Turning Ordinary Estate Agents into Extraordinary Experts

Like many professionals involved in service delivery, estate agents often get stereotyped as people looking to make a quick buck, without necessarily delivering good service. A lot of people look at the property transaction and question whether an estate agent is even a necessary part of the process, thinking it easier to deal without a middle man.

So what exactly does an estate agent bring to the table? Gerhard van Rensburg, newly appointed as National Franchise Sales and Training Executive at Leapfrog Property Group, believes they have much to offer;”An agent not only has the requisite knowledge of an area and the experience to bring together a willing buyer and seller, but also the technical expertise to guide both through the often complex legal paperwork as well as the financial applications and approvals. The purpose of a good real estate agent is to guide the entire process from start to finish”.

Selling Property Requires Qualifications

The common misconception is that becoming an estate agent is a quick way to make easy money. While it is true that good agents can earn well what is less obvious is the number of qualifications they’ve needed to obtain – such as the entry level FETC: Real Estate (NQF level 4), the completion of a 12-month internship under the mentorship of an experienced estate agent and passing a professional designate exam (PDE) at the end of the internship– as well as the hours of ground level experience they need to combine their knowledge with.

“The average rookie agent takes about six months before earning their first commission”, explains Bruce Swain, MD of Leapfrog Property Group, “only those who truly apply themselves go on to make a living as this isn’t a forgiving industry”.

Training Makes Perfect

Gerhard is no stranger to the real estate industry – many having been trained by his real estate training and development business - Bowtie Solutions. He’s also practiced as an agent since 2000, became a principal of his own estate agency in 2009, and obtained his NQF level 5 qualification in 2011.

“I realized the need to gain more knowledge and experience so I became a principal. I believe in ‘Knowledge is Power’ and achieving this qualification together with the experience I gained as a principal, not only gave me a competitive edge in the market place, I believe for it to also gave me more credibility as a trainer”, explains Gerhard.

Swain concurs stating that; “Gerhard has established himself in the first instance as a top salesman.  Credibility in our industry is of utmost importance and he entered the industry a few years ago, learnt the hard way and achieved impressive targets as an active salesperson. He knows how to do it.”

Today Gerhard’s focus is helping Leapfrog agents to continuously improve their service, “Due to continuous changes in the Real Estate Industry – training should be attended on a continuous basis. My biggest focus is to convert the ordinary estate agent into an extraordinary expert”.

Swain believes that the addition of Gerhard to the Leapfrog team will aid its agents to deliver even better service to their clients,“No estate agent can, from a practical sense, go forward without training and Gerhard is the best”.