What do they do?

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.

Also known as:

Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Salesperson, Realtor, Realtor Associate, Sales Agent

Typical Wages

Projected Growth Rate

Employment of Real Estate Sales Agents is projected to grow 2 percent from 2020 to 2030, more slowly than average compared to all occupations.

Projected Employment in OH

No Data Available
  • 2.4%

    Change

    Ranks #45 in job growth rate
    1,120

    Job Openings

    Ranks #17 in net job growth

Best colleges for Real Estate Sales Agents

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Education Level

Percent of workers in this field with these degrees:

  • Doctorate or Professional Degree  (2%)
  • Master's degree  (11%)
  • Bachelor's degree  (40%)
  • Associate's degree  (10%)
  • Some college, no degree  (24%)
  • High school diploma equivalent  (12%)
  • Less than high school diploma  (1%)

Typical College Majors

Most Popular Majors that prepare Real Estate Sales Agents

Select Type of Degree:

  • #1
    • Degrees Granted

      3,365
    • Female Students

      1,226
    • Male Students

      2,139
    • Median Starting Salary

      $57,450
  • #2
    • Degrees Granted

      631
    • Female Students

      187
    • Male Students

      444
    • Median Starting Salary

      $43,920

People in this career often have these skills:

  • 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.
  • Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
  • Persuasion - Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Service Orientation - Actively looking for ways to help people.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
  • Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.

People in this career often know a lot about:

  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Sales and Marketing - Knowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • Administrative - Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Computers and Electronics - Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Communications and Media - Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.

People in this career often have talent in:

  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Speech Recognition - The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

People in this career often do these activities:

  • Prepare sales or other contracts.
  • Negotiate prices or other sales terms.
  • Obtain property information.
  • Coordinate activities with suppliers, contractors, clients, or other departments.
  • Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
  • Appraise property values.
  • Coordinate legal schedules or activities.
  • Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs.
  • Identify potential customers.
  • Contact current or potential customers to promote products or services.
  • Attend events to develop professional knowledge.
  • Advise real estate clients.
  • Schedule appointments with prospective customers.
  • Explain technical product or service information to customers.
  • Deliver promotional presentations to current or prospective customers.
  • Develop professional relationships or networks.
  • Verify customer credit information.
  • Develop proposals for current or prospective customers.
  • Recommend products or services to customers.
  • Examine condition of property or products.
  • Arrange delivery of goods or services.
  • Train sales personnel.
  • Contract real estate to clients.
  • Direct fundraising or financing activities.
  • Identify investment opportunities or strategies.

This page includes data from:

O*NET OnLine Career data: O*NET 28.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (“USDOL/ETA”). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Logo Occupation statistics: USDOL U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics

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