Moving professionally into real estate is an exciting career choice that will probably present one of the most varied work challenges you can imagine. However, there are some sobering factors in the mix you should consider before you happily commit yourself to something that actually may not suit you. Ambition is one thing, but your personality is hugely important in defining success in this sphere. 

• A key aspect of working as a professional estate agent will be your ability to handle people from all walks of life - their expectations, emotions and individual perspectives on life. If you love meeting new people, and are genuinely motivated to help them either sell their house or purchase their dream home, that's a good basis. Because estate agency work can be less about the money and more about psychology.

• If you think it's a fun job with not much work attached to it apart from showing people around houses for sales, you'd be very much mistaken. The job involves dedication to service, innovation, focused work, patience and a positive attitude. It's a challenging, ever-changing landscape, and you need the ability to balance many balls in the air at the same time - including economic, social and environmental factors.

• People can be difficult. When people are buying or selling property, they usually have an idea of what they want and how much they're willing to spend or get for it. The more motivated both buyers or sellers are, the less likely they are to consider your advice. You will need persuasive skills, understanding, empathy, and an array of factual evidence to support your arguments, which in any event are geared to assist your clients to make the best choices.

• While a career in real estate can be very rewarding, both personally and financially, it requires seriously hard work, and long, often unsociable hours. Each sale will engender months of work from start to finish; it's a complex process that requires more than a passing knowledge of diverse fields such as marketing and the legalities involved, as well as the ability to fully comprehend the relevant legal documents, and convey this information coherently to clients.  

• You also need a thorough grasp of various areas in which you work; the values of the real estate in your portfolio, and the ability to accurately evaluate a property to achieve a realistic sale price in as short a time as possible. These transactions can involve many steps, dozens of engagements with different people, and strong emotional quotients, so your ability to maintain equilibrium is vital. You won't always be dealing with the perfect client.

• In real estate there's no salary - it's 100% commission-based, so everything depends on your initiative, hard work and determination. You have to be prepared to be out and about with buyers at house viewings - which can be time-consuming to arrange to suit everybody, not to mention the fact that you will often be expected to work on evenings or weekends for show houses.

• There's responsibility involved - not merely to make the sale for your client, and to handle all the documentation, but to remember that you are dealing with a client's major investment, and you need to ensure that no mistakes or loose ends are going to cost unnecessary monetary loss. You need to be aware that possible loopholes and legalities can scupper a deal, so you need to be on guard and aware. A positive attitude, discipline and perseverance must be strongly entrenched to carry you through adversity.

To operate as a fully-fledged estate agent in South Africa, you need to pass various levels of qualifications and competency.

​Leapfrog Property Group offers a fresh and innovative approach to buying, selling, renting and property investments, ensuring the best property deals for clients across South Africa. Our agents are qualified, trained, experienced; our approach bold and spirited, driven by heart, generosity and honesty. It is our mission to advise, eliminate obstacles and save you unnecessary expense. Trust is our watchword. And value our motto. Armed with our combined credentials, we are the bright face of excellence in the South African market.