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And developing a relationship with companies that own the properties you might like to work for.
Related: 10 Ways to Become a Property Leasing Consultant in Nigeria
House Leasing Consultant
1. Study business and real estate.
While a bachelor’s degree is not necessarily required to become a leasing consultant.
Many employers prefer to hire those with a degree or some college background.
The completion of an educational program with some exposure to the areas of business and real estate.
Or even taking a few courses in these areas on the side, will serve you well.
Some educational institutions even offer certificate programs.
Or degrees in areas relevant to leasing and property management.
House Leasing Consultant:
Good subjects to study include:
- Sales
- Real estate market analysis
- Residential report writing
- Fair housing regulations
- Contracts
- Principles of real estate management
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House Leasing Consultant
2. Gain some work experience.
In many cases, there are no absolute prerequisite work experiences.
For gaining a position as a leasing consultant.
However, having some background in sales.
Or hospitality can prepare you well to work in leasing services and property management.
Fields where you can gain relevant work experience include:
- Sales positions, such as at a car dealership or retail store
- Hospitality services, such as hotel management
- Customer service, including positions within a corporate office, legal firm, etc.
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House Leasing Consultant
3. Find out if you need to obtain a leasing license.
Some states or regions require you to obtain a license in order to practice as a leasing consultant.
Contact your state or regional real estate association.
To determine if you need a license to practice as a leasing agent.
Typical requirements may include:
- You must be at least 18 years old
- You must be a high school graduate, or equivalent
- You must complete an approved leasing agent course and/or examination.
- Payment of a license fee.
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House Leasing Consultant
4. Complete a leasing license course and examination, if required.
You can prepare for a leasing license examination by completing a short course.
Some may be completed in just a few days.
You may also be able to use self-study materials to prepare for the examination.
Typically, there will be fees for the course or study materials and for the examination itself.
Exact requirements vary widely from state to state.
But you can generally prepare for a leasing license examination by studying topics such as:
- The real estate laws of your area
- Real estate appraisal
- Real estate finance
- Human resources
- Business law
- Business economics
- Financial management
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House Leasing Consultant
5. Study the real estate market in your area.
Even before you begin working as a leasing consultant.
It is a good idea to have a sense of the property market in your area.
You will want to know what kind of properties are leased in your area, and what kind of tenants occupy them.
You can find the relevant information by researching the websites of property companies in your area.
As well as calling or visiting them.
House Leasing Consultant
- Some leasing consultants work solely with residential properties.
- Some solely with commercial properties, and other with a combination of the two.
- Some leasing agents work strictly with a particular site, such as an apartment complex, to lease units at that site. Others work for a property management company that may lease units at many locations.
- It is a good idea to have a sense of the tenants in your area by knowing the answers to questions like: What kind of businesses are common in your area? What is the median age and family size in a residential unit in your area? Are short-term or long-term leases the standard?
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House Leasing Consultant
6. Conduct informational interviews.
You can learn more about working for a particular property management company.
Apartment complex, or other real estate company.
By asking to meet with one of its representatives for an informational interview.
Let the representative (a leasing agent, property manager, etc.)
know that you are interested in working as a leasing consultant.
And want to know more about the field.
- The informational interview is an occasion to ask questions about the tasks and responsibilities of a leasing consultant, and also an opportunity to network with others in the field of real estate.
- This may help you to find a job as a leasing consultant.
- You might also ask about average salaries for leasing consultants in your area.
- Keep in mind that many consultants work on commission.
- This means that a consultant’s base salary may seem relatively low.
- But commissions based on the properties he or she successfully leases to tenants would supplement it.
- Commission rates may also be negotiable.
- Some information on real estate jobs is also available online from the Bureau of Labour Statistics (BLS) and other sources.
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House Leasing Consultant
7. Apply for leasing consultant jobs.
Using jobs boards, placement services, social media, word-of-mouth.
Or any other means, look for advertisements seeking leasing consultants.
Make sure that your application materials.
Such as a resume and cover letter.
Emphasize that you have the skills and information necessary to succeed as a leasing agent, including:
- Responsibility
- A willingness to lease fairly and ethically
- Courtesy and good customer service skills
- Excellent oral and written communication skills
- Conflict resolution skills (to help handle any tenant issues that may arise)
- Attention to detail
- The ability to understand and process leases and other property-related documents
- Knowledge of the local real estate market and tenant needs
- The ability to work independently and/or travel, such as to take prospective tenants to visit a property.
House Leasing Consultant
8. Take a certification course.
The National Apartment Association (NAA) offers the National Apartment Leasing Professional (NALP) certification.
Similarly, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) offers a variety of courses relevant to commercial leasing agents.
- There may be a fee associated with the certification course and/or examination.
- Certification courses may be offered in-person, online, on-demand, or in a hybrid format.
- Certification may require a certain number of hours of coursework, and/or an examination. Contact the relevant real estate association for details.
- The NALP certification course requires you to have worked as a leasing consultant for at least six months you can become certified, although you can begin taking this course before you have six months’ experience.
- Some BOMA courses are targeted toward leasing agents and property managers with 3-5 years experience.
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House Leasing Consultant
9. Keep a flexible schedule.
House Leasing Consultant
10. Job Description
The Leasing Consultant performs all activities related to apartment rentals, move-ins, and lease renewals. This customer focused sales position interacts directly with prospective and current residents to achieve maximum occupancy. The leasing consultant is responsible for generating and handling traffic, leasing apartments, qualifying prospects, preparing lease documentation and completing move-in paperwork and procedures. Assists residents throughout their residency.
- Promptly responds to phone calls and emails from guests.
- Reviews unit availability and record all traffic in the computer on a daily basis.
- Walks tour paths, vacant units and make-readies on a daily basis to ensure the “model” apartments and target apartments are ready for show; responsible for maintaining work areas and office in clean and orderly manner; need to have an awareness of the “curb appeal” of the property.
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- Gathers information to learn about property, surrounding community, and competition
- Leads guests to vacant and/or model apartments and discusses the features and benefits that meet the needs of the guests.
- Creates applicant files and processes applications, verifies qualifications of applicants and submits all applications to Manager for approval. Contact applicant to confirm approval or denial of application within 24 hours.
House Leasing Consultant
- Schedules lease signings within 24 hours of approval.
- Completes lease agreement and collects rental deposit.
- Marketing: Assists in mailing outreach; Distributes flyers and letters to residents if necessary; Shops competitive properties and assists manager in preparing a market comparison grid; Participates in any outside marketing events as required.
House Leasing Consultant
- Assists manager with any requested work to be done on the property.
- Promotes resident retention programs.
- Maintains courteous communications with residents, applicants and representatives of other companies.
- Adheres to federal and state Fair Housing Laws as well as all company policies.
Maintains a “team spirit” and works well with the entire staff
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House Leasing Consultant
11.Qualifications
- High school diploma or general education degree (GED); or one to three months related experience and/or training; or equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Sales and/or Customer Service training required.
- Must be enthusiastic with strong sales and customer service abilities
- Must be goal oriented
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office
- May require valid drivers’ license, along with good driving record and auto insurance, if traveling to multiple properties.
- Demonstrates flexibility with hours and days worked.
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