Human Capital–Driven Performance in Real Estate Brokerage: A Competency-Based Assessment Model in Antalya, Türkiye

Abstract

Situated in Antalya’s tourism- and migration-driven housing market, this study investigates how brokers’ human-capital profiles shape their individual performance. Drawing on survey data from 118 consultants working in the central districts of Muratpaşa, Kepez, and Konyaaltı, the research operationalises five competency domains—communication–negotiation, technical knowledge, ethical awareness, customer orientation, and digital competence—and links them to a blended performance score that combines transaction outcomes with managerial assessments of work discipline and service quality. All competency items were measured on a five-point Likert scale, and the resulting instrument exhibited sound psychometric properties (Cronbach’s α ≥ 0.80; KMO = 0.85; five-factor solution explaining 63% of total variance). Correlation analysis showed that higher levels of each competency dimension are associated with better performance. Regression results indicate that customer orientation and communication–negotiation are the most influential predictors, followed by technical knowledge and digital competence, whereas ethical awareness makes a smaller but positive contribution. Experience in the sector and the size of the active portfolio also enhance performance, while affiliation with a franchise office does not yield a statistically significant advantage. Taken together, the predictors account for roughly 56% of the observed variation in the performance index, underscoring that success in Antalya’s brokerage market is primarily a function of individual human capital rather than office branding alone. The findings highlight the need for brokerage firms and professional bodies in Antalya to embed competency-based criteria into recruitment, appraisal, and training systems, with particular emphasis on relational skills, market and regulatory literacy, and digital capabilities tailored to a tourism-intensive and internationally oriented housing market.