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Role hub · Real Estate Sales Agents

Real Estate Agent: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of real estate agents earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$52,830
Hourly
$25.40
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Real Estate Agents rent, buy, or sell property for clients. The median pay is $52,830 a year ($25.40 an hour) (BLS, May 2025).

Median pay
$52,830
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
193,370
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 2 of 5
some preparation

Data Government data groups this job as Real Estate Sales Agents (O*NET-SOC 41-9022.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Explore the role

Every page for Real Estate Agents

SalaryReal Estate Agent salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →ResumeReal Estate Agent resume

Keywords, bullet formulas and the skills to prove.

Open →Interview questionsReal Estate Agent interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Career changeReal Estate Agent career change

Where these skills transfer, with skill match and pay change.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

Open →
The work

What real estate agents do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
  2. Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
  3. 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.
  4. Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.
  5. Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
  6. Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
  7. Coordinate appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.
  8. Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Active ListeningcoreSpeakingcoreNegotiationcoreSocial PerceptivenessCoordinationPersuasionService OrientationCritical ThinkingReading Comprehension

Knowledge areas: Customer and Personal Service, Sales and Marketing, English Language, Computers and Electronics, Administration and Management, Administrative.

Tools and technology

Software real estate agents use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • CanvaGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • FacebookWeb page creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • CMA StuffersExpert system software
  • Commercial and industrial development project cost analysis softwareFinancial analysis software
  • DeLorme Topo USAMap creation software
  • Digital contract softwareDesktop publishing software
  • Document creation softwareExpert system software
  • Easypano TourweaverGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Financial calculators softwareFinancial analysis software
  • FloodMapsMap creation software
  • Garmin City SelectRoute navigation software
  • General Magic PorticoVoice recognition software

Also called: Realtor, Real Estate Salesperson, Realtor Associate.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).