The Need for Continues Professional Development by Real Estate Professionals

ESV Samson Ishaya

With the diverse and segmented nature of the local and international real estate market, the need for continuous professional development of players in this all important sector of the economy cannot be overemphasized.

Professional development encompasses all of forms of continues learning and training in a given professional field. This include both online and offline professional knowledge and skill acquisition in a given field of profession including the real estate sector. The real estate sector is evolving on a daily basis with the emergence of new knowledge and opportunities. The only way to bridge these gaps is for the real estate professionals to keep learning and acquiring skills that are needed in the fast changing real estate landscape.  Training, learning, and continues professional development is what makes a modern real estate professional.

Top-notch real estate online training courses, industry certifications from local and internationally recognized professional bodies in the sector, coaching, and top-level consultations are all integral parts of real estate professional development.

In today’s digital World, social media platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Tiktok, among others, are veritable tools for continuous professional development for real estate market information and knowledge.  One major advantage of using the social media platforms is the empirical fact that it keeps you abreast with up-to-date trends and development in the real estate market. They are always the first media channel to announce, write and blog on latest developments in the industry, and the more real estate professionals follow these platforms, the more informed they become.

Continuous professional development by real estate specialist comes with a lot of benefits. Advancement in the level of proficiency in the discharge of their professional duties is one of such key benefits. When real estate professionals like Estate Surveyors and Valuers engage in continuous training, it enhances the marketability of the profession, their firms cum agencies where they are found as well. The designation and certifications acquired over time will make them unique, relevant and stand out in a highly competitive local and international real estate market.  For career real estate professionals, their continuous acquisition of professional knowledge makes them a sought after market employees, real estate business analysts, consultants, and knowledge partners for various real estate jobs and projects. 

The task of optimizing real estate professional skills, practical experience and up-to-date knowledge expansion strategy should be taken as a priority by professionals in the industry.  To remain on top, competitive and adept in the industry, professionals in all fields of real estate business should be knowledge hunters.

Real estate professional bodies should expose their members to modern techniques of practice, up-to-date skills and market trends that are needed in the fast changing industry. Their various Mandatory Continuous and Professional Development Programmes (MCDPs), should be designed and tailored to bridge the knowledge gaps being created by the changing market environment.  To ensure sound and forward thinking industry professionals, the MCPDs being organized by various industry professional bodies should be regular and compulsory for their registered members.

A skilled and future driven real estate industry is possible and will definitely speak for the industry and its professionals if they are well positioned or it.

ESV Samson Ishaya Idi is a Managing Partner with I. Idi & Partners, a professional firm of Estate Surveyors & Valuers. He is also the Managing Director of Samish Homes and Apartments Limited, a Real Estate Development Company in Abuja.