How to become a real estate agent: the guide

How do I become a real estate agent? 

Good news for those who like to learn on the job: the real estate agent's profession is accessible without a diploma, but on certain conditions: 

• Have worked for a real estate agent (holding a professional card)

• No baccalaureate, ten years' seniority

• VAE (validation of acquired experience)

These conditions qualify for the issuance of a professional card, which is essential for the real estate agent's profession. This legal status can also be obtained via diplomas. 

Going through a school can be less time-consuming, and also more reassuring for those who want to open their own real estate agency. Management skills are essential for running your own agency, and the ability to analyze the real estate market is undoubtedly a plus. 

Many schools offer a BTS in real estate professions, which can even lead to a Licence professionnelle.  

Career opportunities

There are two ways to approach a career as a real estate agent. One can be the corollary of the other: 

• Being a real estate agent for an agency

• Opening your own real estate agency

In the first case, which often marks the beginning of a real estate agent's career as an employee of a company, he or she will work as a sales representative for an agency. They will gain experience, learn to understand customers, analyze the real estate market to make their first sales and build their network. 

Eventually, he will become sales manager within his company, and may aspire to become branch manager, if he belongs to a large group.  

In the second case, the real estate agent can become an independent negotiator, managing his own real estate agency. In this case, he or she is responsible for all aspects of the business. In this case, he or she must master all areas of the profession: 

• Management, 
• Real estate law, 
• Contract drafting, 
• Services presentation, 
• Read articles related to real estate,
• Search for opportunities through all channels,
• Etc. 

That's why most real estate agents start out by working for the big agencies. 

What salary? 

Real estate agents are mainly paid on commission. Their salary therefore depends on their ability to sell properties. The difference between salaried and self-employed status is that in the former case, the real estate agent's salary includes a fixed component, while in the latter, the real estate agent is paid on commission only. 

However, although the situation is more secure for the salaried real estate agent, the self-employed person earns much higher commissions. These will, however, be subject to URSSAF deductions. 

A beginner can earn between 1,500 and 3,000 euros gross per month, or 1,100 to 2,300 euros net per month. With experience, they can expect to earn between 4,000 and 5,000 euros gross per month, i.e. a net salary of around 4,000 euros per month. 

On average, an independent real estate agent earns between 3% and 8% of the sale price. In other words, depending on the real estate market in which they operate, real estate agents can earn a lot of money. 

Possible developments in the business 

With the development of digital tools, the real estate agent's profession is undergoing profound change. Digitalization has led to the development of virtual real estate agencies, with a network of independent agents. 

Real estate agents are seeing their field of expertise evolve towards an advisory role exercised directly via the Internet. They have gone from a time when only real estate offers were published online, to a time when even apartment visits are carried out via digital tools. 

Mastery of these new tools undeniably boosts transactions. The sector is therefore evolving to meet customer expectations, forcing a new transformation in the real estate agent's profession. 

What niches should real estate agents explore? 

France is rich in exceptional real estate assets. Some real estate agents are particularly well aware of the country's attractiveness. By specializing in luxury properties, they are able to increase their commissions and thus afford to make fewer sales. 

Another sector favored by some real estate agents is the conversion of abandoned buildings into apartment blocks. Like the lofts in American TV series, apartments built in former factories are selling very well for rent. France's de-industrialization has led to an increasing number of such sites.