Careers in property from digs to doing deals

From designers to archaeologists to surveyors and of course estate agents, there are many ways to get onto the ladder of a property career. Catherine Cleary reports

Time was the phrase "career in property" meant perfecting a firm handshake and a talent for conjuring potential out of thin musty air and blank canvases out of dereliction.

The job of a residential estate agent might be what people typically imagine when they think about property careers but there are many other, increasingly diverse, avenues into the lucrative business world that is the Irish property scene.

"It's such a vital and buzzy time for people to be in property," Liam O'Donnell, chief executive of the Institute of Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV), says. "We have people flooding on to our courses and looking for a career in property. There is huge choice out there and many people are finding their niche."

Those niches have widened out from the traditional residential property sales into commercial property or property management for large companies, like retailers or manufacturers. Then there are a growing number of specialised service sectors which are integral parts of the property business, like archaeology, law, interior design, house cleaning and landscaping.

"Every big company has a property management department these days - from Marks & Spencers to Paddy Power - and they need people to manage those properties," O'Donnell says. Banks, building societies, insurance companies and semi-state bodies all maintain large property portfolios using in-house property departments.

This means that someone with an accountancy or marketing background may find themselves working in the property business. The boom in tax-related property investment has seen a large number of financial advisers move into property advice and development on behalf of their clients.

With 800 members, the IPAV recognises a number of part-time and full-time third-level courses up to degree level which lead to membership of the institute and are a prerequisite for most entry level jobs in property agencies or departments.

The separate professional body, the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers' Institute (IAVI), recognises full-time course in colleges in Bolton Street, Limerick Institute of Technology, the Galway Mayo Institute of Technology and the University of Ulster, as well as part-time courses in Bolton Street which can lead to associate membership.

The IAVI has 1,800 members and it too has seen an increase in demand for courses from school leavers and people wanting to switch careers, according to Vivienne McSherry, assistant director of education and membership. There is a mixture of generations taking up training. In one instance, both a father and daughter have recently signed up for separate courses.

"Employment prospects are very good at present," McSherry says. "Most people are either working in residential or commercial. They tend to be self-starters with a fairly good level of English, outgoing and good with figures."

Chartered surveying, which includes valuation surveying, quantity surveying and building surveying, is another avenue into the profession. The Society of Chartered Surveyors recognises a number of third-level courses combined with two years' training and work experience to grant membership of the society.

A valuation surveyor would usually work in property valuations with an estate agency or financial institution, negotiating lease renewals and rent reviews and carrying out valuations on individual properties or property portfolios, as well as assessing potential developments.

A quantity surveyor will usually work with a construction team, liaising with the developer and their architect, engineers and builders. Their role is to keep a close eye on construction costs and oversee construction contracts. A quantity surveyor might be involved with a project from its blueprint stage right to its completion and the polishing of the name plate.

A survey of a property will, in the future, not just look at the structural aspects of the property but also at its energy efficiency under new regulations going through the Dáil.

The Energy Performance Buildings Directive will mean that all new property built from next year and any properties being sold from 2009 will require an energy rating certificate which will look at the energy performance of the building.

Kevin O'Rourke, head of the built environment section of Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI), says the assessment system will lead to extra work for engineers and architects. And it is expected that some of these professionals may specialise in providing energy assessments. The SEI estimates that up to 2,000 assessors will be need to be trained if they are to keep pace with the current level of property sales in Ireland.

"We expect that architects will be the lead profession on new builds and building surveyors will handle existing stock," O'Rourke says. SEI will be putting together training courses and competency tests for professionals in the coming months. "We believe it will mimic the NCT test and there will be a national register of all buildings' energy performance," O'Rourke says.

As for the traditional residential estate agent, Liam O'Donnell, soon to retire as IPAV chief executive, believes it's not simply a sales gene that people need to do well. "It's really the person who can deal in an honest manner who would like to help people and who is not looking for a nine-to-five job."

And, finally, if the long-threatened bursting of the property bubble happens, will the jobs of young entrants to the business be under threat?

"Every year we've predicted a decline in prices, a soft landing and every year I'm getting a bit more nervous it's going to be this year," O'Donnell says. "But the start of this year has been unbelievable. Prices have been going through the roof with very ordinary three-bed semis selling for extraordinary money. There seems to be no end in sight and, if you're out in the market at the moment, it's not easy to buy."

For more information see the websites of the professional bodies: www.ipav.ie; www.iavi.ie and, for the Society of Chartered Surveyors, www.scs.ie