Vanessa Bickerton | Sell My House

Real Estate Qualifications & Professional Development

Experience matters. So does continuing to learn.

As an Auckland real estate agent with more than $30 million in settled property sales, I have deliberately invested in formal real estate qualifications and additional professional development beyond the day-to-day requirements of working in the industry. My aim is simple: to give homeowners clear, informed real estate advice and to better understand the wider issues that can influence a property transaction.

Qualifications & licensing

Real estate qualifications

  • Level 4 — Salesperson
  • Level 5 — Branch Manager
  • Level 6 — Agent

Licensing

  • Licensed Branch Manager — Level 5 — Real Estate Authority (REA), New Zealand
  • Licensed Agent — Level 6 — Real Estate Authority (REA), New Zealand

These qualifications sit alongside my practical real estate experience and provide a strong foundation in agency practice, professional responsibilities and property transactions.

Further professional development

I also choose to undertake additional learning outside my formal real estate licensing requirements. This professional development is independently selected and paid for by me because I believe strong real estate practice requires continual learning.

Completed professional development

Mortgagee Sales 2023 — New Zealand Law Society Continuing Legal Education (NZLS CLE)

This specialist legal education focuses on mortgagee sales and the issues that arise when property is sold under a mortgagee’s power of sale. It gives me a stronger understanding of a less common, but important, area of property practice.

Completed 23 August 2026 · 1.5 CPD hours

Independently chosen and self-funded professional development.

Where legal, financial or lending advice is required, I work within my professional role and encourage clients to obtain advice from the appropriate specialist.

Why this matters when choosing a real estate agent

  • Stronger technical understanding: knowledge beyond simply marketing and negotiating a property.
  • Better questions and earlier issue identification: particularly where a property transaction has additional complexity.
  • Clear professional boundaries: knowing when a lawyer, mortgage adviser, accountant or other specialist should be involved.

For me, ongoing learning is not about collecting certificates. It is about being better prepared, asking better questions and providing my clients with a more informed real estate service.

Thinking of selling in Auckland? Learn more about my real estate experience or contact me for a confidential property conversation.