Top Reason Realtors Become Realtors? Self-Motivation

WASHINGTON – According to a new survey from the National Association of Realtors® (NAR), three out of five residential Realtors® (62%) and commercial (59%) Realtors selected a real estate career path on their own, and a majority say success comes from self-motivation and problem-solving skills – the most important traits for success.

NAR’s Career Choices in Real Estate: Through the Lens of Gender, Race and Sexual Orientation report examined why members entered real estate, the important skills for success, the typical number of transactions, sales volume and income. The report analyzed differences by gender, race, sexual orientation and real estate specialty – residential, commercial or both.

“Realtors from all walks of life share the common purpose of making a positive difference in communities across the country and delivering excellent service to their clients,” says NAR President Charlie Oppler. “As trusted advocates for consumers, our members bring valuable insight and expertise to all aspects of residential and commercial real estate transactions.”

Interest in real estate

Members working exclusively in commercial real estate are more likely (26%) than residential members (16%) to have had a professional connection help them enter the industry. Residential members (26%), however, were twice as likely as commercial members (13%) to have been referred by a friend.

Commercial members are more attracted to real estate because it’s an entrepreneurial field compared to residential members (52% vs. 47%). Three in four (76%) residential members are attracted by the flexible work hours and three in five (59%) are attracted by working with people.

Income

Of those working exclusively in residential real estate, men had a $35,700 median gross personal income, while women had $33,500. By race and ethnic group, white members had the highest median gross personal income at $49,400, followed by Asian/Pacific Islanders ($27,400), Hispanics ($26,600) and Blacks ($16,700).

White members were the most likely (76%) to say that real estate is their only career and the least likely to say that they have another source of income (24%).

Conversely, Black members made up the largest share of Realtors who had another job outside real estate (50%) and the smallest share of Realtors who listed real estate as their only source of income (51%).

“Understanding income and transaction differences among races, genders and sexual orientation is step one, but the next step is learning why there are differences,” says Jessica Lautz, NAR vice president of demographics and behavioral insights. “For some, income may be lower as the typical home price in a neighborhood is lower; for others, they may work only part-time, and others may be new to the profession and have no ownership in the firm.”

Commercial specialists had a median gross personal income from real estate of $150,300, compared to $34,100 for residential specialists and $73,000 for dual specialists. The median income, however, does not capture the income distribution: 66% of commercial Realtors and 21% of residential Realtors earned more than $100,000 in gross personal income in 2020.

Race and ethnicity

The median tenure in residential real estate for white members (10 years) was at least twice that of Asian/Pacific Islanders (five years), Black (four years) and Hispanic members (four years).

The median number of residential transactions in 2020 for white members was seven, more than double the median number of residential transactions for Hispanics (three), Blacks (two) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (two) members.

White members reported the highest median residential sales volume in 2020 at $1,998,000, followed by Asian/Pacific Islanders ($1,017,000), Hispanics ($766,500) and Black members ($474,500).

Hispanic and white members – 56% and 55%, respectively – are more likely to work in the suburbs. The largest shares of members who work in small towns (18%) and rural areas (8%) are Asian/Pacific Islanders. Black members (37%) are the most likely to work in urban areas or cities.

Regarding difficulties in the first year of a residential real estate career, Black members were most likely (41%) to report having to work another job as a challenge. Asian/Pacific Islander members were the most likely to cite finding clients (77%) and getting the proper training and education (27%) as obstacles within their first year.

Nearly a quarter of Hispanic members (24%) and one in five Asian/Pacific Islander members (20%) started their careers in real estate. Black members were most likely to report real estate as a second career path (54%).

Sexual orientation

LGBTQ+ members were more likely to work in an urban area or city (42%) compared to straight/heterosexual members (27%), but less likely to work in the suburbs (39% vs. 50%) and small towns (9% vs. 14%).

LGBTQ+ members were more likely to be attracted to real estate because of interest in the field (69% vs. 63%) and the love of homes and homeownership (59% vs. 52%). Larger shares of LGBTQ+ members than straight members said that problem-solving skills (81% vs. 75%), superior communication capabilities (76% vs. 66%), and sales and marketing acumen (54% vs. 47%) are needed to succeed in residential real estate.

For LGBTQ+ members, the median number of residential transactions and sales volumes in 2020 was five and $1,622,200, compared to four and $1,303,300 for straight members.

Among members working exclusively in residential real estate, the median gross personal income was $38,800 for LGBTQ+ members and $34,100 for straight/heterosexual members.

In February 2021, NAR sent a survey to 208,000 members, and a usable sample of 18,209 members responded to the survey.

© 2021 Florida Realtors®