From planning to mediation: how the role of the real estate agent is changing and why it is attracting more and more professionals with backgrounds in design, communication and visual culture.
In recent years the Italian real estate market has gone through a silent but profound transformation. Alongside the traditional technical and commercial profiles, new operators from creative, cultural and digital fields have emerged – and in many cases have established themselves. Interior designers, architects, visual communication experts, but also marketing professionals and project managers with sensitivity to spaces and relationships.
Starting from 2020, in fact, real estate brokerage has progressively taken on the characteristics of a hybrid profession: no longer just sales and negotiations, but also valorisation of properties, narration, production of content and management of complex relationships between clients, designers, artisans and buyers .
In this context, becoming a real estate agent today does not simply mean accessing an enabling path , but rethinking the role in a contemporary, multidisciplinary and, in many cases, strongly planning perspective.
A profession in transition: who chooses it, where it comes from, what it brings
According to data released by some trade associations, the composition of qualifying courses is being enriched with new profiles. In addition to technical graduates and candidates with experience in the construction or commercial sector, today we increasingly encounter figures with degrees in architecture, interior design, communications or digital marketing.
The reason is twofold: on the one hand, the growing importance of aesthetics and narrative in the promotion of real estate; on the other, the flexibility of work, which allows many professionals to undertake an autonomous and customizable path, also as an evolution or relaunch of their career.
In particular, the most recurring profiles among the newly qualified are:
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former planners and interior designers , who decide to move from the project to the valorization of the built environment;
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communication professionals , with skills in content marketing, photography and social management;
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figures with a legal or management background , who intend to work independently on medium-high range properties, offering integrated consultancy.
What are the requirements to become a real estate agent in Italy?
To practice the profession of real estate agent in Italy it is necessary to have a high school diploma, attend a training course recognized by your Region or the Chamber of Commerce, pass a qualifying exam and finally register with the Company Register (REA).
The path is not complex but requires rigor. The course, which varies between 100 and 200 hours, covers fundamental aspects such as civil and commercial law, appraisal, urban planning regulations, marketing elements and taxation notions. At the end, the exam – structured with a written test and an oral interview – attests to the real preparationnor of the candidate.
Once you have passed the exam, it is mandatory to open your VAT number with ATECO code 68.31.00 and have a digital signature and PEC, which are essential tools for operating today. The entire process, if approached continuously, can be completed in approximately six months.
What skills are required of a real estate agent today?
In addition to formal training, what distinguishes a real estate agent in the contemporary market is the ability to integrate very different skills.
The first is undoubtedly the relational one: listening, understanding, knowing how to read the non-explicit needs of those looking for or selling a property . Added to this are the technical skills: knowing how to read a plan, interpret a cadastral survey, understand urban planning constraints .
But today, more than ever, a third area is also required: the communicative and visual one. The real estate agent must be able to present a property in the right way, take care of the images and texts of the advertisements, manage online visibility on the portals and, if possible, on its own channels . Those with a background in design or communication start with an edge, especially when they manage to transform their aesthetic sense into a coherent and recognizable language.
How much do you earn as a real estate agent?
The answer is less standard than you might imagine, but some averages can be plotted. A real estate agent at the beginning of his career, if affiliated with a network, receives commissions that are between 20 and 50% of what the agency collects . With the same number of deals concluded, the figures vary greatly based on the reference market (urban or peripheral, mid-range or high-end).
In the first two years, those who work consistently can generate a gross turnover of around 25,00035,000 euros a year. After the third year, especially for those who work independently or specialize, it is possible to reach and exceed 50,000 euros, with even higher peaks in high-end residential markets.
Profit, however, is not just a question of sales. The best agents work in the medium to long term: they build a reputation, retain customers, obtain exclusive assignments and become contact persons for specific areas or types of property. It is at that moment that the profession changes pace.
Do you need to be extroverted to do this job?
Not necessarily. The rhetoric of the agent as a “sales animal” no longer reflects current reality. Today the success of a real estate professional depends much more on the ability to build authentic relationships than on that of “convincing” or “closing” quickly.
In many cases, it is precisely the most thoughtful, attentive, endowed with empathy and discretion people who create lasting relationships of trust with customers . A good knowledge of the living context, the care with which a visit is carried out or documentation is presented count much more than brilliant speech.
Being coherent, precise, present: yes, this is essential. The rest is learned.
Is it possible to be a part-time real estate agent?
It is possible, but with limitations. Theremanaging appointments with clients, notaries, technicians, and the need to be available even in the evenings or on weekends make it difficult – at least in the initial period – to imagine this activity as a simple second job.
However, more flexible models exist, especially for those who affiliate with networks that work on digital wallets, or for those who choose specific niches (such as short-term rentals or consultancy for investors). Some professionals, for example, specialize in real estate promotion and pre-evaluation, without directly dealing with negotiations.
In any case, part of the time will always be dedicated to building one’s presence in the market, online and offline: a necessary investment, even if not immediately profitable.
How important is an online presence for a real estate agent?
More and more. Today most real estate searches begin on the web, and often end without the customer ever having physically seen an agency. For this reason, taking care of your digital image is not a whim: it is a professional duty .
An updated LinkedIn profile, a personal website with your own properties, quality content on Instagram or Facebook can make the difference. Those who manage to describe their work with authenticity and coherence build a strong reputation, which attracts customers even without having to invest in advertising.
Those who work in luxury, design or hospitality often find the most effective way to differentiate themselves in their own communication style.
Why is the real estate sector attracting more and more women?
Partly due to its organizational characteristics: the possibility of working independently, managing one’s time, building personal relationships. But also because the profession today requires a combination of skills – communicative, planning, organizational – that many women have developed in other contexts and which translate perfectly into real estate work .
Many former designers, marketing professionals, architects or consultants with experience in retail or event management say they have found in real estate brokerage a way to combine their skills in a more flexible, direct, concrete profession.
It is no coincidence that the data of recent years indicate an overtaking: over 50% of the new qualifications concern women . And they are often the ones who introduce new languages, relationship models and operating methods into the sector.
Is it possible to work as a real estate agent without experience in the sector?
Yes, and it is one of the reasons why this profession is today considered a valid option also for those who decide to relocate professionally. The qualifying path does not include specific prerequisites related to the real estate sector: it is sufficient to have a high school diploma and pass the suitability exam required by current legislation.
However, what often determines the difference in the first years of activity is the approach with which one enters the profession. Those who come from experiences in which they have already managed clients, coordinated projects, communicated effectively – even in different contexts – have transversal tools thatthey are immediately useful.
It is not necessary to “have been an agent” before, but it is necessary to quickly become familiar with the dynamics of the sector: how to read a purchase proposal, how to manage an inspection, which documents are used to support a negotiation. Supporting expert professionals and the willingness to learn in the field remain fundamental in this sense.
What are the most requested specializations?
The real estate market is not uniform, and for this reason it offers different possibilities for specialization.
Some professionals are oriented towards medium-high range residential , often in urban or semi-central areas. Others find space in the tourism and short-rentals segment , where knowledge of digital platforms, local rules and the expectations of international travelers is crucial.
The figure of the real estate consultant with ESG ( Environmental, Social and Governance ] skills, capable of accompanying private clients or investors in the redevelopment of properties according to energy and environmental criteria, is also growing strongly.
Finally, those with a background in design or architecture find a natural space in real estate development (home staging, relooking, advanced presentation), or in the more specific role of property finder : no longer a seller, but a researcher of tailor-made properties for selected clients.
How do you build a customer network?
The network is built over time, and not only “in the field”. It is a process that starts long before the negotiation, and which develops on three levels: reputation, relationship, recognisability.
reputation is built with precision, respect for deadlines and attention to detail. The relationship is nourished by the care of contacts, the availability for discussion and constant follow-up, even when the negotiation is not concluded. Recognizability – perhaps the most underestimated aspect – concerns one’s positioning on the market: having a coherent communication style, a clear geographical area, an identifiable voice.
Many agents start by following friends, family, local word of mouth. But those who work methodically also learn to cultivate a digital network, made up of useful content, periodic newsletters, targeted activity on social media and collaborations with similar professionals (architects, accountants, designers, artisans).
How to become a real estate agent: between project and vision
Becoming a real estate agent in 2025 means choosing an evolving profession, where technical competence is intertwined every day with listening, analysis, storytelling. It means knowing how to read not only the floor plans, but also the stories that inhabit the spaces.
In an increasingly visual, digital and sensitive market to the value of “living well”, professional figures capable of connecting aesthetics, functionality and relationships will be increasingly in demand. Those who come from the world of design, planning and communication do not enter the sector as outsiders, but as contemporary interpreters ofa new way of living in the city and working.
It is in this intersection between space and future that the new profile of the real estate agent is born. And perhaps right here – between a visit, an idea of ??restructuring and a negotiation resolved with measure – one can rediscover the concrete and human value of a profession which, more than others, continues to put people and places in dialogue.
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