With Australians reassessing their career paths, real estate is looking attractive to many
With the property market booming, careers in the real estate sector are becoming more attractive, according to a study commissioned by the Real Estate Institute of Queensland.
REIG said it has witnessed a significant spike in training course enrolments over the past two years, and a recent study conducted for the organisation by Honeycomb Strategy found that 32% of Queenslanders said they would consider a career in real estate.
REIQ president Antonia Mercorella said it wasn’t surprising to see more people attracted to the industry in the midst of a booming market. Mercorella also said that the COVID-19 pandemic was causing many people to reassess their career choices.
“On one hand we have what’s been coined ‘the Great Resignation,’ with record numbers reportedly quitting their jobs and reassessing what they want out of their career, along with the dawn of a new year causing people to review their options,” Mercorella said. “No doubt the incredible rate of property growth in Queensland has seen some people lamenting the fact their home made more money than they did over the past year. We’ve also seen greater levels of public exposure and interaction with real estate agents due to headline-making property sales growth, as many people have decided to either take advantage of the sellers’ market and sell up, or to buy up in order not to miss out.”
Mercorella said that Queensland’s property market also benefited from the state having relatively few lockdowns compared to other states.
“All these factors lead to real estate careers being highly visible and desirable at present,” she said.
Data from the Office of Fair Trading shows that while the overall number of licenses and registrations held in the property industry has been fairly steady for a number of years, in 2021 application numbers – especially for full real estate agent licenses – started to go up.
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Mercorella said people looking to enter the industry were doing so at a good time, with many companies looking for new people to help with the increased workload.
“With levels of interest and enquiry for properties at an all-time high, many agencies are on the lookout for apprentices and additional staff in all fields, but most predominantly in corporate support and property management, to share the workload,” she said. “It’s also been the instigator for many professionals to upgrade to a full license and go out on their own, becoming their own boss by establishing their own business.”
