18 invaluable real estate and property management courses

Article by Silvia Liu Marketing Specialist 24 September 2020

According to Job Outlook, 97,800 real estate and property services workers are needed in Australia by 2022. So whether you’re wondering how to become a real estate agent or property manager, or you’ve worked in the industry for a while, continued growth of the property market means that there’s plenty of work to go around.

From real estate certifications to leadership and management, here are 18 real estate and property management courses to help you get started in the industry or upskill for your next role.

1. CPP31519 Certificate III in Real Estate Practice

This qualification allows you to work in administrative or support roles in the real estate and property services industry. Titles may include real estate agent office assistant, real estate sales assistant, assistant property manager or marketing and administration assistant.

This course is offered by 8 training providers on the My Skills website with an average course duration of 1 year. Note that this course supersedes CPP30211 Certificate III in Property Services (Agency) and additional units may be required to apply for a certificate of registration with your industry body. You can search for training providers based on location here.

2. CPP41419 Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice

Completion of this course allows you to apply with your industry body to become a real estate agent, salesperson, buyer’s agent, stock and station agent, property manager, business broker or auctioneer, just to name a few.

It is offered by 40 training providers on the My Skills website with an average course fee of $1,650 and an average duration of 50 weeks. Note that this course will supersede CPP40307 Certificate IV in Property Services (Real Estate) on the 30th of September 2021. You can search for training providers based on location here.

3. CPP51119 Diploma of Property (Agency Management)

If you’ve built up some experience and you’re looking to become a real estate principal, agency manager, agency director or strata management principal, this real estate course is for you!

Areas of training include compliance and ethics, business planning, branding and communication, leadership and recruiting, and workplace management, just to name a few.

The Diploma of Property (Agency Management) is offered by 21 training providers on the My Skills website with an average duration of 50 weeks. The Australian Institute of Workplace Training offers the course for $3,900 whereas other providers have not provided a fee estimate. You can search for training providers based on location here.

4. National Real Estate Learning

National Real Estate Learning (NREL) offers online real estate training for those located in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. Training includes entry-level courses from $249, licence upgrade courses from $588 and full licence courses from $549.

5. Real Estate Academy Australia

Real Estate Academy Australia (REAA) provides online and in-person real estate courses that are recognised in Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria, along with a range of business and finance courses.

Check out the full list of real estate courses here. Note that in-person training is temporarily unavailable due to the pandemic.

6. REINSW registration and licences

New South Wales real estate and property industry reforms came into effect on 23 March 2020. As part of the reforms, the licensing system was restructured into three levels:

Certificate of registration as an assistant agent
Class 2 licence as a licensed agent
Class 1 licence as a licensed agent or licensee in charge of a business

A certification of registration is the starting point to becoming a real estate agent or property manager in New South Wales. After receiving a Statement of Attainment from the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW), you can apply for a certificate of registration as an assistant agent, which allows you to perform entry-level roles before transitioning to class 2 and class 1 licences. Learn more about changes to the Real Estate Training Package here.

7. REIQ real estate training

The Real Estate Institute of Queensland (REIQ) is the peak body representing real estate and property professionals across Queensland. They offer online and in-person training for a number of different real estate and property services courses ranging from entry level to management.

8. REIWA sales and property management registration

The Real Estate Institute of Western Australia (REIWA) offers in-person or online sales and property management courses for Western Australian residents who want to get started in the real estate industry. While the in-person course spans four consecutive days, you have four months from the enrolment date to complete your assessments.

Once you complete the course and receive your Statement of Attainment, you can then apply for your certificate of registration with DMIRS. Be sure to apply for registration within 12 months of course completion.

9. REIT real estate training

The Real Estate Institute of Tasmania (REIT) offers a range of real estate training including Certificate III, Certificate IV, Diploma of Property (Agency Management) and flexible individual qualification clusters for those who want to purchase smaller parts of a qualification separately.

10. REIV certification and training

Similarly, the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV) provides online Zoom training for those who want to become an agent’s representative, licensed agent or licensee in charge. You can also undertake a range of different Compulsory Professional Development (CPD) courses.

11. REISA professional development courses

For South Australian residents, there are a number of sales and property management professional development courses available through the Real Estate Institute of South Australia (REISA). These include:

How to comply with sales legislation
The PMAP Principle
Breaking the lease
How to comply with property management legislation
Everything you need to know about the management agreement
Contract to settlement

12: REINT real estate training

The Real Estate Institute of Northern Territory offers the following courses:

Agents Representative Introductory Course
CPP41419 Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice
CPP51119 Diploma of Property (Agency Management)

Upon completion of the relevant course, you can apply for interim registration, a restricted licence or a full licence with the Agents Licensing Board (ALB). You can download the course information brochure and enrolment form here.

Alternatively, learn more about how to become a real estate, business or conveyancing agent in the Northern Territory here.

13: REIACT professional development and training

The Real Estate Institute of the Australian Capital Territory (REIACT) has partnered with Real Mastery Consulting for real estate and professional development training. They have a number of different courses available including:

ACT Certificate of Registration
ACT Real Estate Licence Qualification
ACT CPD Training

They also offer courses for those located in New South Wales and half or full-day niche skills courses on:

Real estate management and leadership
Sales strategies for closing the deal
Retail leasing for residential and commercial agents
Reception and administration management

14. Bachelor of property and real estate

Deakin University offers a three-year undergraduate bachelor of property and real estate that’s accredited by the Australian Property Institute (API) and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). The course can be taken online or at their campus in Melbourne and will cost approximately $9,800 per year of study.

Upon completion, you can jump into a range of professions in the real estate and property services industry or become a Certified Practicing Valuer.

15. TAFE real estate courses

TAFE offers a plethora of different real estate and property services courses. However, their offering varies from state to state:

NSW: Real estate and property services courses
VIC: Certificate IV
SA: Property and real estate
WA: CPP40516 Certificate IV in Strata Community Management

16. Kaplan Professional online real estate courses

Kaplan Professional has a comprehensive range of state-based online real estate training for those located in New South Wales, Queensland, ACT and Victoria. These include online registration programs for those looking to commence a career in sales or property management, Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice (NSW) and CPD courses to further your career.

17. PropertyMe training and quizzes

With more than 3,500 agencies in Australia and New Zealand on the PropertyMe cloud, it’s a good idea to brush up on your PropertyMe knowledge to add to your repertoire of real estate skills.

If you’re a current user, be sure to check out our Knowledge Base for hundreds of how-to articles and new releases, complete all the training and quizzes and trial new features using your demo portfolio.

If you’re looking to get into the industry and don’t have access to PropertyMe yet, there are many publicly-available blogs that can help you familiarise yourself with our features and workflows.

18. CIPS courses and designation

Offered by the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) to members of the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA), the Certified International Property Specialist (CIPS) courses and designation are designed to benefit experienced real estate professionals who are considering an international specialisation.

By earning a CIPS designation, you can join the CIPS network which comprises 2,800 real estate professionals from 45 countries. Learn more about the CIPS courses and designation here.

Real estate agent and property manager FAQ

If you’re curious about how to become a real estate agent or property manager, we’ve included some frequently asked questions below.

How do I become a real estate agent in Australia?

Eligibility and requirements vary depending on your location, so be sure to check with your local government or industry body to see whether you’re eligible and what experience or units of competency are required.

Thereafter, complete your CPP41419 Certificate IV in Real Estate Practice or CPP40307 Certificate IV in Property Services (Real Estate) with a local Registered Training Organisation (RTO). This can be one of the Real Estate Institutes or you can search for a training provider on the MySkills website.

Your local RTO will be able to guide you and explain what units of competency and qualifications are required in your state or territory. Note that both courses are nationally recognised but CPP41419 will officially supersede CPP40307 on the 30th of September 2021.

After receiving your Statement of Attainment or qualification, you may be able to apply with your local industry body to become a real estate agent. Some states and territories will require you to have 1-2 years of experience in the industry before applying for a licence.

How much do real estate agents make?

On average, Australian real estate agents earn a salary of $48,000, plus bonuses and commissions worth $28,000.

How much do property managers make?

The average salary for an Australian property manager is $51,000, plus $11,000 in bonuses, commissions and profit-sharing arrangements.

What do real estate agents do?

According to the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA), “real estate agents offer a range of services depending upon the type of property they have been appointed to sell, lease or manage on behalf of an owner.”

Duties can include marketing the property, conducting open houses, seeking out prospective buyers and sellers, negotiating terms, facilitating settlements, preparing contracts and documents, networking, home staging and more.

Find out more about what real estate agents do here.

What do property managers do?

Property managers lease and manage residential, commercial, industry and retail properties on behalf of property owners or landlords. This can include collecting rent, marketing the property, screening and vetting tenants, maintenance, negotiating leases and rent reviews and more.

Find out more about what property managers do here.

How many real estate agents and property managers are there in Australia?

There were approximately 120,000 people employed in the Australian real estate industry in 2011, 65,000 of which were business brokers, property managers, principals, real estate agents and representatives.

More recent data from IBISworld shows that there are now approximately 133,360 people employed in the real estate and property services industry in Australia. Meanwhile, another report shows that 41,000 people work in residential property leasing and management in Australia.

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