Letting agent to real estate agent
A letting agent already meets 47% of what the real estate agent role asks for. The move turns on 8 required skills not yet in the profile.
59.4/ 100
1 How much of what a real estate agent is expected to do is already part of a letting agent’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the real estate agent role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A real estate agent role treats 12 of its required skills as things a letting agent already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- advise on property value
- compare property values
- identify customer's needs
- inform on renting agreements
- manage contracts
- obtain financial information
What stands in the way is 8 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 22 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A real estate agent role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a letting agent background worth leading with.
- already held organise property viewing management skills
- already held prepare inventory of properties information skills
- already held inform on renting agreements communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held concurrent estate business, administration and law
- already held advise on property value communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held office administration business, administration and law
All 22 carried skills, including the 12 the real estate agent role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 35 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn liaise with property owners required
- still to learn maintain relationship with customers required
- still to learn prepare real estate contract required
- optional, not held advise on investment optional
- optional, not held handle tenant changeover optional
- optional, not held review closing procedures optional
- optional, not held analyse insurance needs optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held negotiate with property owners optional
- optional, not held protect client interests optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
- still to learn customer service required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn mortgage loans required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held modern portfolio theory optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
- still to learn maintain financial records required
- still to learn value properties required
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held monitor title procedures optional
- optional, not held prepare sales checks optional
- optional, not held analyse loans optional
- optional, not held estimate profitability optional
- optional, not held examine mortgage loan documents optional
- optional, not held perform contract compliance audits optional
- optional, not held create a financial plan optional
- optional, not held organise a damage assessment optional
- optional, not held plan buildings maintenance work optional
- optional, not held process payments optional
- optional, not held building construction principles optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held assist in loan applications optional
1 further area in the appendix
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a real estate agent role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 customer service study this
- 02 liaise with property owners practise this
- 03 maintain relationship with customers practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 22 skills that carry over
- already held advise on property value skill
- already held compare property values skill
- already held identify customer's needs skill
- already held inform on renting agreements skill
- already held manage contracts skill
- already held obtain financial information skill
- already held office administration knowledge
- already held perform property market research skill
- already held property law knowledge
- already held prospect new customers skill
- already held provide information on properties skill
- already held real estate market knowledge
- already held advertising techniques knowledge
- already held attend trade fairs skill
- already held building codes knowledge
- already held collect property financial information skill
- already held concurrent estate knowledge
- already held examine credit ratings skill
- already held examine the conditions of buildings skill
- already held liaise with advertising agencies skill
- already held organise property viewing skill
- already held prepare inventory of properties skill
The 1 learning area not shown above
- optional, not held virtual reality optional
27 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held advise on investment optional
- optional, not held consult credit score optional
- optional, not held handle tenant changeover optional
- optional, not held monitor title procedures optional
- optional, not held prepare sales checks optional
- optional, not held review closing procedures optional
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held analyse insurance needs optional
- optional, not held analyse loans optional
- optional, not held assist in loan applications optional
- optional, not held building construction principles optional
- optional, not held create a financial plan optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held estimate profitability optional
- optional, not held examine mortgage loan documents optional
- optional, not held liaise with local authorities optional
- optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
- optional, not held modern portfolio theory optional
- optional, not held negotiate with property owners optional
- optional, not held organise a damage assessment optional
- optional, not held perform contract compliance audits optional
- optional, not held plan buildings maintenance work optional
- optional, not held process payments optional
- optional, not held protect client interests optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
- optional, not held virtual reality optional
- optional, not held write inspection reports optional
12 held skills the real estate agent role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role check construction compliance skill
- not needed by the target role collect customer data skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with tenants skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate advertising campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role coordinate events skill
- not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
- not needed by the target role fix meetings skill
- not needed by the target role plan marketing campaigns skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role use office systems skill
- not needed by the target role write work-related reports skill
9 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn customer service required
- still to learn contract law required
- still to learn mortgage loans required
- optional, not held accounting techniques optional
- optional, not held building construction principles optional
- optional, not held energy performance of buildings optional
- optional, not held modern portfolio theory optional
- optional, not held types of insurance optional
- optional, not held virtual reality optional
Common questions about this move
Can a letting agent become a real estate agent?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A letting agent already covers 47% of what a real estate agent is expected to do: 22 skills carry over, 12 of which the real estate agent role treats as required.
What skills does a letting agent need to become a real estate agent?
8 required skills are missing, plus 27 optional ones. They fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is customer service.
How hard is the move from letting agent to real estate agent?
Its learning distance is 59.4 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.