NAEA Propertymark’s new president Stephen McCarron has said he intends to focus on making agency an attractive option for school leavers during his term.
Speaking exclusively to Estate Agent Today, McCarron who runs Donnybrook Estate Agents in Northern Ireland, said professionalism is at the core of Propertymark.
He said: “We have to close the gap between school leavers and people who eventually become agents.
“I don’t ever remember going to a careers fair where someone said ‘become an estate agent.’
“You could become a doctor or a mechanical engineer but agency is missing.
“There is a gap at apprenticeship level and school leaver level, that is the final link.”
McCarron said he would like Propertymark to be the main qualifications provider if or when Regulation of Property Agent rules on minimum standards come in and is keen to get more members actively involved in the trade body.
He said: “I know a lot of members are passive in their membership.
“Some pay their fees and may read the magazine but I want to explain how much more they can get in terms of networking and educational opportunities.”
It comes as the Propertymark board revealed its new member-elected directors.
Following a rigorous election process, Michael Alan Sears and Mish Liyanage will join the specialist skillset of the current Propertymark board to help drive its strategy.
Michael is the Managing Director of Sealeys Estate Agents and has worked in the property industry for more than 25 years, commencing his career with an agency in London Docklands in the early 1990s.
Mish is managing director of The Mistoria Group, a property company in the north of England which offers property investment, sourcing, renovations, sales and lettings services.
With extensive experience in property, taxation and financial management across a range of industries and sectors, Mish founded Mistoria Investments and Estate Agents back in 2009 and at present specialises in student house shares, professional and social housing markets and has six branches across, Salford, Manchester, Walkden, Bolton, Liverpool and Cheadle.
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Yawn… RoPA… again!
All it is to PM is £££££££££££££
Many agents have been doing this for a good while now. We as a firm are always at schools and colleges talking about a career in agency.
“I don’t ever remember going to a careers fair where someone said ‘become an estate agent. “You could become a doctor or a mechanical engineer but agency is missing."
This has to be a joke.
When I left school with 3 A levels I was an agents before I got into development.
How can anyone compare the training a and skills required to be a doctor or an engineer to that of an estate agent.
Engineers training and study full time for years.
On my first day as an estate agent I sold a house by ringing someone off the yard mailing list and showing him a house.
I could not have performed a minor operation on my first day at work as an 18 year old.
I could not have designed a bridge.
My son is an orthepedic surgeon.
He earns 140k a year.
I saw something a few weeks ago that said the average salary for an estate agent is under 35k a year
My mates son is an engineer on 100k
If your child asked you if they should pursue a career as a doctor or engineer or an estate agent would you really say that estate agent was the better option?
Can you make conveyancing an attractive option also, too many going out the top end, not enough coming in the bottom end.
No its is interminably dull and boring
In answer to Jan's point above there are many school leavers who are unlikely to progress to be surgeons and engineers and it is to those candidates that there should be a route to professional agency. I also spent 20 years at a major corporate agency and plenty of qualified surveyors chose residential agency ahead of surveying, valuation and other professional work.
The problem is there are so many other options now that pay far more money
Estate agency is not a well paid job these days
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