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Real Estate Sales Agents

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.
  • Summary

  • Details

  • Work Activities

    • Investigate clients' financial and credit status to determine eligibility for financing.
    • Accompany buyers during visits to and inspections of property, advising them on the suitability and value of the homes they are visiting.
    • Rent or lease properties on behalf of clients.
    • Arrange meetings between buyers and sellers when details of transactions need to be negotiated.
    • Coordinate appointments to show homes to prospective buyers.
    • Review property listings, trade journals, and relevant literature, and attend conventions, seminars, and staff and association meetings, to remain knowledgeable about real estate markets.
    • Solicit and compile listings of available rental properties.
    • Conduct seminars and training sessions for sales agents to improve sales techniques.
    • 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.
    • Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
    • Promote sales of properties through advertisements, open houses, and participation in multiple listing services.
    • Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
    • Answer clients' questions regarding construction work, financing, maintenance, repairs, and appraisals.
    • Contact previous clients for prospecting of referral business.
    • Contact utility companies for service hookups to clients' property.
    • Advise sellers on how to make homes more appealing to potential buyers.
    • Locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites, based on evaluations of area market conditions.
    • Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.
    • Display commercial, industrial, agricultural, and residential properties to clients and explain their features.
    • Locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites, based on evaluations of area market conditions.
    • Secure construction or purchase financing with own firm or mortgage company.
    • Evaluate mortgage options to help clients obtain financing at the best prevailing rates and terms.
    • Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.
    • Interview clients to determine what kinds of properties they are seeking.
    • Review plans for new construction with clients, enumerating and recommending available options and features.
    • Arrange for title searches to determine whether clients have clear property titles.
    • Appraise properties to determine loan values.
    • Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.
    • Inspect condition of premises, and arrange for necessary maintenance or notify owners of maintenance needs.
    • Contact previous clients for prospecting of referral business.
    • Visit properties to assess them before showing them to clients.
    • Display commercial, industrial, agricultural, and residential properties to clients and explain their features.
    • 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.
    • Contact property owners and advertise services to solicit property sales listings.
    • Review plans for new construction with clients, enumerating and recommending available options and features.
    • Develop networks of attorneys, mortgage lenders, and contractors to whom clients may be referred.

    Skills

    • Active Learning
      • Figuring out how to use new ideas or things.
    • Mathematics
      • Using math to solve problems.
    • Operations Analysis
      • Figuring out what a product or service needs to be able to do.
    • Critical Thinking
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.
    • Complex Problem Solving
      • Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.
    • Programming
      • Writing computer programs.
    • Coordination
      • Changing what is done based on other people's actions.
    • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one.
    • Equipment Selection
      • Deciding what kind of tools and equipment are needed to do a job.
    • Equipment Maintenance
      • Planning and doing the basic maintenance on equipment.
    • Negotiation
      • Bringing people together to solve differences.
    • Speaking
      • Talking to others.
    • Repairing
      • Repairing machines or systems using the right tools.
    • Writing
      • Writing things for co-workers or customers.
    • Learning Strategies
      • Using the best training or teaching strategies for learning new things.
    • Technology Design
      • Making equipment and technology useful for customers.
    • Active Listening
      • Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.
    • Persuasion
      • Talking people into changing their minds or their behavior.
    • Systems Analysis
      • Figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it.
    • Systems Evaluation
      • Measuring how well a system is working and how to improve it.
    • Monitoring
      • Keeping track of how well people and/or groups are doing in order to make improvements.
    • Reading Comprehension
      • Reading work-related information.
    • Troubleshooting
      • Figuring out what is causing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs to not work.
    • Time Management
      • Managing your time and the time of other people.
    • Service Orientation
      • Looking for ways to help people.
    • Installation
      • Installing equipment, machines, wiring, or computer programs.
    • Instructing
      • Teaching people how to do something.
    • Operations Monitoring
      • Watching gauges, dials, or display screens to make sure a machine is working.
    • Science
      • Using scientific rules and strategies to solve problems.
    • Quality Control Analysis
      • Testing how well a product or service works.
    • Management of Personnel Resources
      • Selecting and managing the best workers for a job.
    • Management of Financial Resources
      • Making spending decisions and keeping track of what is spent.
    • Social Perceptiveness
      • Understanding people's reactions.
    • Operation and Control
      • Using equipment or systems.
    • Management of Material Resources
      • Managing equipment and materials.

    Abilities

    • Reaction Time
      • Quickly moving your hand, finger, or foot based on a sound, light, picture or other command.
    • Glare Sensitivity
      • Seeing something even if there is a glare or very bright light.
    • Night Vision
      • Seeing at night or under low light.
    • Hearing Sensitivity
      • Telling the difference between sounds.
    • Dynamic Flexibility
      • Quickly and repeatedly bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching out with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Stamina
      • Exercising for a long time without getting out of breath.
    • Depth Perception
      • Deciding which thing is closer or farther away from you, or deciding how far away it is from you.
    • Dynamic Strength
      • Exercising for a long time without your muscles getting tired.
    • Trunk Strength
      • Using your lower back and stomach.
    • Information Ordering
      • Ordering or arranging things.
    • Time Sharing
      • Doing two or more things at the same time.
    • Visualization
      • Imagining how something will look after it is moved around or changed.
    • Flexibility of Closure
      • Seeing hidden patterns.
    • Speech Recognition
      • Recognizing spoken words.
    • Manual Dexterity
      • Holding or moving items with your hands.
    • Far Vision
      • Seeing details that are far away.
    • Perceptual Speed
      • Quickly comparing groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.
    • Rate Control
      • Changing when and how fast you move based on how something else is moving.
    • Response Orientation
      • Quickly deciding if you should move your hand, foot, or other body part.
    • Gross Body Coordination
      • Moving your arms, legs, and mid-section together while your whole body is moving.
    • Gross Body Equilibrium
      • Keeping your balance or staying upright.
    • Spatial Orientation
      • Knowing where things are around you.
    • Written Comprehension
      • Reading and understanding what is written.
    • Originality
      • Creating new and original ideas.
    • Static Strength
      • Lifting, pushing, pulling, or carrying.
    • Explosive Strength
      • Jumping, sprinting, or throwing something.
    • Visual Color Discrimination
      • Noticing the difference between colors, including shades and brightness.
    • Speed of Limb Movement
      • Quickly moving your arms and legs.
    • Peripheral Vision
      • Seeing something to your side when your are looking ahead.
    • Oral Expression
      • Communicating by speaking.
    • Control Precision
      • Quickly changing the controls of a machine, car, truck or boat.
    • Multilimb Coordination
      • Using your arms and/or legs together while sitting, standing, or lying down.
    • Memorization
      • Remembering words, numbers, pictures, or steps.
    • Fluency of Ideas
      • Coming up with lots of ideas.
    • Wrist-Finger Speed
      • Making fast, simple, repeated movements of your fingers, hands, and wrists.
    • Near Vision
      • Seeing details up close.
    • Selective Attention
      • Paying attention to something without being distracted.
    • Category Flexibility
      • Grouping things in different ways.
    • Mathematical Reasoning
      • Choosing the right type of math to solve a problem.
    • Deductive Reasoning
      • Using rules to solve problems.
    • Speech Clarity
      • Speaking clearly.
    • Arm-Hand Steadiness
      • Keeping your arm or hand steady.
    • Number Facility
      • Adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing.
    • Sound Localization
      • Noticing the direction that a sound came from.
    • Oral Comprehension
      • Listening and understanding what people say.
    • Inductive Reasoning
      • Making general rules or coming up with answers from lots of detailed information.
    • Finger Dexterity
      • Putting together small parts with your fingers.
    • Problem Sensitivity
      • Noticing when problems happen.
    • Extent Flexibility
      • Bending, stretching, twisting, or reaching with your body, arms, and/or legs.
    • Auditory Attention
      • Paying attention to one sound while there are other distracting sounds.
    • Written Expression
      • Communicating by writing.
    • Speed of Closure
      • Quickly knowing what you are looking at.

    Knowledge

    • 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.
    • Medicine and Dentistry
      • Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
    • Design
      • Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
    • Mathematics
      • Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
    • 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.
    • Public Safety and Security
      • Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
    • Foreign Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of a foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.
    • Building and Construction
      • Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
    • Production and Processing
      • Knowledge of raw materials, production processes, quality control, costs, and other techniques for maximizing the effective manufacture and distribution of goods.
    • 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.
    • Sociology and Anthropology
      • Knowledge of group behavior and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures, and their history and origins.
    • Fine Arts
      • Knowledge of the theory and techniques required to compose, produce, and perform works of music, dance, visual arts, drama, and sculpture.
    • Geography
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
    • Engineering and Technology
      • Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
    • 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.
    • Communications and Media
      • Knowledge of media production, communication, and dissemination techniques and methods. This includes alternative ways to inform and entertain via written, oral, and visual media.
    • History and Archeology
      • Knowledge of historical events and their causes, indicators, and effects on civilizations and cultures.
    • Mechanical
      • Knowledge of machines and tools, including their designs, uses, repair, and maintenance.
    • Administrative
      • Knowledge of administrative and office procedures and systems such as word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and workplace terminology.
    • 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.
    • Telecommunications
      • Knowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
    • Economics and Accounting
      • Knowledge of economic and accounting principles and practices, the financial markets, banking, and the analysis and reporting of financial data.
    • English Language
      • Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
    • Transportation
      • Knowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
    • Personnel and Human Resources
      • Knowledge of principles and procedures for personnel recruitment, selection, training, compensation and benefits, labor relations and negotiation, and personnel information systems.
    • Chemistry
      • Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
    • Food Production
      • Knowledge of techniques and equipment for planting, growing, and harvesting food products (both plant and animal) for consumption, including storage/handling techniques.
    • Law and Government
      • Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
    • Therapy and Counseling
      • Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
    • Biology
      • Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
    • Philosophy and Theology
      • Knowledge of different philosophical systems and religions. This includes their basic principles, values, ethics, ways of thinking, customs, practices, and their impact on human culture.
    • Computers and Electronics
      • Knowledge of circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.
    • Physics
      • Knowledge and prediction of physical principles, laws, their interrelationships, and applications to understanding fluid, material, and atmospheric dynamics, and mechanical, electrical, atomic and sub-atomic structures and processes.

    Education

    Education
    High school diploma or equivalent
    Work Experience
    No work experience
    Training
    1 to 12 months on-the-job training

    Pay

    Washington Annual Salary
    76980/yr
    Washington Hourly Wage
    37.01/hr

    Washington Employment Trends

    Currently Employed
    24,800
    Yearly Projected Openings
    2430

    Personality

    Enterprising: People interested in this work like activities that include leading, making decisions, and business. They do well at jobs that need:
    • Integrity
    • Dependability
    • Stress Tolerance
    • Initiative
    • Achievement/Effort
    • Attention to Detail

    Tools

    • Desktop computers
    • Digital cameras
    • Global positioning system GPS receiver
    • Laser printers
    • Measuring wheels for distance
    • Notebook computers
    • Personal computers
    • Personal digital assistant PDAs or organizers

    Technology

    • Accounting software
    • Analytical or scientific software
    • Calendar and scheduling software
    • Cloud-based data access and sharing software
    • Customer relationship management CRM software
    • Data base reporting software
    • Data base user interface and query software
    • Data mining software
    • Desktop publishing software
    • Document management software
    • Electronic mail software
    • Expert system software
    • Financial analysis software
    • Geographic information system
    • Graphics or photo imaging software
    • Internet browser software
    • Map creation software
    • Office suite software
    • Presentation software
    • Project management software
    • Route navigation software
    • Sales and marketing software
    • Spreadsheet software
    • Video conferencing software
    • Video creation and editing software
    • Voice recognition software
    • Web page creation and editing software
    • Word processing software