If you’re a real estate agent based in Malaysia, you may be looking for ways to fulfil your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) obligations without taking too much time away from your sales tasks. Meeting certain CPD hours annually is one of the requirements for renewing your real estate licence, and you do that by attending CPD courses in Malaysia.
The CPD framework is designed to ensure that agents continuously maintain and upgrade their real estate skills while staying up-to-date with the latest industry trends and regulations. While fulfilling your CPD requirements may feel like a lot, it doesn’t have to be a burden in your day-to-day life. Instead, the CPD framework may actually help you achieve your professional goals.
In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about CPD obligations as a real estate agent in Malaysia. We’ll also share how you can complete your CPD obligations in a stress-free way.
How CPD works for real estate professionals in Malaysia
Licenced real estate professionals in Malaysia should complete a minimum number of CPD hours annually to renew their licence. This is mandated by The Board of Valuers, Appraisers, Estate Agents and Property Managers Malaysia (BOVAEP). Here’s more information on mandatory CPD hours:
- Real estate agents must complete at least 10 CPD credit hours annually. However, this changes with age and experience. For instance, for real estate agents above 55, the requirement is reduced to five hours. Furthermore, agents above 60 are fully exempt from CPD obligations.
- Comprehensive documentation is important as proof of compliance with CPD. Real estate agents must maintain a record of their CPD activities, including details of the courses they attended and the certificates of course completion.
Submitting CPD credit hours to BOVAEP is an essential part of the real estate licence renewal process. Failing to meet CPD requirements may result in the inability to renew your real estate licence. It’s also crucial to be aware of renewal deadlines, so you can complete and document CPD requirements on time.
Benefits of CPD courses
To meet the standard set by BOVAEP, agents should take CPD courses through approved providers such as the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA), Excel Academy, and Good Institute. As an agent, you’ll want to choose CPD courses that are relevant to your practice area to maximise the benefits and practical applications you can get from the training.
CPD doesn’t have to be a regulatory burden on your schedule. It comes with many benefits too. Here are some benefits of CPD courses:
- CPD courses cover a wide range of topics that help you improve your professional skills, knowledge, and use of new technologies.
- Continuous learning enhances your real estate expertise. It can play a crucial role in leading to career and sales growth.
- Completing CPD is a legal requirement for licence renewal. It ensures you remain legally compliant.
- Attending CPD courses allows you to network with peers, share experiences, and learn from industry leaders.
- Staying updated with the latest industry knowledge can boost your confidence in dealing with clients and handling transactions.
Types of CPD courses
CPD course content may cover legal and regulatory updates, market trends and analysis, technology and digital marketing, sales and negotiation skills, and specialised topics.
Legal and regulatory updates include courses that cover the latest changes in property laws, regulations, and compliance requirements. On the other hand, market trends and analysis provides training on current market conditions, property valuation, and investment strategies.
Similarly, technology and digital marketing courses are all about classes on leveraging technology for real estate marketing, including social media, digital advertising, and CRM systems. Sales and negotiation skill courses can help enhance your sales techniques, negotiation tactics, and customer relationships.
Additionally, courses on specialised topics offer training in niche areas such as strata management, green buildings, distressed property sales, and more.
You can attend CPD classes in different formats, including in-person and online. In-person setting includes traditional classroom settings that provide direct interaction among instructors and peers, whereas online classes allow flexible e-learning modules that you can complete at your own pace.
How to complete your CPD obligations stress-free
Meeting 10 CPD hours in a year may not seem like much, but failure to plan in advance may lead to rushed work and completion when the deadline looms. The issue can become bigger when some agents viewCPD as a burden or a roadblock, instead of a beneficial activity that can help them take their career to the next level.
Here are some tips to complete your annual CPD obligations without too much stress:
Plan in advance
While completing 10 CPD hours in a year seems doable, it can be really stressful if you’re rushing to meet these obligations two weeks before the deadline. That’s why planning ahead is crucial. CPD obligations can go unnoticed throughout the year until you find yourself in a position where you must meet all the requirements in a few weeks.
A strategic approach can make meeting your CPD obligations a smooth and rewarding experience. Consider registering for popular courses early to secure your spot and avoid last-minute scrambles.
Choose relevant courses
CPD courses can be beneficial for your professional development if you select courses that are relevant to your specific role and aspirations in real estate. Selecting the course of your choice can make the learning process not just enjoyable but also directly beneficial to your day-to-day work.
Try balancing your CPD course topics by mixing practical skills, such as negotiation techniques, and theoretical knowledge, such as legal updates and market analysis.
Most importantly, choose courses from recognized providers such as the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agents (MIEA), Excel Academy, and Good Institute to ensure quality and accreditation.
Take advantage of flexible learning options
Your CPD obligations don’t need to take over your daily routine. And thanks to technology, you also have the option to choose online courses that offer more flexibility. Online courses allow you to complete modules at your own pace. You may also want to participate in live webinars that provide the benefits of real-time interaction without the need to travel to a physical classroom.
Stay organised
Staying organised ensures a smooth licence renewal process. Always ensure you keep a record of your completed CPD activities, including course dates, topics, providers, and CPD hours earned, certificates, and proof of participation or completion. You may utilise digital tools or apps to track your CPD hours and reminders for upcoming courses.
Balance work and learning
Balancing your real estate sales activities and learning obligations can be done easily with proper planning. The key is how you maintain your routine. Allocate specific time slots for CPD activities to ensure they do not interfere with your regular work commitments. Also, keep in mind that you can actually apply what you learn in CPD courses to your daily work by choosing relevant courses.
Stay updated
Malaysian real estate law and regulations keep changing based on the changing social, economic, and political environment. Therefore, it’s always wise to keep informed about changes in CPD requirements and new courses. You can stay informed about these changes through newsletters, professional associations, and industry websites. You may also join real estate associations to get the latest updates, resources, and support related to CPD.
Can a CRM help you manage your CPD commitments and sales activities?
While a customer relationship management system (CRM) is not a tool that you can use to handle your CPD obligation directly, it can help you manage your time more effectively. By helping you streamline your sales process, CRM can help you manage more time to plan and meet CPD requirements.
Allocating time to learn outside of your professional duties can sometimes be challenging, especially if you’re a small-scale real estate agent who wears multiple hats. A CRM can help you automate repetitive tasks, such as manually saving new contacts to your phonebook by typing. This frees up a significant amount of time that you can utilise to learn and grow your business.
If you’re looking for a CRM solution that allows you to run your entire sales process from your mobile device, Privyr is the tool you need.
Privyr is a mobile-first CRM preferred by real estate agents who are always on the go. This CRM seamlessly integrates with most major lead sources, like Facebook Lead Ads, and gives you instant alerts for new leads on your phone. It also works with popular messaging apps, like WhatsApp and Telegram, helping you connect with new leads on their preferred messaging platform within seconds. With Privyr, you can grow your business up to 300% while allocating enough time for professional development.
So what’s keeping you from growing your real estate business by up to 300%? Try Privyr for free today!
