Index
The real estate agent, a Covid-proof profession
Why start again as a real estate agent at 50? This is a career that in our country does not seem to fear crises. Becoming a real estate agent at 50 is possible and offers new career opportunities thanks to experience and determination.
At the end of 2021, there were 49,177 real estate agents in Italy, a slight decrease (-0.44%) compared to 2020 (report “Real Estate Networks and Aggregations 2021”). The numbers show that despite the pandemic, this profession has not suffered any setbacks.
The same data also show that the population of intermediaries has a rather high average age, around 45-50 years old. While this indication reveals that a career in real estate requires a certain number of years to consolidate, it also suggests that the generational factor can represent an advantage in terms of transferable skills and experiences.
This is why repositioning yourself as a real estate agent at 50 can be an excellent plan!
The initial requirements to become a real estate agent? Good news: they are the same for all ages!
When we think of a real estate agent, we might make the mistake of imagining someone who simply deals with selling or renting houses. In reality, the skills in the field are many, from relational to negotiating, up to technical-legal ones. Everything works together to complete a transaction under the best conditions for everyone.
The real estate agent's mission is to connect two or more parties to conclude a real estate transaction. The agent acts as a mediator who is as balanced as possible between the parties involved.
They can work within an agency as an employee, partner, or, of course, as a founder. Or they can decide to work as a freelancer, collaborating with one or more agencies.
All those wishing to undertake this type of activity must possess professional, personal, and moral requirements that are independent of age.
- Professional requirements: this refers to all those mandatory steps that allow one to practice the profession of real estate agent. Specifically, attending a professional qualification course and passing the exam. Only after this is it possible to activate your tax position as a real estate agent.
- Personal requirements: be of legal age, have European citizenship (or residency in Italy), and have a high school diploma.
- Moral requirements: you must not be interdicted, incapacitated, bankrupt, or convicted of crimes that carry a prison sentence of no less than 2 years and no more than 5 years. You must not have been subjected to anti-mafia legislation. Don't be subjected to additional administrative sanctions.
Why is real estate an attractive option for those over 50?
Let's now go into detail and consider the advantages of starting a career as a real estate agent at a mature age.
Let's start with a consideration: if you have gained experience in other fields, you need to evaluate the skills you have acquired and focus on those that can help you on your new path. Although becoming a real estate agent requires basic qualifications and training, those over 50 can use many of their past skills.
For example, you may have developed useful skills:
– in negotiation
– in acquiring new clients
& in marketing
& in listening skills
& in problem solving
The 5 soft skills that will reward you when you are over 50 and considering a career in real estate
But what are the soft skills in detail that will offer you the best chance of starting a successful career in real estate as a senior agent?
1. Ability to build relationships
The life experience of a mature person is a treasure to be constantly drawn upon: at 50, you have accumulated enough experience to weigh who and what you have in front of you, situations and environmental conditions of all kinds.
The foundation of the real estate agent profession are interpersonal relationships: with the client, with colleagues, with competitors, with suppliers. Empathy, open-mindedness, and assertiveness are fundamental and are refined thanks to experience, experience that comes primarily from teamwork.
If you possess these requirements, you have a strong advantage: the real estate market rewards solidity, clients are not looking for bureaucrats or technicians, but reliable consultants capable of guiding them in the choice of such a precious real estate asset as their own home.
2. Awareness of one's strengths
At 50, you should be able to know yourself to the point of knowing exactly what strengths to focus on without risking appearing arrogant. This aspect, combined with the technical preparation phase, is fundamental.
At the beginning, it could all translate into greater effort and more hours to dedicate to studying, in addition to working alongside someone much younger, but thanks to the skills already acquired, overtaking could happen quickly.
3. Method
The real estate profession requires a variety of different skills, as underlined.
To be able to keep up, you need a good ability to organize work and understand people's priorities, without falling victim to performance anxiety. Once you're over 50, there's a good chance you've acquired these characteristics.
4. Error Management
No one is exempt from making mistakes, and everyone – more or less – fears making mistakes and experiencing setbacks.
Experience helps develop the awareness that irreparable mistakes are actually very few. What really matters is identifying a possible solution.
Once we have acquired this mindset, our mind automatically opens to new possibilities and opportunities, and our brain will focus on available options, rather than anchoring itself to fears and anxieties.
5. Empathy
Finally, the aspect of selling to more mature clients should not be underestimated. Due to their age and perspective, they often feel more comfortable working with agents who are similar in age, both due to similar life experiences and a vision more in line with the changing needs related to the way of living in a home.
These considerations do not imply that applying to become a real estate agent at 50 is as easy as drinking a glass of water!
Challenges do not by definition represent easy goals to achieve. However, if you believe you possess these requirements and feel ready to get back into the agency game, you won't be scared by the idea of facing a new chapter in your life in real estate.
Becoming a real estate agent at 50 is possible, and if you recognized yourself reading this, your future in this field is closer than you can imagine!