How studying with the REIQ benefitted this graduate

REIQ graduate Dan Thompson explains how training with Queensland’s peak body readied him for a real estate career and how a chance encounter at one of the REIQ’s Career Networking Events opened the door to opportunity.

How did your training help prepare you for the industry?

Completing my Full Licence through the REIQ gave me a much greater understanding of just how much goes into working professionally in real estate.

There is obviously a large amount of legislation and compliance involved, but the course also helped me understand the practical side of the industry — from sales and property management through to trust accounting, marketing, client relationships, negotiations and the responsibilities you have when acting on behalf of someone.

I made a conscious decision from the beginning that I didn’t just want to complete the assessments for the sake of getting the qualification. I wanted to understand what I was learning and how I could actually apply it once I entered the industry.

I know there is still an enormous amount for me to learn, and a lot of that will come from experience, but completing the Full Licence has given me a really strong foundation and made me even more excited to get started.

What was your experience attending the networking event?

The networking event ended up being one of the most valuable parts of my entire experience with the REIQ.

I went into the event simply wanting to meet people within the industry, introduce myself and start making some connections. I knew that if I wanted to build a career in real estate, I needed to be willing to put myself out there rather than just wait until I had finished the course.

During the event, I had the opportunity to meet and speak with the Sales Manager from LJ Hooker Nerang. We had a great conversation and connected really well, which led to further discussions and eventually an opportunity to meet with the leadership team.

That ultimately resulted in me being offered a position with LJ Hooker Nerang.

Looking back, it’s pretty amazing to think that simply deciding to attend a networking event and introduce myself helped open the door to my first opportunity in real estate. It definitely taught me very early that relationships matter in this industry and sometimes you have to create opportunities rather than wait for them to come to you.

What advice would you give to other students starting their journey?

My biggest advice would be to take the course seriously and try to learn from it rather than viewing the assessments as boxes that simply need to be ticked.

Ask questions, get involved in class discussions, do your research and try to understand why things are done the way they are. The more you put into the training, the more you’ll get out of it when you eventually enter the industry.

I’d also strongly encourage students to take advantage of opportunities like networking events. It can be daunting walking into a room where you don’t know many people, particularly when you’re new to the industry, but introduce yourself, have conversations and be genuinely interested in the people you meet.

You never know where one conversation might lead.

Most importantly, back yourself. You don’t need to know everything before you start. Be willing to learn, work hard, listen to experienced people and put yourself in situations where opportunities can happen.

What are you most looking forward to in your new role?

I’m honestly looking forward to all of it.

I’m excited to finally take everything I’ve learned and start applying it in the real world, but I’m particularly looking forward to meeting people, building relationships and developing my own presence within the community.

I’m very fortunate to be starting my career with LJ Hooker Nerang, where I’ll have experienced people around me to learn from and the backing of such a well-known brand while I establish myself in the industry.

One area I’m particularly passionate about is Skyridge at Worongary, where I also live. Being part of the community gives me a genuine connection to the area, and one of my long-term goals is to become a trusted local property specialist for Skyridge and the surrounding Worongary market.

I want to build that reputation the right way — through hard work, honesty, strong relationships, local market knowledge and genuinely looking after people. I don’t want someone to feel like they can only call me when they’re ready to sell. I’d like to become someone within the community that people feel comfortable calling for genuine property advice, an appraisal or simply a conversation about the market and their situation.

My focus now is on learning as much as possible, surrounding myself with experienced people and building my business the right way from day one. I know there will be plenty of challenges along the way, but that’s part of what excites me about the opportunity.

I’m at the very beginning of the journey, but I’m incredibly excited to see where I can take it.

Interested in training with the REIQ? Find out more.

Read more about a career in real estate: No limit to success in real estate.

Or read our training articles.