Estate Agent
Also advertised as: Branch Manager, estate agent, Estate Agent, estate agents, leasing agent, leasing agents
Values, markets and sells homes, guiding buyers and sellers through the process.
What the job involves
Estate agents list and sell property. You value homes, prepare listings, run viewings, negotiate offers and keep chains moving to completion. Commission is a large part of pay, and no degree is required to start.
Typical responsibilities
- Value properties and win instructions
- Prepare listings, photography and descriptions
- Conduct viewings and follow up buyers
- Negotiate offers between parties
- Progress sales through to completion
Common employers
- Independent agencies
- National agency chains
- Online agents
- New homes developers
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£21,000 – £26,000 a year
With experience
£32,000 – £55,000 a year
Typical hours
40 hours including Saturdays
Working environment
Branch office and out at properties
Remote working
on_site
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Negotiation
- Local market knowledge
- Customer service
- Sales
- Organisation
Transferable skills you may already have
- Retail or hospitality sales
- Confidence with strangers
- Diary management
Requirements employers ask for
- Negotiation
- Local market knowledge
- Customer service
- Sales
- Organisation
- No formal qualification required
- Full UK driving licence usually required
- coordinate events
- identify customer's needs
- perform property market research
- compare property values
- property law
- real estate market
- coordinate advertising campaigns
- prospect new customers
- provide information on properties
- inform on renting agreements
- use office systems
- advertising techniques
Useful but not essential
- Retail or hospitality sales
- Confidence with strangers
- Diary management
- Propertymark Level 3 Award in Residential Sales
- prepare inventory of properties
- building codes
- advise on property value
- present reports
- concurrent estate
- communicate with tenants
- collect customer data
- obtain financial information
Helpful qualifications
- Propertymark Level 3 Award in Residential Sales
Licences and checks
- Full UK driving licence usually required
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Junior Estate Agent (Level 2)
- Housing and Property Management (Level 3)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Business
- Related subject: Property
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Negotiator
next
Branch Manager
next
Area Sales Director
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Commission rewards effort
- No qualifications needed to start
- Varied days out of the office
What people find hard
- Income moves with the housing market
- Weekend working is standard
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a estate agent?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. not_required
- How much does a estate agent earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £21,000 to £26,000 a year, rising towards £55,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Retail or hospitality sales, Confidence with strangers, Diary management.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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