Endless hours, covered expenses and ruthless competition at four euros an hour. This is how you work in real estate agencies

Endless hours, work inside VAT number but which, most of the time, involves a strict bond of allegiance issued directly by the owner of the agency. Stressful work rhythms that mediate balance between personal and professional life. These are the features that define the work of real estate agent – or rather it would be to define them as members/real estate brokers – based on the many testimonies collected over the months and Ilfatttoquotidiano.it. But they are not the only ones boundary elements featured by young people who work, or have tried to work, in organizations related to franchising groups. Time at home e Tecnocasa scattered in the national territory.

The difference between a real estate agent and a partner is important: in Italy, to become a real estate agent you need to pass. qualifying exam professional. Only then is it possible to work as mediator and directly follow real estate negotiations. The difference is huge because, in theory, according to the rules, Only those authorized can perform the entire series of assessments and operations“employed” young people without that qualification could not define themselves or work as real estate agents. Which happens sometimes.

“The only positive aspect is that you work in a youth environment but, on the other hand, owners use a mechanism of toxic competition because the goal is to be the best agent in this area to grow within the company – he says Giacomo (pseudonym, etc), who worked as a sales agent for an agency affiliated with Tempocasa for almost a year. “Depending on the owner you may end up in a certain situation it is more or less pleasant on a human scalebut the basic concept is all against all. By yourself squeezed like a lemon. It’s a job that many people try to do at a very young age, because corporations tend to do it they take anyoneand because many are interested in fixed rate commitment of 1,000 euros/13.00 per month,” explains Giacomo. However, he then points out: “The problem is that for that amount planned, which in any case is in withholding tax first and then in VAT after 3 months, you have to work. an average of 10 hours a day, including Saturday. You work practically an income of four euros per hour without any protectionwith all cost at your expense and without having a piece of personal life. You can’t decide the hours as it should be for a freelancer with a VAT number but you are the only one having to pay for agency hours and often even working overtime”.

In Time at home one of the issues raised by several former members is that of many: “There is a fine for those does not achieve certain goals or for those who arrive late or for those who simply do not respect the internal rules decided by the owner of the agency; like dressing in a certain way. I know that many organizations got rid of them specifically because they were creating so much discontent, but there are owners who still use them yes Not only does it work without any kind of guarantee, but you also have to be careful Don’t waste more money along with fines, which according to some would be useful in increasing the productivity and efficiency of the partner,” he says Philip (another pseudonym, etc)

Of the announcements of the positions of the participant or coordinator of the real estate agency several of them appear every day on all major job search sites and there is a specific reason behind this unparalleled affiliate search: employee turnover is very high. And this applies to Tempocasa and to Tecnocasa. “You know how many children escape at the end of three months or open their VAT number and at the end of the year understand that. do they just go into debt? You earn less and you work in a very toxic environment in terms of competition. There is a lot of competition in every area, that’s real people are killing each other to get a quota”, continues Filippo.

The work is presented as strong and full of positive sidesbut the truth is that soon it turns out to be completely different: “Everything looks good in the interviewhowever, they tell you about a job that doesn’t exist and that in daily life involves going door to door at pressing levels, the doors were slammed right in your face from people who have not requested your service at all, of hours spent on the street basically a ring intercomsdoorbells and dialing repeating numbers ask for potential contacts and selection. The pressure to achieve agency and regional goals is persistent and suffocating and transparency on the actual commission, in short, is a little lacking”, explains Giacomo.

Compared to the use of VAT registered partners in organizations spread across the region, the group Time at home he wanted to clarify some aspects a Ilfatttoquotidiano.it: “We are aware of the fact that partners also use VAT registered partners. Followers should not respond to scheduled and predetermined times, nor should they have an obligation to appear at the agency, except to participate in coordination meetings and plan activities. In the shadow of mother’s house, It is our responsibility to directly provide agency owners with access credentials to fill out forms. However, we cannot – nor must – go into the characteristics of its use of the qualities mentioned above by the owners and partners. About the report related to good procedures, we are complete strangers and otherwise and we will confirm what was reported”.

To better understand how a A typical interview in a real estate agency we tried to pretend to be interested for the position of coordinator of the Milanese agency associated with the Tecnocasa circuit. The ad was looking for one agency secretary modelthat is, there is nothing that can suggest conditions different from those of a regular low-level job, but during the interview we immediately realized that the organization was actually looking for it. “trader” type. which, in addition to managing office paperwork, can “also carry out procurement”. And then work Commission. We were welcomed by the owner, a local boy 25 years old wearing a suit and a very attractive watch. He explains it to us in a simple way The type of work is a little bit smokyon the schedule however it is too big deep: from 9am to 8pm with off hours from Monday to Friday, while Saturday from 9 am to 2 pm. All for 1,300 euros per month with a VAT number. The boy tries convince us even through impossible plans and drawingsemphasizing the fact that a job as a fixed-wage worker would force us to live on 1,200 euros a month forever, with this opportunity we will be able to to build a better future use all our abilities. Let’s go outside totally confused, but one point: it doesn’t seem like a good deal to us, given that we’re talking about approx. 950/1000 real euros per month for 54 working hours per week, in an expensive city like Milan.

In short, being a broker or agent is a job that seems to be heavily commission-based at a high level. competition and crowded. And if the situation was already difficult during the booming real estate market, it becomes even more difficult when looking the latest Istat data on sales, which shows a marked contraction, thanks to the uncertainty in the general economic situation and an increase in interest rates which makes mortgages more accessible.

Accessed by Ilfatttoquotidiano.it in response, the Tecnocasa group informed that it is “always committed training for its partners for the distribution of best management practices, governance and ethics. From a strictly administrative and organizational point of view of the private agency, the Franchisor, by general law and by contract, has no authority over the activity of the respective agency itself, but has exercised quality office dedicated to collecting and verifying reports and anyone who must show any non-conforming behavior associated with partners. However, The company has no evidence of widespread irregularities between partners and participants, whether agents or office coordinators”.

Finally, respect for abuse of the profession of a real estate agent, Tempocasa and Tecnocasa have similar views. “It is our concern keep your focus high related to professional abuse. For this reason, we set up a series of experts for the partner and its partners, who are responsible for help the internet related to our industry’s regulatory updates and accompanying any participants on the way to getting a license to be a business broker in mediation. So, As a franchisor we “limit ourselves” by providing our network with guidelines, hoping that they will be adopted by our partners and trying – as much as possible – to monitor their implementation. However, we remain well aware that we have it relative responsibility because each partner is an independent company”, Tempocasa points out. “It cannot be prevented that in a large number of partner organizations and for a long time there have been incomplete mediation activities, but of course it is about rare eventsin respect of which, the Franchisor has taken the position according to the contracts established by the partners, which require full compliance with the regulations, especially on mediation”, declares Tecnocasa.