• Review property listings, trade journals, and relevant literature, and attend conventions, seminars, and staff and association meetings, to remain knowledgeable about real estate markets.

• Answer clients' questions regarding construction work, financing, maintenance, repairs, and appraisals.

• Coordinate appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.

• Contact property owners and advertise services to solicit property sales listings.

• Advise sellers on how to make homes more appealing to potential buyers.

• Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.

• Display commercial, industrial, agricultural, and residential properties to clients and explain their features.

• Accompany buyers during visits to and inspections of property, advising them on the suitability and value of the homes they are visiting.

• Arrange for title searches to determine whether clients have clear property titles.

• Develop networks of attorneys, mortgage lenders, and contractors to whom clients may be referred.

• Review plans for new construction with clients, enumerating and recommending available options and features.

• Inspect condition of premises, and arrange for necessary maintenance or notify owners of maintenance needs.

• Visit properties to assess them before showing them to clients.

• Investigate clients' financial and credit status to determine eligibility for financing.

• Evaluate mortgage options to help clients obtain financing at the best prevailing rates and terms.

• Appraise properties to determine loan values.

• Contact utility companies for service hookups to clients' property.

• Solicit and compile listings of available rental properties.

• Conduct seminars and training sessions for sales agents to improve sales techniques.

• Arrange meetings between buyers and sellers when details of transactions need to be negotiated.

• Rent or lease properties on behalf of clients.

• Secure construction or purchase financing with own firm or mortgage company.

• Locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites, based on evaluations of area market conditions.

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.

• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

• Mathematics - Using mathematics to solve problems.

• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

• Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

• Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

• Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

• Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.

• Negotiation - Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.

• Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.

• Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

• Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

Knowledge

• 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.

• Clerical - Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.

• Economics and Accounting - Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.

• 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.

• Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

• 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.

• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

• 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.

• 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.

• Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.

• 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.