Real Estate Sales Agents
What 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.
Expected pay range
Expected pay range
This represents the median earnings for this career in the selected county or state. In the range shown, 25% of workers earned less than the bottom salary and 25% earned more than the top salary. Data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
About real estate sales agents
Other titles
Real Estate Agent, Real Estate Salesperson, Realtor, Realtor Associate, Sales Agent
Tasks they perform
- Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
- Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
- Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
Skills they need
- 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.
- Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
- Social Perceptiveness - Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- 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.
- Time Management - Managing one's own time and the time of others.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Licenses and Certifications
How to decide which one is right? That depends on an individual’s career path, specialty, and resources.
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- Third-party exam required
- Education
- Specific course required
- Continuing education
- Continuing education required to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Specific type of conviction prohibited
Personal Lines Property & Casualty Agent
Texas Department of Insurance~Agent and Adjuster Licensing
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- State exam required
- Education
- No educational requirements
- Continuing education
- Continuing education required to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Specific type of conviction prohibited
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- No exam required
- Education
- Specific course required
- Continuing education
- Continuing education required to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Specific type of conviction prohibited
County Mutual Agent
Texas Department of Insurance~Agent and Adjuster Licensing
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- Third-party exam required
- Education
- No educational requirements
- Continuing education
- Continuing education required to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Specific type of conviction prohibited
Managing General Agent
Texas Department of Insurance~Agent and Adjuster Licensing
- License Type
- Stand-alone license
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- State exam required
- Education
- No educational requirements
- Continuing education
- Continuing education required to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Specific type of conviction prohibited
CERTIFIED GENERAL APPRAISER
Texas Appraiser Licensing and Certification Board
- License Type
- Secondary license (another license is a prerequisite)
- Status
- Active
- Exam
- Third-party exam required
- Education
- Degree required
- Continuing education
- Continuing education required to maintain license
- Criminal record
- Specific type of conviction prohibited
Certifications
Certifications may be available for this career and can help build knowledge and skills in specific job roles. Explore available certifications (external link opens new tab)
Similar careers
View careers in the same field as real estate sales agents.
Appraisers of Personal and Business Property
Better pay
Median salary for this career is higher than the median salary of all careers in the county selected. Salary data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Loan Officers
Better pay
Median salary for this career is higher than the median salary of all careers in the county selected. Salary data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel
Better pay
Median salary for this career is higher than the median salary of all careers in the county selected. Salary data is provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
In demand
In demand careers have high-growth, high-demand, and emerging jobs critical to Texas. They are based on economic indicators like in demand industries, labor market trends, and economic conditions, provided by the Texas Workforce Commission.
Additional career information and resources
Learn more about real estate sales agents with these helpful sites.
- CCIM Institute (external link opens new tab)
- Council of Residential Specialists (external link opens new tab)
- National Association of Realtors (external link opens new tab)
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Real estate brokers and sales agents (external link opens new tab)
- Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (external link opens new tab)
- Women's Council of REALTORS® (external link opens new tab)