...the Web's Best Job-Search Resources

Real Estate Sales Agents Job Overview

Real estate sales agents have knowledge about the properties and real estates in their local communities. They should be well versed about the tax and local zoning laws. They help real estate sellers and buyers fulfill their objectives and also assist in negotiations.

Real Estate Sales Agents Schools and Degrees

Business administration, statistics, law, economics and real estate are subjects which are useful if studied at the college level. Universities and community colleges offer curriculums in real estate. Some associations of local real estate who are members of the National Association of Realtors also sponsor courses in the subject which instruct the basics and the legal aspects.

Job Requirements

Licensure is a mandatory requirement for real estate sales agents. To obtain this they need to pass a written exam. A general sales license requires real estate agents to complete 90 hours of classroom study in most states. The license must be renewed every two years, for which ongoing education is necessary. The specifications for licensing vary from state to state.

Expertise and knowledge in real estate is a key asset. Expertise helps real estate agents close more transactions and thus make more money. Those working in larger firms can get promoted to become sales or general managers or real estate appraisers. Some can begin their own business of counseling in real estate investment or mortgage financing.

Real estate sales agents need to be good articulators. A pleasant personality is an asset, but honesty and trustworthiness will take you a long way in this profession. Knowledge about the market and accurate judgment are mandatory requirements in a field that is highly competitive.

Nature of Work

Real estate sales agents arrive at the competitive market price of the properties and get commission after the sale is completed. They meet the prospective buyers before showing them properties and learn their budget and their preferences. Sometimes, they even help arrange for the finance of the properties to be sold and also undertake the responsibility of closing the sales.

Real estate sales agents can work in an office, but many are also beginning to work from their home thanks to advancements in telecommunications. They often have to visit the sites of the estate to analyze and research it,. They are also required to visit and tour the site with their prospective clients.

Real Estate Sales Agents Jobs and Outlook

According to a study conducted in 2006, real estate sales agents held about 432,000 jobs in the US. Employment is highest in the following industries:

• Activities related to real estate.
• Land subdivision
• Lessors of real estate
• Offices of real estate agents and brokers
• Residential building construction.

The median annual earnings of real estate sales agents was about $39,760 in the US in 2006.

Job Numbers and Growth

The official count of real estate sales agents in 2008 was 432,000. Workers have recently faced a very low level of unemployment. The unemployment rate for employees? About 1% recently.

Area Job Conditions

You'll see a lot of real estate sales agents in Myrtle Beach (South Carolina), Sebastian (Florida), and Fort Walton Beach (Florida), and comparatively fewer in Bakersfield (California), Springfield (Massachusetts), and Salinas (California).

Wages for Workers are highest in Toledo (Ohio), Trenton (New Jersey), and Boston (Massachusetts), and lowest in Lubbock (Texas), Bowling Green (Kentucky), and Fort Smith (Arkansas).

Training and Education

Employees normally have a postsecondary vocational award before landing a job. Degrees are held by 45% of current real estate sales agents. Post-secondary schooling was enough for 37% of workers. Education topped out at high school for 18% of employees. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Part-time work suffices for 16% of real estate sales agents. Workers working on their own make up 60% of the total.

Real Estate Sales Agents by Metropolitan Area (city and its surroundings)

In the table below, a Job Density near 0% means the area has an average number of people in this occupation, for its population. A higher or lower Job Density (e.g., +22% or -45%) tells you there are that many more or fewer workers of that type there than in the average US metro area. So, the higher the number, the more common the occupation.

Alabama

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Auburn	$50,000	50	+8%
Birmingham	$67,000	600	+1%
Decatur	$40,000	40	-30%
Huntsville	$46,000	150	-38%
Mobile	$53,000	150	-27%
Montgomery	$54,000	120	-37%
Tuscaloosa	$31,000	130	+29%

Alaska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Anchorage	$57,000	70	-64%

Arizona

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Phoenix	$57,000	3,170	+48%
Prescott	$30,000	80	+39%
Tucson	$35,000	400	-2%
Yuma	$40,000	40	-33%

Arkansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Fayetteville	$33,000	160	-33%
Little Rock	$49,000	180	-57%

California

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bakersfield	$54,000	150	-51%
Chico	$41,000	40	-47%
Fresno	$39,000	210	-45%
Los Angeles	$56,000	2,510	-49%
Modesto		100	-44%
Oakland	$54,000	700	-42%
Oxnard	$56,000	200	-43%
Riverside	$47,000	1,040	-29%
Sacramento	$64,000	620	-41%
Salinas	$65,000	60	-68%
San Diego	$48,000	1,670	+5%
San Francisco	$70,000	1,070	-11%
San Jose	$66,000	440	-60%
San Luis Obispo	$55,000	50	-52%
Santa Barbara	$72,000	120	-38%
Santa Rosa	$66,000	120	-41%
Stockton	$43,000	120	-51%
Vallejo	$51,000	70	-49%
Visalia	$54,000	50	-68%

Colorado

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Colorado Springs	$59,000	340	+14%
Denver	$51,000	2,190	+44%
Fort Collins	$50,000	130	-10%
Grand Junction	$40,000	70	+15%
Pueblo		40	-34%

Connecticut

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bridgeport	$85,000	180	-65%
Danbury	$54,000	40	-46%
Hartford	$74,000	270	-61%
Norwich	$39,000	50	-64%

Delaware

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Dover	$49,000	50	-9%
Wilmington	$48,000	580	+49%

District of Columbia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Washington	$61,000	5,610	+89%

Florida

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Cape Coral	$48,000	610	+169%
Deltona	$39,000	250	+41%
Fort Lauderdale	$47,000	2,860	+239%
Fort Walton Beach	$33,000	200	+138%
Gainesville	$25,000	410	+196%
Jacksonville	$41,000	1,260	+73%
Lakeland	$45,000	340	+54%
Miami	$48,000	2,570	+116%
Naples	$51,000	500	+294%
Ocala	$39,000	180	+84%
Orlando	$38,000	4,510	+266%
Palm Bay	$38,000	380	+64%
Panama City	$32,000	230	+206%
Pensacola	$34,000	310	+80%
Port St Lucie	$36,000	200	+47%
Sarasota	$41,000	700	+140%
Sebastian	$36,000	140	+181%
Tallahassee	$32,000	340	+82%
Tampa	$36,000	2,400	+73%
West Palm Beach	$39,000	1,580	+153%

Georgia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$35,000	60	-10%
Athens	$33,000	180	+132%
Atlanta	$56,000	6,730	+139%
Augusta	$41,000	240	0%
Brunswick	$42,000	70	+64%
Columbus	$44,000	210	+68%
Gainesville	$43,000	90	+18%
Macon	$48,000	220	+117%
Rome	$32,000	40	+12%
Savannah	$41,000	360	+109%
Valdosta	$30,000	80	+52%
Warner Robins	$30,000	70	+22%

Hawaii

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Honolulu	$67,000	210	-60%

Idaho

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Boise	$40,000	240	-23%
Coeur Dalene	$32,000	100	+86%
Idaho Falls	$39,000	60	+22%
Pocatello	$38,000	50	+65%

Illinois

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bloomington	$40,000	40	-48%
Champaign	$42,000	50	-57%
Chicago	$77,000	4,040	-12%
Peoria	$44,000	50	-75%
Springfield		60	-51%

Indiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bloomington	$34,000	60	-21%
Evansville	$39,000	80	-60%
Fort Wayne	$40,000	160	-33%
Gary	$37,000	110	-66%
Indianapolis	$51,000	650	-40%
South Bend	$45,000	30	-80%

Iowa

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ames	$52,000	70	+83%
Cedar Rapids	$32,000	50	-69%
Davenport	$48,000	110	-50%
Des Moines	$38,000	140	-64%
Iowa City	$38,000	30	-61%

Kansas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Wichita	$49,000	140	-59%

Kentucky

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bowling Green	$30,000	60	+1%
Elizabethtown	$24,000	90	+94%
Lexington	$31,000	250	-12%
Louisville	$34,000	680	-7%
Owensboro	$25,000	50	+0%

Louisiana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Alexandria	$47,000	40	-43%
Baton Rouge	$35,000	250	-44%
Houma	$43,000	40	-62%
Lafayette	$36,000	110	-33%
Lake Charles	$31,000	50	-49%
New Orleans	$37,000	370	-42%
Shreveport	$56,000	110	-48%

Maine

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Portland	$41,000	80	-66%

Maryland

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Baltimore	$52,000	1,620	+2%
Bethesda	$55,000	890	+27%
Hagerstown	$38,000	120	+10%
Salisbury	$47,000	60	+5%

Massachusetts

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Barnstable Town	$48,000	130	+16%
Boston	$72,000	1,600	-25%
Framingham	$74,000	100	-47%
Lowell	$44,000	70	-49%
New Bedford	$44,000	40	-43%
Springfield	$39,000	180	-49%
Worcester	$54,000	70	-77%

Michigan

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Ann Arbor	$35,000	130	-33%
Detroit	$43,000	410	-49%
Flint	$30,000	60	-60%
Grand Rapids	$32,000	180	-60%
Holland	$27,000	40	-63%
Lansing	$40,000	130	-44%
Warren	$40,000	1,410	+7%

Minnesota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Duluth	$48,000	40	-73%
Minneapolis	$47,000	1,960	-10%

Mississippi

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Gulfport	$32,000	50	-59%
Hattiesburg		60	-3%
Jackson	$26,000	250	-17%

Missouri

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Columbia	$36,000	130	+46%
Kansas City	$47,000	750	-39%
Springfield	$38,000	200	-11%
St Louis	$52,000	1,760	+8%

Montana

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Billings	$41,000	150	+60%

Nebraska

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Lincoln		50	-73%
Omaha	$57,000	350	-38%

Nevada

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Carson City	$58,000	30	+16%
Las Vegas	$43,000	1,610	+56%
Reno	$45,000	170	-24%

New Hampshire

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Manchester	$41,000	70	-40%
Nashua	$34,000	100	-37%

New Jersey

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Camden	$49,000	260	-59%
Edison	$47,000	560	-55%
Newark	$63,000	450	-63%
Trenton	$76,000	190	-29%

New Mexico

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albuquerque	$54,000	210	-55%
Las Cruces	$51,000	30	-57%
Santa Fe		70	+4%

New York

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Albany	$45,000	360	-34%
Binghamton		60	-53%
Buffalo	$56,000	440	-34%
Glens Falls	$52,000	40	-28%
Ithaca	$58,000	90	+111%
Kingston	$73,000	90	+38%
Nassau	$71,000	1,670	+8%
New York	$79,000	10,430	+64%
Poughkeepsie	$47,000	280	-4%
Rochester	$48,000	430	-30%
Syracuse	$89,000	340	-9%
Utica	$49,000	80	-44%

North Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Asheville	$46,000	140	-32%
Charlotte	$83,000	1,090	+5%
Durham	$69,000	140	-57%
Fayetteville	$41,000	140	-3%
Greensboro	$40,000	240	-44%
Greenville	$49,000	40	-46%
Hickory	$55,000	40	-77%
Jacksonville		90	+102%
Raleigh	$73,000	710	+14%
Wilmington	$95,000	300	+91%
Winston Salem	$52,000	60	-76%

North Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bismarck	$39,000	30	-58%
Fargo	$36,000	160	+15%
Grand Forks	$42,000	30	-41%

Ohio

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Akron	$47,000	160	-58%
Canton	$35,000	40	-79%
Cincinnati	$45,000	760	-38%
Cleveland	$53,000	790	-37%
Columbus	$44,000	590	-47%
Dayton	$50,000	230	-50%
Toledo	$55,000	80	-77%
Youngstown	$39,000	60	-78%

Oklahoma

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Oklahoma City	$38,000	940	+34%
Tulsa	$52,000	720	+39%

Oregon

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Bend	$58,000	30	-56%
Medford	$50,000	30	-65%
Portland	$39,000	670	-46%
Salem	$33,000	70	-59%

Pennsylvania

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Allentown	$45,000	410	-1%
Altoona	$34,000	70	+6%
Erie	$40,000	160	+9%
Harrisburg	$40,000	370	-3%
Johnstown	$36,000	40	-34%
Lancaster	$38,000	320	+15%
Philadelphia	$55,000	3,580	+54%
Pittsburgh	$50,000	1,580	+13%
Reading	$45,000	240	+23%
Scranton	$42,000	180	-42%
State College	$50,000	140	+105%
Williamsport	$38,000	30	-45%
York	$46,000	200	-3%

Rhode Island

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Providence	$54,000	300	-55%

South Carolina

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Charleston	$48,000	450	+31%
Columbia	$48,000	460	+9%
Florence	$36,000	60	-32%
Greenville	$59,000	400	+12%
Myrtle Beach	$36,000	380	+207%
Spartanburg	$42,000	90	-32%
Sumter	$40,000	40	+21%

South Dakota

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Sioux Falls	$57,000	80	-50%

Tennessee

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Chattanooga	$43,000	160	-41%
Clarksville	$51,000	80	-8%
Kingsport	$38,000	70	-50%
Knoxville	$41,000	150	-62%
Memphis	$31,000	490	-34%
Nashville	$42,000	480	-47%

Texas

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Abilene	$48,000	30	-56%
Amarillo	$32,000	80	-34%
Austin	$55,000	1,300	+36%
Beaumont	$63,000	120	-36%
Brownsville	$34,000	70	-53%
College Station	$37,000	160	+55%
Corpus Christi	$36,000	160	-23%
Dallas	$59,000	4,400	+72%
El Paso	$48,000	280	-14%
Fort Worth	$50,000	1,160	+10%
Houston	$41,000	4,730	+47%
Killeen	$41,000	80	-46%
Laredo	$52,000	80	-8%
Lubbock	$30,000	140	-3%
Mcallen	$41,000	160	-41%
Midland	$47,000	60	-12%
Odessa	$25,000	60	-1%
San Angelo	$28,000	50	+16%
San Antonio	$58,000	1,160	+9%
Tyler	$44,000	60	-41%
Waco	$33,000	80	-29%
Wichita Falls	$32,000	30	-50%

Utah

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Logan	$36,000	70	+40%
Ogden	$49,000	310	+32%
Provo	$56,000	290	+46%
Salt Lake City	$51,000	810	+10%
St George	$43,000	110	+129%

Vermont

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Burlington	$71,000	40	-69%

Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Blacksburg	$28,000	140	+113%
Charlottesville	$44,000	250	+159%
Danville	$30,000	50	+42%
Lynchburg	$32,000	150	+35%
Richmond	$47,000	1,390	+87%
Roanoke	$44,000	260	+44%
Virginia Beach	$54,000	2,740	+198%
Winchester	$54,000	80	+52%

Washington

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Olympia	$34,000	40	-64%
Seattle	$47,000	1,190	-30%
Spokane	$66,000	70	-71%
Tacoma	$48,000	110	-65%

West Virginia

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Huntington	$45,000	70	-46%

Wisconsin

City and Area	Median Salary	Employees	Job Density
Appleton	$41,000	60	-54%
Green Bay	$72,000	120	-39%
Janesville		30	-56%
La Crosse	$47,000	60	-24%
Madison	$45,000	260	-36%
Milwaukee	$66,000	590	-42%