Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz
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Real Estate Sales Agents
Real Estate Sales Agents 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.
Table of contents
What they do
Real Estate Sales Agents 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.
- 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.
Typical day
On a daily basis, Real Estate Sales Agents compare a property with similar properties that have recently been sold to determine its competitive market price. They prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
A typical day for a Real Estate Sales Agent will also include:
- Coordinate appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.
- Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.
- Answer clients’ questions regarding construction work, financing, maintenance, repairs, and appraisals.
- Display commercial, industrial, agricultural, and residential properties to clients and explain their features.
- Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
Other responsibilities
Besides their typical day, Real Estate Sales Agents also appraise properties to determine loan values. They may also secure construction or purchase financing with their own firm or mortgage company.
On a weekly to monthly basis, Real Estate Sales Agents Coordinate property closings, overseeing the signing of documents and disbursement of funds. They might also present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
In addition, they advise sellers on how to make homes more appealing to potential buyers.
Although specific duties may vary, many of them contact utility companies for service hookups to clients’ property.
To some Real Estate Sales Agents, it is also their responsibility to locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites, based on evaluations of area market conditions.
What is the job like
Job satisfaction
Is this job meaningful
69% said they were satisfied with their job and 44% said they found their job meaningful.
My Typical Day I have two parts of my business. One is being a Realtor and servicing the real estate needs of my clients either buying or selling or whatever they need. I only work with past clients, sellers, and sellers who want to buy and the odd new buyer looking for higher-end properties. I … Read More
I am a real estate agent and I lead a team of real estate agents selling about 100 homes annually in the Chicagoland area. I like to say each day I am either busy or busy trying to get busy. A real estate agent’s day is driven by three buckets of activity and each has … Read More
I am a real estate agent with Coldwell Banker, just outside of Boston. Every day is different in the world of real estate. My schedule usually can be broken into an even split between working to find clients, working with clients, and performing administrative tasks. Finding clients may entail growing our social media presence, working … Read More
I am a licensed realtor working in the greater Houston area in Texas and the owner of a real estate team backed by one of the largest brokerages in the US – Keller Williams. Every day starts with a quick check on the client files to see if any major dates are approaching and we … Read More
The best part about being a real estate agent is that it’s the antithesis of a regular 9 – 5 office job. By this, I mean every day is truly different. One day I may be in back-to-back showings, the next I might have to entertain a client or be out scouting for the right … Read More
I’m a Real Estate Agent with The Vantage Point Team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in Lexington, MA, a suburb of Boston. I have over 15 years of experience in Real Estate as both an agent and investor. My typical day involves waking up, going into my home office and responding to emails, researching homes that … Read More
Agent and investor here in Oregon. My typical day is probably a little different than most. I volunteer as a firefighter and serve with our national guard so those are my primary duties 3 or 4 days a week but I still run a real estate flipping business and some sales transactions here and there. … Read More
The world of Real Estate is very dynamic. A typical day varies from showing homes to potential buyers and/or listing appointments helping sellers evaluate their home and get it ready to put on the market. Then I work on my current transactions such as coordinating home inspections, meeting lawyers, financing, etc. At the end of … Read More
Real estate is 7 days a week, which is exciting yet can be draining, as well. A typical day begins with checking emails, texts, and answering calls for pressing or immediate issues to rectify. Set listing appointments, answering clients’ questions, or conducting research on homes or investments that have come up in their search or … Read More
Pros
Suitable for people who like to start and carry out projects.
Suitable for people who value achievements and are results-oriented.
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
It is not too difficult to get into this career. Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.
Demand for this career is growing fast.
Cons
Not suitable for people who like to solve problems mentally.
Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).
How much do they make
Average salary
Average hourly wage
Entry-level Real Estate Sales Agents with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $25,100 to $33,370 per year or $12 to $16 per hour.
| Salary by experience | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Highest (Top 10%) | $112,410 | $54 |
| Senior (Top 25%) | $76,720 | $37 |
| Median | $49,040 | $24 |
| Junior (Bottom 25%) | $33,370 | $16 |
| No experience (Bottom 10%) | $25,100 | $12 |
This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Real Estate Sales Agents based on their average annual salary.
| Salary by industry | Annual | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| Oil and Gas Extraction | $113600 | $54.61 |
| Natural Gas Distribution | $111380 | $53.55 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | $96160 | $46.23 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | $96000 | $46.15 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | $90190 | $43.36 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | $87550 | $42.09 |
| Lessors of Nonfinancial Intangible Assets | $84740 | $40.74 |
| Telecommunications | $84680 | $40.71 |
| Federal Executive Branch | $84460 | $40.60 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools | $82980 | $39.90 |
View more salary by industries here.
Where can they work
Where can Real Estate Sales Agents work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Real Estate Sales Agents including the average salary in that industry.
| Employers | Total Employed | Annual Salary | Hourly Wages |
|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate | 132710 | $59210 | $28.47 |
| Residential Building Construction | 10050 | $70330 | $33.81 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 3300 | $96000 | $46.15 |
| Federal Executive Branch | 2980 | $84460 | $40.60 |
| Employment Services | 2030 | $60670 | $29.17 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction | 1960 | $113600 | $54.61 |
| Other Information Services | 1670 | $ | $* |
| State Government | 1630 | $66810 | $32.12 |
| Local Government | 1560 | $71160 | $34.21 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 1420 | $56680 | $27.25 |
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What is the work day like
Working hours
Working schedule
How often do you use email in this job?
Telephone
How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?
Group discussions
How often do you have group discussions in this job?
Public speaking
How often does this job require you to do public speaking?
Level of competition
How much competitive pressure is in this job?
What is the work environment like
Office-style environment
Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition
Warehouse-style environment
Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse
Outdoors
Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions
Outdoors – Under Cover
Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)
How to become one
Difficulty to become one
Required level of education
What level of education do you need to perform the job?
Relevant majors
Real Estate
Real Estate Development
Relevant work experience
How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?
On The Job Training
How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?
Should you become one
Best personality type for this career
People with this personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.
People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.
People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.
People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.
People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.
People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.
You can read more about these career personality types here.
People who are suitable for this job tend to like starting up and carrying out projects. They like leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk-taking and often deal with business.
They also like following set procedures and routines. They like working with data and details more than with ideas.
Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.
Work Values
Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?
You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.
You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.
You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.
You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.
You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.
You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.
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