1. Home
  2. Careers
  3. Real Estate Sales Agents
  4. Required Skills Responsibilities Activities

Real Estate Sales Agents Occupation Detailed Description

Real Estate Sales Agents career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Real Estate Sales Agents

The main tasks and work activities of Real Estate Sales Agents are to negotiate prices or other sales terms, gather customer or product information to determine customer needs, prepare sales or other contracts, develop content for sales presentations or other materials. In general, for the Real Estate Sales Agents, speaking, active Listening, negotiation, coordination and other 13 skills are required.
Real Estate Sales Agents Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Real Estate Sales Agents jobs. 42.86% of Real Estate Sales Agents have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 23.81% of Real Estate Sales Agents have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
9.52%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
42.86%
Post-Secondary Certificate
23.81%
Some College Courses
9.52%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
4.76%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
9.53%

Tasks and Work Activities of Real Estate Sales Agents

  • Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
  • 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.
  • Interview clients to determine what kinds of properties they are seeking.
  • Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
  • Coordinate property closings, overseeing signing of documents and disbursement of funds.
  • Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
  • Promote sales of properties through advertisements, open houses, and participation in multiple listing services.
  • Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
  • Coordinate appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.
  • Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.
  • Display commercial, industrial, agricultural, and residential properties to clients and explain their features.
  • Arrange for title searches to determine whether clients have clear property titles.
  • Review plans for new construction with clients, enumerating and recommending available options and features.
  • Answer clients' questions regarding construction work, financing, maintenance, repairs, and appraisals.
  • Inspect condition of premises, and arrange for necessary maintenance or notify owners of maintenance needs.
  • Accompany buyers during visits to and inspections of property, advising them on the suitability and value of the homes they are visiting.
  • Advise sellers on how to make homes more appealing to potential buyers.
  • Arrange meetings between buyers and sellers when details of transactions need to be negotiated.
  • Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.
  • Evaluate mortgage options to help clients obtain financing at the best prevailing rates and terms.
  • Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with OthersHandling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
  • Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal RelationshipsDeveloping constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
  • Interacting With ComputersUsing computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Communicating with Persons Outside OrganizationCommunicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
  • Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing WorkDeveloping specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Selling or Influencing OthersConvincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Performing for or Working Directly with the PublicPerforming for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
  • Negotiate prices or other sales terms.
  • Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs.
  • Prepare sales or other contracts.
  • Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.
  • Appraise property values.
  • Schedule appointments with prospective customers.
  • Obtain property information.
  • Deliver promotional presentations to current or prospective customers.
  • Explain technical product or service information to customers.
  • Recommend products or services to customers.
  • Develop proposals for current or prospective customers.
  • Advise real estate clients.
  • Examine condition of property or products.
  • Attend events to develop professional knowledge.
  • Verify customer credit information.
  • Contact current or potential customers to promote products or services.
  • Develop professional relationships or networks.
  • Arrange delivery of goods or services.
  • Train sales personnel.
  • Contract real estate to clients.

Skills and Abilities for Real Estate Sales Agents

  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active ListeningGiving 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.
  • NegotiationBringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • PersuasionPersuading others to change their minds or behavior.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • MathematicsUsing mathematics to solve problems.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Written ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Fluency of IdeasThe ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Mathematical ReasoningThe ability to choose the right mathematical methods or formulas to solve a problem.
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Digital camerase.g. Digital cameras
  • Global positioning system GPS receivere.g. Global positioning system GPS receivers
  • Notebook computerse.g. Laptop computers
  • Laser printerse.g. Laser printers
  • Measuring wheels for distancee.g. Measuring wheels
  • Notebook computerse.g. Notebook computers
  • Personal computerse.g. Personal computers
  • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizerse.g. Personal digital assistants PDA
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Sales and MarketingKnowledge of principles and methods for showing, promoting, and selling products or services. This includes marketing strategy and tactics, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Law and GovernmentKnowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • ClericalKnowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office procedures and terminology.
  • Administration and ManagementKnowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
  • Computers and ElectronicsKnowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
  • Communications and MediaKnowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
  • Building and ConstructionKnowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
  • Economics and AccountingKnowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • PsychologyKnowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.