Professionals for real estate market: challenges in practice and education

A growing number of property transactions worldwide has led to a strong demand for professionals working in the real estate market. Real estate agents possessing relevant and up-to-date skills and knowledge are essential for the smooth functioning of the property market. Employment opportunities for such professionals are normally seen as very good due to the globalization and internationalization of the property market. This paper seeks to identify correspondence between existing practice and university training of real estate market professionals in Russia and Sweden. To achieve this, available training programmes of the selected countries were analyzed and compared with the modern requirements of the national labor markets. Moreover, a comparative analysis of similar education in different countries enabled the author to identify possible weaknesses as well as strengths and possibilities for further development and capacity building in the professional education of real estate agents. To act as a real estate agent, a graduate shall normally possess a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree in a real estate related field. However, on-site short-term intensive courses are another way to increase qualification for those who have university training in adjacent areas. In particular, some universities offer valuable courses for both new graduates and experienced real estate professionals. Ideally, such professionals shall possess a wide range of legal, economical and engineering knowledge.

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