Agents profiting from rising trade volume

The boom in the second-hand housing market has provided real estate agents with the opportunity to earn far more than usual. However, the work is hard and often time-consuming.

Sun Xiaofen, who has worked for the real estate brokerage Lianjia.com for three years, said the sharp contrast between the cold winter and the booming market made every day a struggle when she took customers to visit apartments.

Many agents in Beijing ride electric bikes because they are affordable and convenient for accessing residential complexes. Although it only took the 28-year-old a week to master the bike, she fell off at least 10 times and injured her leg.

"It's a prerequisite to know how to ride e-bicycles and have a clear picture of the apartments I am going to sell," she said.

Unlike some of her peers, Sun couldn't stand the cold and her knee joints ached after just one week of riding the bike, so she took the advice of a veteran colleague and laid a thick blanket across the front of the bike to block the wind.

Patience is a key quality for agents. "Clients always have emergencies, and I have to wait and be caring to build trust between them and me," Sun said.

Last month, she made an appointment to meet a customer at 7 pm outside a subway station. Although she confirmed with the customer before leaving her office 15 minutes ahead of schedule, the customer failed to show up.

"The client didn't notify me of the delay until 15 minutes after the appointment because his mother had been in an accident," she said.

"Take your time and we can meet tomorrow," she told the client. One week later, she sold him an apartment for 6 million yuan, netting 140,000 yuan ($21,000) in brokerage fees, and earning Sun 48,600 yuan.

"It's hard to gain trust from strangers right now. But if you can do that, you will win," Sun said.

Six steps to buying a second-hand home

Usually, the home-buying process involves at least six steps:

1. Owners are only allowed to sell property once they have paid off their existing mortgage.

2. Sellers have to wait for at least two months for the property to be transferred to the buyer. At least two weeks later, the seller will receive their money.

3. The seller becomes a buyer and can sign a contract for a new apartment.

4. Restrictions on transactions of residential apartments mean the contract has to be registered online within 10 working days of checking the buyer's status .

5. The buyer must attend an interview with a bank or housing fund center to apply for a mortgage.

6. When a deal is struck, the new property will be transferred to the buyer after about one month. The buyer then begins paying monthly mortgage repayments.