Every year, March 8th marks International Women’s Day, a global event, which celebrates the achievements of women, in the past, present and future.

The real estate sector has a number of women running the affairs of several agencies. These women do admit that the property market is a challenging field to tread but amidst the difficulties, it is a rewarding experience.

In this post, Jumia House Ghana highlights contributions made by women in the real estate sector. These women are Barbara Azumah, a broker of Mec-Ellis Ghana Realty, Aliya Sissoko of ACI Constructions Limited and Miriam Kabutey of GoldBrock Properties.

Exciting Moments 

One of the most exciting moments for every business is when they make a profit. For any real estate agent, appreciation from a client and the ability to close a deal is one of the best times. “When I do a search for a client and they like what I found and they readily accept it, I get excited. ”Ms Azumah says.

Miss Sissoko admits, “finding the right property for the client, being able to satisfy a client to the point where he makes up his mind.”

Challenging Times

The real estate market, like any other industry, has both its good and challenging times. Statistics show that it can take up to six months for a real estate agent to close a deal.

According to Miriam Kabutey, one of the most challenging times is dealing with certain types of clients, “a number of clients do not know what they really want. They say they want this and in the next moment they change their mind.”

“I think it is a bit difficult sometimes, but it is nothing you cannot overcome. It can be a challenge as most of the big real estate players are men, however, it’s definitely interesting and great when the challenge pays off,”  Ms Azumah says. “Sometimes people are difficult to deal with, so if you want to remain in the industry, you need to be tough. I have learnt to be a tough person through this work. Basically, all that I do boils down to building good customer relationships no matter the challenges” she added.

“It is quite challenging because there are so many competitors. Standing out is one huge challenge that we are facing,” commented Ms Sissoko.

Opportunities for Women in the Sector

“Working in the real estate sector is not about sitting in an office; you need to go out there and find the right property for the client. It is also an avenue to make money for yourself,” explains Ms Kabutey.

“We do have a number of women in the sector but obviously they do not outnumber the men. I would like to see more women explore this sector,” concluded Miss Sissoko.