Chapter 7 – Real Estate Agent Career Statistics

The Colorado Real Estate School team is committed to setting you up for success in your new real estate career, and we hope this email series has provided you with valuable information as you get started. In our final chapter, we’d like to provide you with some statistics that will give you additional context into the industry.  

The information below comes from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). As the largest real estate trade association in the nation, they are an incredibly valuable resource for real estate agents at all stages of their career. The NAR works to help real estate professionals build their expertise, improve their understanding of market insights and gain a competitive advantage that helps position themselves as a top real estate professional in their market. 

Real Estate Agent Demographics

One of the reasons real estate is such an attractive career for many individuals is the low barrier for entry. With a little hard work and dedication to your craft, just about anyone can build a successful real estate business. You don’t need to be a certain age or have a specific educational background to enter the industry. Very few other fields provide such a wide range of people from such diverse backgrounds with the ability to earn an extremely lucrative income. 

So if you don’t match the demographic data below, don’t worry. This data reflects averages throughout the industry. The reality is if you build your business the right way, you will be able to achieve your desired level of success. 

Technology Use Among NAR Realtors  

• Most realtors utilize a variety of methods to communicate with clients: 
  • 93% regularly communicate through text messaging 
  • 90% regularly communicate via phone 
  • 89% regularly communicate through email 
• 70% of brokers/broker associates and 69% of sales agents have their own website: 
  • 81% of these professionals have their own listings on their website 
  • 69% have information about buying and selling a home 
  • 66% have a link to their brokerage’s website 
• Importance of social media marketing for NAR realtors: 
  • 20% get 1-5% of their business from social media 
  • 10% get 6-10% of their business from social media 
• Realtor use of drones with their listings: 
  • 36% hire a professional 
  • 14% have someone in their office that uses drones 
  • 6% personally use drones 
  • 21% don’t use drones 

Real Estate Licensees and Brokerages Nationwide

When you work in real estate, you’re a part of a large community of nationwide professionals: 

• There are over 3 million active real estate licensees in the United States 
• There are 106,548 real estate brokerage firms operating in the United States 

Additional Resources

The following resources will provide you with additional information as you expand your knowledge of the real estate industry: 

• Economists’ Outlook Blog – Provides insight into NAR Research’s reports and analyzes how various economic indicators impact the real estate market
• NAR State-by-State Economic Impact of Real Estate Activity – Provides a deep dive into real estate markets in each state and analyzes their contribution to the economy
• NAR Research and Statistics – Provides links to recent NAR surveys and reports that can expand your understanding of the market and position you as an expert with your clients
• The State of the Nation’s Housing – This annual review of housing markets in the US is published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and provides data on demographic trends and economic conditions