What Does it Take to Be a Real Estate Sales Agent?
Career Description 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.
What Do Real Estate Sales Agents Do On a Daily Basis?
- Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
- Visit properties to assess them before showing them to clients.
- Evaluate mortgage options to help clients obtain financing at the best prevailing rates and terms.
- Conduct seminars and training sessions for sales agents to improve sales techniques.
- Develop networks of attorneys, mortgage lenders, and contractors to whom clients may be referred.
- 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.
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What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Real Estate Sales Agent?
These are the skills Real Estate Sales Agents say are the most useful in their careers:
Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Negotiation: Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.
Social Perceptiveness: Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Persuasion: Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Types of Real Estate Sales Agent
- Real Estate Broker
- Real Estate Salesperson
- Real Estate Sales Associate
- Sales Professional
- Building Consultant
Is There Going to be Demand for Real Estate Sales Agents?
In the United States, there were 348,800 jobs for Real Estate Sales Agent in 2016. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 5.8% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 20,200 new jobs for Real Estate Sales Agent by 2026. There will be an estimated 34,400 positions for Real Estate Sales Agent per year.

The states with the most job growth for Real Estate Sales Agent are Utah, Idaho, and Colorado. Watch out if you plan on working in West Virginia, Vermont, or Maine. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.
Real Estate Sales Agent Average Salary
The typical yearly salary for Real Estate Sales Agents is somewhere between $24,650 and $112,610.

Real Estate Sales Agents who work in New York, Alaska, or Wyoming, make the highest salaries.
How much do Real Estate Sales Agents make in different U.S. states?
State | Annual Mean Salary |
---|---|
Alabama | $53,870 |
Alaska | $78,190 |
Arizona | $66,360 |
Arkansas | $41,100 |
California | $73,450 |
Colorado | $67,350 |
Connecticut | $70,380 |
Delaware | $50,100 |
District of Columbia | $56,460 |
Florida | $58,730 |
Georgia | $50,450 |
Hawaii | $65,720 |
Idaho | $57,490 |
Illinois | $52,800 |
Indiana | $47,430 |
Iowa | $54,610 |
Kansas | $48,520 |
Kentucky | $48,680 |
Louisiana | $53,020 |
Maine | $64,690 |
Maryland | $57,450 |
Massachusetts | $67,470 |
Michigan | $51,870 |
Minnesota | $46,620 |
Mississippi | $60,450 |
Missouri | $53,440 |
Montana | $47,290 |
Nebraska | $51,010 |
Nevada | $62,000 |
New Hampshire | $49,810 |
New Jersey | $63,790 |
New Mexico | $52,660 |
New York | $116,460 |
North Carolina | $59,920 |
North Dakota | $61,430 |
Ohio | $45,340 |
Oklahoma | $54,880 |
Oregon | $49,850 |
Pennsylvania | $64,490 |
Rhode Island | $84,280 |
South Carolina | $53,790 |
South Dakota | $62,660 |
Tennessee | $51,100 |
Texas | $70,520 |
Utah | $63,480 |
Vermont | $55,920 |
Virginia | $66,230 |
Washington | $63,860 |
West Virginia | $63,620 |
Wisconsin | $49,360 |
Wyoming | $75,570 |
What Tools & Technology do Real Estate Sales Agents Use?
Below is a list of the types of tools and technologies that Real Estate Sales Agents may use on a daily basis:
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Word
- Microsoft Office
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Outlook
- Email software
- Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
- Spreadsheet software
- Microsoft Dynamics
- Microsoft Publisher
- Google Docs
- Intuit QuickBooks
- Geographic information system GIS software
- Scheduling software
- Google Drive
- Tax software
- Fund accounting software
- Social media sites
- Corel WordPerfect
How do I Become a Real Estate Sales Agent?
Education needed to be a Real Estate Sales Agent:

How many years of work experience do I need?

Where do Real Estate Sales Agents Work?

The table below shows the approximate number of Real Estate Sales Agents employed by various industries.

You May Also Be Interested In…
Those thinking about becoming a Real Estate Sales Agent might also be interested in the following careers:
References:
Image Credit: Godrej Mamurdi Pune via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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