Real Estate Agent

Typical Work Tasks
People who work in this career often:

• Negotiate prices or other sales terms.
• Develop professional relationships or networks.
• Contact current or potential customers to promote products or services.
• Contract real estate to clients.
• Deliver promotional presentations to current or prospective customers.
• Gather customer or product information to determine customer needs.
• Obtain property information.
• Attend events to develop professional knowledge.
• Schedule appointments with prospective customers.
• Develop content for sales presentations or other materials.

Typical Working Conditions:

• Using email.
• High levels of competition.
• The freedom to determine tasks, priorities, and goals.
• Freedom to make decisions without supervision.
• Meeting strict deadlines.
• Working in a closed vehicle or equipment.
• Dealing with external customers.

Tools & Technology used by Real Estate Agents

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Most Important Skills for Real Estate Agents

• Persuading Others—Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
• 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.
• Reading—Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Speaking—Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Thinking Critically—Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Negotiating—Bringing others together and trying to reconcile differences.
• Being Aware of Others—Being aware of others’ reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
• Helping Others—Actively looking for ways to help people.
• Making Decisions—Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
• Coordinating with Others—Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Most Important Knowledge Areas for Real Estate Agents

• Customer and Personal Service—Knowledge 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 Marketing—Knowledge 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 Language—Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Clerical—Knowledge 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 Management—Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
• Computers and Electronics—Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
• Law and Government—Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
• Mathematics—Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Education and Training—Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Psychology—Knowledge 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.

Interests
Different careers may be a good fit for your personality or interests. This career is:

• Enterprising—Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
• Conventional—Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

Low indicates 25% of workers earn less and 75% earn more. Median indicates 50% of workers earn less and 50% earn more. High indicates 75% of workers earn less and 25% earn more.

Demand
There will be a need for about 4,800 new Real Estate Agents to meet market demand between 2018-2028. This includes the demand due to replacement (workers leaving the occupation or retiring) as well as growth.

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise

This career requires at least a high school degree and does require licenses from the MN Dept of Commerce for both sales and closing.

View the local post-secondary education options from our partners: Central Lakes College & MSTATE.

Helpful High School Courses
Examples of helpful classes that help you prepare for this career:

• Advertising
• Composition
• Consumer Law
• Desktop Publishing
• Economics
• Graphic Design
• International Marketing
• Management
• Multimedia
• Psychology
• Public Speaking
• Statistics

Source: Minnesota CAREERwise