How to Become a Real Estate Secretary

By eHow Careers & Work Editor

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Real estate secretaries work in law firms and in the real estate division of investment banks. They provide administrative support to attorneys and other legal professionals. When you become a real estate secretary expect to be performing duties like processing expense reports, coordinating travel itineraries, arranging meetings, tracking invoices and preparing, drafting and editing various real estate documents like purchase and sale contracts, leases, sales documents, letters of intent, exhibits and closings. "Soft skills" required of a real estate secretary include having an eye for detail, being able to organize and the ability to communicate well. Read on to learn more.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Associate's degree or certificate
Professional wardrobe

Become a Real Estate Secretary

Step1

Get a broad general education. In high school, study English grammar and writing, take secretarial, keyboarding and computer software classes like Microsoft Word and Excel and other business-related subjects.

Step2

Begin by working as a legal secretary in a law firm. You will find yourself doing mundane tasks like answering phones and emails, preparing court papers, typing and filing documents, maintaining a law library, answering client's questions and scheduling appointments but you will discover whether or not you like working in a legal environment. You will also gain valuable work experience and build a resume before deciding to specialize as a real estate secretary.

Step3

Consider getting an associate's degree or at least a certificate in business law or a related subject at a community college or business school. Some kind of degree looks good on the resume and you will receive valuable training. It may also help you get more than an entry-level position.

Step4

Take a real estate law course. You don't need to become a licensed real estate agent or an attorney to benefit from learning the ins and outs of contract and agency law. When you become a real estate secretary, you will be working with various contracts and legal documents.

Step5

Check out your wardrobe. Finding casual attire in your closet means that you had better go shopping. Working in the high-powered world of real estate law with attorneys and investment bankers means that you need to dress like the professional you are or will become.

Tips & Warnings

When you are interviewing, seek out companies that have the ability and desire to promote their secretaries. After several years working as a real estate secretary you may want to move into a supervisory position or become a paralegal. You will probably have better luck with this at a medium to large-sized firm.