Working as an estate agent in Milan

What an agent does at KW Properties

The agent takes the client from start to finish: values the property using local data, prepares the listing with photographs, arranges viewings, negotiates the offer, and takes the file through to the deed or the signing of the rental contract. The working day is made up of phone calls, appointments, property inspections and written updates to the client.

Much of the work comes from the contacts an agent builds over time in their own area: those who sold, those who bought, those who live near a property for sale. For this reason, those who work well with us keep an ongoing relationship with the neighbourhoods they cover, rather than just a list of listings.

The Keller Williams model

KW Properties is the Keller Williams Market Center in Milan. The network's model rests on two things, which everyone who joins the agency learns from the first day.

Training

Internal courses and shadowing with more experienced agents, especially in the early months: how to prepare a property, how to run a negotiation, how to work with a bank and with a notary.

Technology

The tools the network provides to manage contacts, listings and files, so that time goes to clients and not to spreadsheets.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for people who want to do this work on an ongoing basis, who know how to listen before they propose, and who can sustain a business with no fixed salary. You do not need an estate agent's CV to start.

• With experience: those who have already worked in sales or rentals, at another agency, or in a related field such as banking, property development or condominium administration. You bring clients and method, and you find an office that supports them.
• Without experience: those who come from another job and want to change direction. In the early months the work is mostly training and shadowing, and clients come later.

What you need to practise

In Italy, wanting to sell homes is not enough. To practise you must be properly registered on the register of brokers (ruolo dei mediatori), kept by the Chamber of Commerce: this is the so-called patentino, the licence for estate agents. The personal and professional requirements are those the law sets for brokers, and we explain them at the interview.

If you are not yet on the register, you can still apply. We will discuss it at the interview and explain, case by case, the route to get there.

How you get paid

In this sector you are paid on results. There is no fixed salary: the agency earns a commission when a sale or a rental closes, and the agent's fee is calculated on that commission under the collaboration contract. If a negotiation does not go through, nothing comes in for that deal. Income therefore depends on the deals you close, the zone you work in and the time you can give, and it varies a great deal from one person to another.

Anyone weighing this work should bear two things in mind. First, in the early months income can be low, because deals take time. Second, self-employed work with no fixed pay requires discipline, and anyone looking for immediate financial stability would do better to look elsewhere.

Where you work

Our office is at Corso Buenos Aires 92, 20131 Milano. We cover the city of Milan with a team of zone agents, who handle sales and rentals of homes and commercial properties. When choosing a zone, knowing the neighbourhood matters a great deal: those who live or work there start with an advantage, because they know the buildings, the people and the real prices of the streets. In your application, name the zone you know best.

How to apply

Applications go through the contact form on the home page. Choose «Lavorare in KW» from the list of reasons, and write two lines about yourself: the experience you have, or the work you do now, and the area of Milan you know. We will reply to arrange a first interview.

Write to us through the contact form

Frequently asked questions

How much does an estate agent earn?

It depends on the deals you close, so we do not give a figure: in our work income is variable and differs from person to person. We can explain the mechanism: a commission on the result, on which the agent's fee is calculated, and no fixed monthly pay. If you want to work out the numbers for your own case, you can talk to us before you decide.

Can you start at forty?

Yes. The interview looks at the experience you bring and the zone you know. For registration on the register, the requirements of the law apply, and we explain them case by case. Those who arrive from another career often bring knowledge of people, of a sector or of a neighbourhood, which is the basis of this work. The starting path is the same for everyone: training and shadowing.

What does a working day look like?

There are no office hours. Client appointments can fall in the evening and at weekends, and the rest of the time goes to property inspections, paperwork and keeping up to date. Anyone looking for fixed hours should consider this carefully before applying.

Do you need experience in the sector?

No, but it helps. Those who have already worked in sales or rentals start with an advantage in handling the deals; those who have never done it work from day one with a more experienced agent, and learn the trade on real properties.

Sources

This page does not report figures or market data. The text describes the activity of KW Properties and the route to registration on the register of brokers, kept by the Chamber of Commerce. The licence attributions for open data (Agenzia delle Entrate, Comune di Milano) do not concern this page.