Real Estate Agents

ANZSCO ID 612114

Overview

Snapshot

Employed
22,100
Future Growth
N/A
Weekly Earnings
N/A
Full-Time Share
86%
Female Share
35%
Average age
44

Summary

Real Estate Agents coordinate the activities of real estate representatives in selling and leasing real estate, and ensuring compliance with legislative requirements.

Tasks

  • Accepts and lists properties and businesses for sale and lease, conducts inspections, and advises buyers on the merits of properties and businesses and the terms of sale or lease.

  • Advises vendors of sales and marketing options such as sale by auction and open house inspections.

  • Catalogues and details land, buildings and businesses for sale or lease and arranges advertising.

  • Assesses buyers' needs and locates properties and businesses for their consideration.

  • Offers valuations and advice for buying and selling properties and businesses, and structures the terms of settlement.

  • Collects and holds rent monies from tenants, and remits to owner on agreed basis.

  • Monitors and addresses non-compliance with terms and conditions of tenancy and pursues rental arrears.

  • Develops and implements business plans, budgets, policies and procedures for the agency.

  • May arrange finance, land brokerage, conveyancing and maintenance of premises.

Characteristics

Job Type
Sales Workers
Skill Level
Medium skill
ANZSCO Occupation group
Unemployment Rate
n/a
Industries
Pathway(s)
  • Vocational Education and Training (VET)
  • Informal or on-the-job
Interests
  • Administrative
  • Enterprising
Physical Demand
  • Sedentary
  • Light

Outlook

Employment Outlook

JSA produces employment projections to show where likely future job opportunities may be. Employment projections data are only produced for occupations at the broad four digit Australian and New Zealand Standard Classification of Occupations (ANZSCO) level. While data are not available for this occupation, projections data are available for the parent occupation, Real Estate Sales Agents, under the outlook section.


Earnings and hours

Working arrangements

  • Around 86% of people employed as Real Estate Agents work full-time hours, in all their jobs combined. This is 20 percentage points above the all jobs average (66%).

    Full-time workers work an average of 48 hours per week in their main job. This is 4 hours more than the all jobs average (44 hours per week).

    Sources:Full-time share and full-time hours: ABS, 2016 Census, customised report. Compared to the all jobs average.


Industries

Main industries

1
Rental, Hiring and Real Estate Services
96.8%
2
Construction
0.7%
3
Wholesale Trade
0.5%
4
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
0.3%
5
Other industries
1.1%

Regions

Employment across Australia

NSW

35.2% All occupations: 31.6%

VIC

26.1% All occupations: 25.6%

QLD

23.8% All occupations: 20.0%

SA

4.3% All occupations: 7.0%

WA

7.7% All occupations: 10.8%

TAS

1.1% All occupations: 2.0%

NT

0.5% All occupations: 1.0%

ACT

1.3% All occupations: 1.9%

Employment by State and Territory (% Share)

State Real Estate Agents All Jobs Average
NSW 35.2 31.6
VIC 26.1 25.6
QLD 23.8 20.0
SA 4.3 7.0
WA 7.7 10.8
TAS 1.1 2.0
NT 0.5 1.0
ACT 1.3 1.9



Worker profile

Age and gender

Age In Years
44
All Jobs Average is 40
Female Share
35%
All Jobs Average is 48%
  • The median age of Real Estate Agents is 44 years. This is higher than the all jobs average of 40 years.

    A large share of workers are aged 45 to 54 years.

    Females make up 35% of the workforce. This is 13 percentage points below the all jobs average of 48%.

    Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile and gender share compared to the all jobs average.

Age Profile (% Share)

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.
Age Bracket Real Estate Agents All Jobs Average
15-19 0.8 5.0
20-24 6.2 9.3
25-34 22.8 22.9
35-44 22.5 22.0
45-54 23.6 21.6
55-59 9.4 9.0
60-64 7.1 6.0
65 and Over 7.6 4.2
Median Age 44 40

Source: Based on ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Age profile of workers in this job compared to the all jobs average.


Employment Pathways

Education, training and experience

Formal qualifications are not essential to work as a Real Estate Agent. Although some workers have a certificate III or IV in real estate practice or property services.

Visit

  • My Skills to compare Vocational Education and Training (VET) courses, providers and student outcomes.
  • AAPathways website to explore Retail Services VET training pathways.

Highest Level of Education (% Share)

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.
Type of Qualification Real Estate Agents All Jobs Average
Post Graduate/Graduate Diploma or Graduate Certificate 6.0 10.1
Bachelor degree 18.9 21.8
Advanced Diploma/Diploma 22.0 11.6
Certificate III/IV 25.7 21.1
Year 12 19.3 18.1
Year 11 2.6 4.8
Year 10 and below 5.3 12.5

Source: ABS Census 2016, Customised Report. Highest qualification completed by workers in this job (in any field of study). Qualifications needed by new workers might be different from the qualifications of workers already in the job.


Skills and Knowledge

Employers look for Real Estate Sales Agents who have strong interpersonal skills, communicate well, provide good customer service and are well presented.

Skills

Skills can be improved through training or experience.

  • 59%

    Reading comprehension

    Reading work related information.

  • 57%

    Active listening

    Listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions.

  • 57%

    Speaking

    Talking to others.

  • 57%

    Judgment and decision making

    Figuring out the pros and cons of different options and choosing the best one.

  • 57%

    Negotiation

    Bringing people together and trying to sort out their differences.

  • 57%

    Persuasion

    Talking people into changing their minds or their behaviour.

  • 55%

    Critical thinking

    Thinking about the pros and cons of different ways to solve a problem.

  • 54%

    Active learning

    Being able to use what you have learnt to solve problems now and again in the future.

  • 50%

    Writing

    Writing things for co-workers or customers.

  • 48%

    Monitoring

    Keeping track of how well work is progressing so you can make changes or improvements.

  • 46%

    Serving others

    Looking for ways to help people.

  • 45%

    Social perceptiveness

    Understanding why people react the way they do.

  • 43%

    Mathematics

    Using maths to solve problems.

  • 43%

    Time management

    Managing your own and other peoples' time to get work done.

  • 41%

    Complex problem solving

    Noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it.

  • 41%

    Coordination with others

    Being adaptable and coordinating work with other people.

  • 39%

    Management of personnel resources

    Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, and choosing the best people for the job.

  • 32%

    Instructing

    Teaching people how to do something.

  • 32%

    Quality control analysis

    Doing tests and checking products, services, or processes to make sure they are working properly.

  • 29%

    Learning strategies

    Figuring out the best way to teach or learn something new.


Knowledge

These are important topics, subjects or knowledge areas.

  • 76%

    Customer and personal service

    Understanding customer needs, providing good quality service, and measuring customer satisfaction.

  • 70%

    Sales and marketing

    Showing, promoting, and selling including marketing strategy, product demonstration, sales techniques, and sales control systems.

  • 65%

    Clerical

    Word processing, managing files and records, stenography and transcription, designing forms, and other office work.

  • 61%

    Administration and management

    Business principles involved in strategic planning, leadership, and coordinating people and resources.

  • 61%

    English language

    English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.

  • 61%

    Education and training

    Curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

  • 60%

    Law and government

    How our laws and courts work. Government rules and regulations, and the political system.

  • 59%

    Computers and electronics

    Circuit boards, processors, chips, electronic equipment, and computer hardware and software, including applications and programming.

  • 51%

    Economics and accounting

    Economics and accounting, the financial markets, banking and checking and reporting of financial data.

  • 50%

    Psychology

    Human behaviour; differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; research methods; assessing and treating disorders.

  • 49%

    Geography

    Describing land, sea, and air, including their physical characteristics, locations, how they work together, and the location of plant, animal, and human life.

  • 48%

    Mathematics

    Arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, or statistics.

  • 45%

    Building and construction

    Materials, and methods used to construct or repair houses, buildings, or other structures like highways and roads.

  • 43%

    Communications and media

    Media production, communication, and dissemination. Includes written, spoken, and visual media.

  • 42%

    Personnel and human resources

    Recruiting and training people, managing pay and other entitlements (like sick leave), and negotiating pay and conditions.

  • 38%

    Sociology and anthropology

    Group behaviour and dynamics, societal trends and influences, human migrations, ethnicity, cultures and their history and origins.

  • 36%

    Public safety and security

    Use of equipment, rules and ideas to protect people, data, property, and institutions.

  • 26%

    Telecommunications

    Transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.

  • 26%

    Foreign language

    Foreign (non-English) language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition and grammar, and pronunciation.

  • 24%

    Transportation

    Moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road.


Abilities

Workers use these physical and mental abilities..

  • 59%

    Near vision

    See details that are up-close (within a few feet).

  • 57%

    Oral comprehension

    Listen to and understand what people say.

  • 57%

    Oral expression

    Communicate by speaking.

  • 57%

    Written comprehension

    Read and understand written information.

  • 57%

    Deductive reasoning

    Use general rules to find answers or solve problems logically.

  • 54%

    Speech recognition

    Identify and understand the speech of another person.

  • 52%

    Written expression

    Write in a way that people can understand.

  • 50%

    Problem spotting

    Notice when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong, even if you can't solve the problem.

  • 46%

    Speech clarity

    Speak clearly so others can understand you.

  • 45%

    Inductive reasoning

    Use lots of detailed information to come up with answers or make general rules.

  • 43%

    Sorting or ordering

    Order or arrange things in a pattern or sequence (e.g., numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).

  • 39%

    Mathematics

    Choose the right maths method or formula to solve a problem.

  • 37%

    Brainstorming

    Come up with a number of ideas about a topic, even if the ideas aren't very good.

  • 37%

    Originality

    Come up with unusual or clever ideas, or creative ways to solve a problem.

  • 36%

    Categorising

    Come up with different ways of grouping things.

  • 34%

    Far vision

    See details that are far away.

  • 30%

    Flexibility of closure

    See a pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) hidden in other distracting material.

  • 30%

    Multitasking

    Do two or more things at the same time.

  • 29%

    Selective attention

    Pay attention to something without being distracted.

  • 29%

    Perceptual speed

    Use your eyes to quickly compare groups of letters, numbers, pictures, or other things.


Activities

These are kinds of activities workers regularly do in this job.

  • 72%

    Building good relationships

    Building good working relationships and keeping them over time.

  • 69%

    Keeping your knowledge up-to-date

    Keeping up-to-date with technology and new ideas.

  • 65%

    Negotiating and resolving conflicts

    Handling complaints and disagreements, and negotiating with people.

  • 65%

    Planning and prioritising work

    Deciding on goals and putting together a detailed plan to get the work done.

  • 63%

    Researching and investigating

    Looking for, getting and understanding different kinds of information.

  • 61%

    Influencing people

    Convincing people to buy something or to change their minds or actions.

  • 60%

    Making sense of information and ideas

    Looking at, working with, and understanding data or information.

  • 58%

    Communicating with the public

    Giving information to the public, business or government by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 57%

    Communicating within a team

    Giving information to co-workers by telephone, in writing, or in person.

  • 56%

    Making decisions and solving problems

    Using information to work out the best solution and solve problems.

  • 56%

    Providing office support

    Doing day-to-day office work such as filing and processing paperwork.

  • 55%

    Thinking creatively

    Using your own ideas for developing, designing, or creating something new.

  • 52%

    Collecting and organising information

    Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or checking information or data.

  • 51%

    Documenting or recording information

    Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.

  • 49%

    Assessing and evaluating things

    Working out the value, importance, or quality of things, services or people.

  • 46%

    Working with computers

    Using computers to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.

  • 46%

    Giving expert advice

    Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups.

  • 45%

    Checking compliance with standards

    Deciding whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.

  • 43%

    Looking for changes over time

    Comparing objects, actions, or events. Looking for differences between them or changes over time.

  • 41%

    Coming up with systems and processes

    Deciding on goals and figuring out what you need to do to achieve them.


Interests and demands

Learn about the daily activities, and physical and social demands faced by workers. Explore the values and work styles that workers rate as most important.

Interests

Interests are the style or type of work we prefer to do. All interest areas are shown below.

  • 100%

    Enterprising

    Starting up and carrying out projects. Leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes require risk taking and often deal with business.

  • 81%

    Administrative

    Following set procedures and routines. Working with numbers and details more than with ideas, usually following rules.

  • 48%

    Helping

    Working with people. Helping or providing service to others.

  • 48%

    Practical

    Practical, hands-on work. Often with plants and animals, or materials like wood, tools, and machinery.

  • 19%

    Creative

    Working with forms, designs and patterns. Often need self-expression and can be done without following rules.

  • 14%

    Analytical

    Ideas and thinking. Searching for facts and figuring out problems in your head.


Values

Work values are important to a person’s feeling of satisfaction. All six values are shown below.
  • 71%

    Independence

    Work alone and make decisions. Workers are able to try out their own ideas, make decisions on their own, and work with little or no supervision.

  • 67%

    Achievement

    Results oriented. Workers are able to use their strongest abilities, giving them a feeling of accomplishment.

  • 67%

    Relationships

    Serve and work with others. Workers usually get along well with each other, do things to help other people, and are rarely pressured to do things that go against their sense of right and wrong.

  • 62%

    Recognition

    Advancement and the potential to lead. Workers are recognised for the work that they do, they may give directions and instructions to others, and they are looked up to in their company and their community.

  • 62%

    Working conditions

    Job security and good working conditions. There is usually a steady flow of interesting work, and the pay and conditions are generally good.

  • 48%

    Support

    Supportive management that stands behind employees. Workers are treated fairly by their company, they are supported by management, and have supervisors who train them well.


Demands

The physical and social demands that workers face most often are shown below:
  • 100%

    Electronic mail

    Use electronic mail.

  • 100%

    Telephone

    Talk on the telephone.

  • 98%

    Freedom to make decisions

    Have freedom to make decision on your own.

  • 97%

    Unstructured work

    Have freedom to decide on tasks, priorities, and goals.

  • 96%

    Face-to-face discussions

    Talk with people face-to-face.

  • 95%

    Indoors, heat controlled

    Work indoors with access to heating or cooling.

  • 94%

    Contact with people

    Have contact with people by telephone, face-to-face, or any other way.

  • 93%

    In an enclosed vehicle or equipment

    Work in a closed vehicle (e.g., car).

  • 92%

    Competition

    Compete with others, or be aware of competitive pressures.

  • 92%

    Frequent decision making

    Frequently make decisions that impact other people.

  • 89%

    Contact with the public

    Work with customers or the public.

  • 88%

    Impact of decisions

    Make decisions that have a large impact on other people.

  • 85%

    Teamwork

    Work with people in a group or team.

  • 83%

    Letters and memos

    Write letters and memos.

  • 81%

    Being exact or accurate

    Be very exact or highly accurate.

  • 78%

    Time pressure

    Work to strict deadlines.

  • 78%

    Lead or coordinate a team

    Lead others to do work activities.

  • 77%

    Outdoors, exposed to weather

    Work outdoors, exposed to the weather.

  • 73%

    Spend time sitting

    Spend time sitting at work.

  • 64%

    Angry or unpleasant people

    Deal with unpleasant, angry, or rude people.

Occupational Information Network
O*NET is a trademark of the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration.
The skills and importance ratings on this page are derived from the US Department of Labor O*NET Database Version 21.2, 41-9021.00 - Real Estate Brokers.


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