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After a member of the Lords was slammed by Propertymark recently for being rude about ‘estate agent degrees’, a university in Swindon has – with impeccable timing – launched what it says is a unique degree just for wannabe sales and letting agents.
While Baroness Fox of Buckley was disparaging about this kind of qualification, the Royal Agricultural University is now recruiting for the course’s first intake in September this year.
Students will be taught two days a week, enabling them to work while studying for the qualification over a four year period, or take it full time over two years.
Areas covered will include valuations, marketing, law, and professional sales practice, as well as more ‘hands on’ modules such as surveying, inspecting, and measurement.
The FdSc Residential Estate Agency course will also include a 10-week work placement, during the summer between the first and second year, during which students will gain further on the job training and experience as well as developing their confidence and employability skills and gaining valuable industry contacts.
Skills
Course leader William Leschallas (main image), Senior Lecturer within the Land and Property team at the university and both a RICS member and a former estate agent, says: “The role of an estate agent requires a diverse set of skills and attributes.
“This includes acting as a sales person to showing clients available properties, helping private buyers/investors buy and sell homes/investment properties, marketing properties for sale and assisting clients find that perfect home to rent or buy.
“This new estate agency course will give students a broad and innovative introduction to the key principles and practices in property services which examine property valuation, property law, finance, sales and marketing, people management and business strategy to enable students to become familiar with the core issues concerning the residential property sales sector.”
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