On Monday I wrote about the typical home buyer, on Tuesday I wrote about the typical home seller, and today I'm going to write about the typical real estate agent, using statistics from the National Association of Realtors.
In advertising and the media, real estate agents are often portrayed as men in suits or young women, but neither is accurate.
The demographics are as follows:
64% of REALTORS® are licensed sales agents, 20% are licensed brokers, and 18% are broker associate licensed. The typical REALTOR® is a white woman, age 60, who has attended college and owns a home. 62% of all REALTORS® are women, and the median age of all REALTORS® is 60. Median real estate experience for all REALTORS®: 11 years Tenure with current firm (all REALTORS®): 6 years Most REALTORS® worked 30 hours per week in 2022. Median total income (income earned from real estate activities) for REALTORS® was $56,400 in 2022, up from $54,300 in 2021. Median number of transaction sides in 2022: Residential side for all REALTORS®: 12 Residential side with residential specialty brokers/broker associates only: 14 Residential side with residential specialty brokers only: 10 Residential side with commercial specialty brokers only: 4 Commercial side with commercial specialty brokers only: 5 Formal education of REALTORS®: College dropout: 30%Bachelor's degree: 31%Graduate school degree or higher: 12%Associate's degree: 12%Graduate school degree: 6%High school graduate: 8%Affiliation with real estate agent: Independent contractor: 89%Employee: 4%Other: 7%
When we think of a real estate agent, we think of older women who are independent contractors.