Recent experience in the Rawson Property Group has shown that for certain people it is really never too late to start a property marketing career.
Time and again, says Bill Rawson, Chairman of the Rawson Property Group, he has been able to help people ‘very positively’ in the second half of their lives (i.e. when they are 55 years or older) to start a new career in property – and they have very seldom regretted it.
“Certain people,” said Rawson, “have strong independent personalities but they have all their lives also been very caring and service minded. Such people tend to work hard for a company, employer or good cause faithfully for years on end.”
“Then, as they get older, they may find themselves in need of extra cash or in need of further stimulation and at that point it is often a good idea for them to embrace the freedom and the stimulation of property selling. It is quite amazing how successful certain of these newly recruited 60 year olds in our group have been.”
The secret of success for the older new recruit, said Rawson, is to find a good mentor in their first year.
“The sort of person they should be looking for is a highly experienced estate agent who, having already proved his or her worth, would now like to pass on their experience gained to some other person.”
Under the new Estate Agency Affairs Board regulations mentoring is, in fact, required by law for the first year of the new recruit’s training – until the prescribed examinations are passed. However, it makes a huge difference, said Rawson, to have a mentor who really does coach and advise his trainee and who takes pride in any successes he achieves.
Rawson added that there have been many instances in the Rawson Property Group where 60 year olds working under the wing of an experienced mentor have made very big sales and achieved high turnovers from very early on in their first year as estate agents.
“The old truth applies again and again,” said Rawson, “and that is that although a great deal of skill is necessary to be a good estate agent, hard work, integrity and a straightforward approach will on their own always pay dividends.”
