Real Estate Sales Agents

Median salary

$52,830

Average salary

$69,510

Employment

193,370

Projected growth

3.1% growth

Annual openings

36,600

Typical entry education

High school diploma or equivalent

What Real Estate Sales Agents 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.

See full salary breakdown & percentiles →

Career Outlook

National employment outlook, 2024–2034.

Related work experience: None
On-the-job training: Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed: 53.7%

Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.

How Much Preparation Does This Take?

Job Zone 3 of 5

Job Zone Three: Medium Preparation Needed

Experience: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations.
Education: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Job training: Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.

Source: O*NET Job Zones.

Key Knowledge Areas

Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.

Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 4.8/5
Sales and Marketingimportance 4.7/5
English Languageimportance 4.3/5
Law and Governmentimportance 4.0/5
Administrativeimportance 3.8/5
Administration and Managementimportance 3.7/5
Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.5/5
Mathematicsimportance 3.5/5

Work Environment

What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.

E-Mail5.0/5
Telephone Conversations5.0/5
Contact With Others5.0/5
Level of Competition4.8/5
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.7/5
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.7/5

Careers With Similar Skills

Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.

Real Estate Brokers98% skill match
Compliance Officers97% skill match
Order Clerks97% skill match
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists96% skill match
Retail Salespersons96% skill match
Community Health Workers96% skill match
Social and Human Service Assistants96% skill match
Fire Inspectors and Investigators96% skill match

Transferable Skills

Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.

Negotiationimportance 3.9/5
Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.8/5
Coordinationimportance 3.8/5
Persuasionimportance 3.6/5
Service Orientationimportance 3.5/5
Time Managementimportance 3.4/5
Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.3/5
Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.1/5

Software & Technologies

Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.

Hot Technologies

Other Software Used

Agent Business Builder
Argosy Legal Systems Power Closer
CMA Stuffers
Commercial and industrial development project cost analysis software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
DataBasix Technologies Lead Commander
DeLorme Topo USA
Digital contract software

Work Style

Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.

Social Orientation
Dependability
Achievement Orientation
Integrity
Perseverance
Self-Confidence
Attention to Detail

Career Interests

This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.

EnterprisingHigh
ConventionalMedium
SocialMedium
RealisticLow
ArtisticLow
InvestigativeLow

Specific Interests

A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 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.