Sales and Related · Holland code ECS
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.
Also called: Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Salesperson, Realtor, Realtor Associate.
O*NET 41-9022.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $52,830
- Middle half earn $40,040 to $82,020. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
- Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
- 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.
- Appraise properties to determine loan values.
- Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.
- Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
- Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
- Coordinate appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Active Listening4.0 / 5
- Speaking4.0 / 5
- Critical Thinking3.6 / 5
- Reading Comprehension3.4 / 5
- Writing3.3 / 5
- Active Learning3.3 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.4 / 5
- Sales and Marketing4.3 / 5
- English Language3.6 / 5
- Computers and Electronics3.4 / 5
- Administration and Management3.3 / 5
- Administrative3.3 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic19
- Investigative8
- Artistic15
- Social42
- Enterprising91
- Conventional66
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- real estate agent · DE Immobilienmakler/Immobilienmaklerin · FR agent immobilier/agente immobilier
- letting agent · DE Vermietungsmakler/Vermietungsmaklerin · FR agent de location immobilière/agente de location immobilière
- real estate investor · DE Immobilieninvestor/Immobilieninvestorin · FR monteur d’opérations immobilières/monteuse d’opérations immobilières
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Estate agents and auctioneers (3555)52,700 employed
- Property, housing and estate managers (1251)207,700 employed
- Sales related occupations n.e.c. (7129)64,900 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Technicians and associate professionals”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Belgium | €50,992 |
| Austria | €46,986 |
| Germany | €44,473 |
| Netherlands | €42,448 |
| Ireland | €41,613 |
| Sweden | €41,155 |
| Italy | €34,882 |
| France | €34,816 |
| Spain | €29,757 |
| Portugal | €18,080 |
| Poland | €12,108 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the higher third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of +0.86. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (41-9022).
Related careers
- Real Estate Brokers
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers
- Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
- Appraisers of Personal and Business Property
Is it a fit for you?
Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.
Take the career interests test