Real Estate Sales Agents: Career Profile
Rent, buy, or sell property for clients. Perform duties such as study property listings, interview prospective clients, accompany clients to property site, discuss conditions of sale, and draw up real estate contracts. Includes agents who represent buyer.
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What Tasks Do Real Estate Sales Agents Perform?
Typical responsibilities of real estate sales agents span:
- Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
- Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
- Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
- Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.
- Confer with escrow companies, lenders, home inspectors, and pest control operators to ensure that terms and conditions of purchase agreements are met before closing dates.
- Promote sales of properties through advertisements, open houses, and participation in multiple listing services.
- Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
- Coordinate property closings, overseeing signing of documents and disbursement of funds.
Skills and Knowledge
Successful real estate sales agents combine a mix of skills and domain knowledge.
Most Important Skills
The abilities most central to this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:
Core Knowledge
Types of Real Estate Sales Agents Jobs
Common job titles for this role include:
- Agricultural Real Estate Agent
- Apartment Leasing Agent
- Apartment Leasing Consultant
- Apartment Rental Agent
- Building Consultant
- Buyers' Agent
- Closing Agent
- Closing Coordinator
How Many Real Estate Sales Agents Are There?
There are roughly 932,193 real estate sales agents working in the United States today. This occupation is expected to decline by -3.0% over the projection horizon.
Real Estate Sales Agents Pay
| Statistic | Value |
|---|---|
| Annual median | $44,773 |
| Hourly median | $21.53 |
| 10th percentile | $28,472 |
| 25th percentile | $36,622 |
| 75th percentile | $52,924 |
| 90th percentile | $61,075 |
Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.
How Much Do Real Estate Sales Agents Make in Different U.S. States?
| State | Annual median salary |
|---|---|
| New York | $97,440 |
| Alaska | $85,800 |
| Massachusetts | $85,170 |
| Vermont | $82,630 |
| New Mexico | $79,790 |
| Washington | $76,980 |
| New Jersey | $66,680 |
| California | $62,420 |
| North Dakota | $61,830 |
| Virginia | $61,790 |
| Colorado | $61,690 |
| Maine | $59,990 |
| West Virginia | $57,550 |
| Montana | $56,670 |
| Puerto Rico | $56,520 |
| Georgia | $56,190 |
| New Hampshire | $55,620 |
| Michigan | $55,600 |
| Rhode Island | $55,460 |
| Utah | $55,380 |
| South Dakota | $54,410 |
| Pennsylvania | $53,590 |
| Arizona | $53,370 |
| Illinois | $51,210 |
| Indiana | $50,990 |
| Mississippi | $50,460 |
| Texas | $50,150 |
| Florida | $50,140 |
| Nevada | $49,990 |
| South Carolina | $49,990 |
| Maryland | $49,770 |
| Wisconsin | $49,480 |
| Alabama | $48,740 |
| Nebraska | $48,550 |
| Delaware | $48,450 |
| Oregon | $48,030 |
| North Carolina | $47,840 |
| Minnesota | $47,650 |
| Hawaii | $47,020 |
| Connecticut | $45,670 |
| Kansas | $44,290 |
| Ohio | $43,860 |
| District of Columbia | $43,720 |
| Wyoming | $43,040 |
| Louisiana | $39,840 |
| Kentucky | $39,270 |
| Missouri | $38,910 |
| Arkansas | $38,450 |
| Idaho | $37,090 |
| Iowa | $36,420 |
Top-Paying U.S. Regions
Compensation for real estate sales agents shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:
| Region | Median annual wage | Share of U.S. jobs | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle Atlantic | $75,372 | 11.0% | 0.78 |
| Far Western US | $62,915 | 18.1% | 1.05 |
| New England | $55,976 | 1.4% | 0.87 |
| Rocky Mountains | $52,394 | 3.9% | 2.02 |
| Great Lakes | $49,509 | 9.7% | 0.73 |
| Southeast | $48,186 | 32.7% | 1.50 |
| Southwest | $46,633 | 18.5% | 1.47 |
| Plains States | $45,628 | 4.8% | 0.76 |
Where the Jobs Cluster
| Metro area | State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Midland, TX | TX | $106,340 | 300 |
| Burlington-South Burlington, VT | VT | $103,930 | |
| Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | NY | $101,370 | |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | NY | $100,440 | 9,110 |
| Walla Walla, WA | WA | $94,310 | 40 |
| Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH | MA | $91,290 | |
| Anchorage, AK | AK | $90,150 | 80 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | CA | $88,220 |
Which Industries Hire Real Estate Sales Agents
The largest employers of real estate sales agents are concentrated in the following sectors:
| Industry | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Real Estate and Rental and Leasing | 154,000 | $52,050 |
| Construction | 11,730 | $61,810 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 5,030 | $39,370 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 4,730 | $71,240 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 2,520 | $88,310 |
| Finance and Insurance | 2,240 | $58,120 |
| Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction | 1,430 | $120,620 |
| Utilities | 580 | $107,540 |
Below are examples of industries where real estate sales agents work:
Software Real Estate Sales Agents Use
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat (hot technology)
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Canva (hot technology)
- Web page creation and editing software: Facebook (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
- Accounting software: Intuit QuickBooks (hot technology)
- Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
- Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
- Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
- Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Project (hot technology)
- Project management software: Microsoft Teams (hot technology)
- Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
Work Environment
Daily working conditions for real estate sales agents tends to involve the following characteristics:
- Telephone Conversations
- Contact With Others
- Level of Competition
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Getting Started in This Career
Most real estate sales agents positions require a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. This career aligns with Medium Preparation Needed (Job Zone 3), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.
Similar Occupations
Similar Occupations
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers (Primary-Short)
- Wholesale and Retail Buyers, Except Farm Products (Supplemental)
- Purchasing Agents, Except Wholesale, Retail, and Farm Products (Supplemental)
- Appraisers of Personal and Business Property (Primary-Long)
- Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate (Primary-Short)
- Financial and Investment Analysts (Supplemental)
- Personal Financial Advisors (Primary-Long)
- Credit Counselors (Supplemental)
Degree Programs
Students preparing for real estate sales agents commonly pursue programs in:
Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
1 programs across 1 majors
Architecture and Related Services
1 programs across 1 majors
References
Statistics shown above are sourced from the following authoritative sources:
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
- BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
- O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.
SOC code: 41-9022.00 (Real Estate Sales Agents).
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