The Sava Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation – a popular career change for estate agents.
Did you know that 30% of learners who enrol on the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation are from an estate agency background? There are three main routes estate agents take once they have qualified as a residential surveyor: working for a surveying firm, starting their own firm or continuing estate agency whilst offering additional surveying services.
Employed route
One route popular with estate agents who have qualified as surveyors is working for a surveying firm. This gives graduates the opportunity to work with other surveying professionals whilst maintaining a work life balance. Established surveying firms are a popular option for graduates as they can help progress their career whilst giving them corporate benefits and perks.
There are many types of firms you could work for, ranging from large corporates who employ hundreds of surveyors to smaller, local organisations. For many of the larger organisations, being a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is important, which is why the Sava diploma also enables you to gain direct entry into RICS at Associate level.
Hamza Iqbal is Sava Graduate who previously had been working as a Lettings Agent for two years before he joined the Sava Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation. Hamza opted for the employed route post-graduation and now works for Gold Crest Chartered Surveyors. We asked Hamza how he is finding his new role as a surveyor and he responded: “The career itself is interesting, the benefits of the job and the progression all appealed to me straight away. I think this was the perfect career change for me as no two days are the same when working as a surveyor, and each day is a challenge in a positive way. I plan to further expand my knowledge and experience in the field.”
Read Hamza’s full case study to find out more about his surveyor training experience and his new surveying career.
Self-employment
A flexible career option some graduates prefer to take is self-employment. Tim Crowe is a Sava Graduate who joined the Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation as an Estate Agent, he now runs his own surveying company in Surrey, which has been established for nearly three years.
We asked Tim what his work life balance is since starting his firm, he responded: “I am now able to choose the working hours and arrange my free time accordingly, it is really nice being able to pick the hours/days that I work.” Many graduates opt for this option as this gives them the independence and flexibility they want as well as a sense of pride.
When asked what his overall thoughts were on the Sava course, Tim responded: “If property is your passion then I would not hesitate to recommend the course. It is a genuine gateway to profession that is both rewarding and fulfilling. A great career opportunity with many open doors once qualified”.
Read Tim’s full case study to find out more about what it’s like to be an independent surveyor.
Additional services
Another route some estate agents take once graduating from the diploma includes adding services to their current role. A graduate who took this route is Charles Parkhouse who worked for an estate agency for over 30 years before he discovered the Sava Diploma in Residential Surveying and Valuation. Having graduated from the course, Charles subsequently went on to set up and spearhead the newly created surveying department at his existing estate agents. The diploma opened up a wealth of opportunities for Charles and he was able to increase his expertise.
We asked Charles how the Sava diploma helped progress his career, he responded: “I was able to open up a surveying department in the existing estate agent and worked there for two years, before I was able to buy into a firm. The opportunities are vast with the Sava diploma and the route you take depends on what your own preferences are.”
Read about Charles’ experience upskilling as a residential surveyor and how it impacted his estate agency business.
If you are an estate agent and can see yourself following one of the career paths mentioned above then head to our dedicated surveyor training page to find out more about studying for the Diploma in Residential Surveying and valuation.