Algonquin College will be launching a real estate salesperson program in the fall

Starting this fall, Algonquin College will begin offering a real estate salesperson program, making it just the fourth college in Ontario to do so.

On Mar 6, the Real Estate Council of Ontario, which regulates real estate agents across the province, announced its approval for the college to begin its online course. The program will cover foundational knowledge, real estate essentials, and key legal and ethical responsibilities, according to the college’s website.

Alongside this, the college will also offer a real estate broker program. A real estate broker supervises salespeople, real estate transactions and can run their own brokerage or business.

So, what could this mean for Ottawa?

Raymond Chin, who has more than 19 years of experience in real estate, says this “opens another door,” expanding career options in Ottawa beyond civil service.

According to the Government of Canada, as of 2025, there are almost 130,000 civil service workers in the National Capital Region, representing about 10 per cent of the population.

When it comes to finding opportunity in Ottawa, Chin believes anyone willing to put in the work has a chance to thrive.

“When you’re self-employed, there’s always opportunity,” Chin said.

So, what does it take to succeed as a realtor?

For Chin, the core skills required in real estate are listening and people skills, having a solid grasp of the market and knowing how to advise clients.

“Real estate is not rocket science, anyone can do it,” Chin said. “But essentially, if you have those minimum core skills, as I mentioned earlier, anyone can do well. But a lot of people don’t do well in this business because they’re not consistent, they’re not disciplined, or they just have no interest in this kind of business, which is helping people manage their biggest assets in their life, which is real estate.”