President’s Toronto SUN Column: Real Estate Profession Has Much To Offer
Posted by: Toronto Real Estate Admin / Category: Toronto RealtorTREB President’s Column as it appears every Friday in the Toronto Sun’s Resale Homes and Condos section.
March 22, 2013 –
The ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius once said, “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life” and for the men and women who have built careers guiding you through one of life’s most important transactions, truer words were never spoken.
Many of our city’s more than 36,000 REALTORS® set out on different career paths however, before transitioning into the real estate profession. It is so widely recognized as an attractive second career option in fact, that provincial funding is available through the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to those who wish to pursue the profession’s educational requirements.
Greater Toronto REALTORs’® varied backgrounds mean that diverse skill sets are available for you to tap into throughout the course of your transaction. It is not uncommon for example, for those from the legal, information technology and financial services sectors to cross over into the real estate profession. Entrepreneurs and creative types, like home stagers and marketing executives often forge a path in real estate as well. These professional pasts translate into specific strengths in areas like analysis, negotiation and presentation.
In a 2010 survey of Greater Toronto REALTORS® 52 per cent of respondents indicated they had achieved a university degree while a further 27 per cent had earned a college diploma. Although many such areas of study may represent steps in previous career trajectories, real estate is also increasingly being offered as a course of study at post secondary educational institutions – a reflection of the fact that the business demands a vast body of skills and knowledge.
You will find real estate related courses and programs at York University, the University of Guelph, the University of Western Ontario, Queens University, Ryerson University, and the University of Toronto. Community colleges like Seneca, Humber, Centennial, George Brown and Durham now offer courses and programs as well.
Regardless of their past academic and career accomplishments though, every person who practices real estate in Ontario is required to complete a challenging course of study set out by the profession’s regulatory body, the Real Estate Council of Ontario. Thereafter, they must also get up to speed with the many tools of the trade like the Multiple Listing Service®, the Buyer Registry Service® and office communication systems, all of which are in place to help your transaction proceed as efficiently as possible.
If you are planning on buying or selling a home in the coming months consult with family, friends and colleagues for referrals to their preferred REALTORS® and take the time to ensure that your REALTOR’s® strengths correspond with your priorities. By sharing your values and goals with the REALTOR® you choose, you will lay the foundation for a successful outcome.
As a first step, be sure to visit TorontoRealEstateBoard.com where you will find a wealth of information including market updates, plain language explanations of commonly used real estate forms and details of government programs that may benefit you.
Ann Hannah is President of the Toronto Real Estate Board,
a professional association that represents 36,000 REALTORS®
in the Greater Toronto Area.
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Article source: http://www.torontorealestateboard.com/market_news/president_columns/pres_sun_col/index.htm
Tags: Toronto Realtor