COLUMN FOR PROPERTY PROFESSIONAL

February 2009

Why you should be an IEASA member

The Institute of Estate Agents is currently on a major membership drive in order to become more thoroughly representative of the real estate industry as a whole.

This follows the absorption by IEASA of the National Association of Real Estate Agencies last year and the establishment of the Institute’s new Corporate Groups Advisory Council. Most of the country’s large real estate groups are now represented on this council and they are actively encouraging all their agents to join IEASA, so we are hoping for a rapid increase in numbers, despite the industry contraction that has taken place in the wake of the property market decline.

Such an increase would give us a bigger percentage of the total number of registered agents as members, and give us even more “clout” in negotiations with government, the Estate Agency Affairs Board and the education authorities about legislation and other issues that are of vital importance to all agents. We have recently, for example, given very specific input on legislation such as the Coastal Management Bill, the Rental Housing Bill and the FIC Amendment Bill.

Higher membership numbers – and subscription revenues - would also enable us to give back more to the industry, especially in the realm of training. And there are, of course, already many benefits that agents derive from being members of the Institute, among them the following:

* Access to training courses, seminars, workshops and networking events, including the US National Association of Realtors’ internationally recognized CIPS, TRC, CPM, CRS and CRB courses;

* Access to a dispute resolution service to resolve problems between members speedily and inexpensively;

* Access to empowerment opportunities;

* Access to the www.worldproperties.com website, which gives every member of IEASA an equal opportunity to showcase for-sale listings to a global audience.

In addition, the EAAB has made it plain to government that it wishes real estate to be regarded as a profession and not just as an amorphous industry. But that would presuppose that every agent belongs to a professional association – as doctors, lawyers and engineers do. And IEASA is currently the only organization capable of fulfilling that role. Consequently, the time is coming when agents who wish to be recognized as professionals and represented as such will have to belong to IEASA.

What is more, the new compulsory training is set to become not only a significant cost factor for estate agents but the “big issue” for those who are serious about their careers. They are going to need a professional association to give them an ongoing say in how the standards are set for that training and how they are monitored and upheld. IEASA takes the hands-on approach to educational matters and currently has representatives on no less than seven Services SETA and National Qualification Framework boards to ensure that constructive input is given on behalf of its membership.

The Institute is also in the process of establishing its own training academy, IEATA, which will focus on ways to add value for members in terms of the Continued Professional Development that will be required of estate agents from 2011. It is investigating training courses around the world that would be suitable for this platform and has already been awarded stewardship of the internationally-known NAR courses, CRS (Certificate of the Real Estate Specialist), CRB (Certificate in Real Estate Brokerage) and CPM (Certificate in Property Management) in partnership with the SSETA.

And for those who want to expand their marketing horizons globally, we have offered the international designations Certificate of the International Property Specialist (CIPS) and Transnational Referral Certification (TRC) in SA and plan to make the courses available on at least an annual basis.

Meanwhile, many relevant legal updates and training courses are already organised on a regular basis by the various regional offices of IEASA, and in the past year the number of regions has been expanded to 12, with Johannesburg Metro and Garden Route being the latest to open. Another four regions are on the cards, so access to our services and benefits is getting easier and easier for our members.

In short, there has never been a more necessary or a more advantageous time to be an IEASA member joining the Institute should be a priority for every serious agent.