What a real estate administrator does
A real estate administrator runs the paperwork side of a brokerage or team. Depending on the role, that includes entering listings on the MLS system, receiving and recording deposits, checking that each deal file holds every signed form, preparing commission statements and answering calls from clients and co-operating agents. In many brokerages the deal secretary is the first to notice a missing signature or a deposit that has not arrived, which makes the role part of your compliance.
There is a line administrators must not cross. Under TRESA, people who are not registered with RECO cannot perform the functions of a salesperson or broker, so unregistered staff should not, for example, advise buyers or negotiate offers. The right candidate understands that boundary and works comfortably within it. Finch screens for accuracy, discretion, software skills and experience in a brokerage or similar regulated office, so you meet people who can manage the volume your agents create.
Typical responsibilities
- Enter and update listings, photos and status changes on MLS and the brokerage website
- Receive deposits, issue receipts and record trust transactions for the accounting team
- Review deal files for completeness and chase agents for missing documents
- Prepare commission statements and coordinate payouts after closing
- Book showings, manage agent calendars and answer client calls
- File client identification and other records the brokerage must keep
Qualifications and credentials
- Office administration experience, ideally in a real estate brokerage, law office or mortgage brokerage
- Accuracy with forms, dates and figures, and comfort working from document checklists
- Familiarity with MLS systems, transaction management software and Microsoft Office or Google Workspace
- Awareness of what unregistered staff may and may not do under TRESA
- Some teams prefer administrators who have started RECO's salesperson education
Who hires a real estate administrator
- Residential and commercial brokerages
- High-volume real estate teams with a dedicated assistant
- Developers' sales offices handling pre-construction paperwork
- Property management and leasing companies
Where we recruit real estate administrator candidates
We fill real estate administrator roles for employers across Toronto and the GTA, including North York, Scarborough, Etobicoke, Vaughan, Markham, Richmond Hill, Mississauga, Brampton, Oakville, Burlington, Oshawa and Pickering, and for employers across Canada. GTA employers can meet us at our North York office by appointment.
What Finch checks before you meet a candidate
- Accuracy, checked with a short file-review exercise
- Experience with deal files, deposits and trust record-keeping in a regulated office
- Understanding of where administrative work ends and registered activity begins
- Skill with the platforms your brokerage already uses
- Discretion with client information and composure under deadline pressure
Interview questions to ask
- A buyer's deposit cheque has not arrived and the deadline is today. What do you do?
- An agent asks you to call a buyer and talk them through an offer. How do you respond?
- How do you keep track of many open files with different conditions and closing dates?