Guidance.help

Real Estate Brokers

In the Real Estate Brokers occupation, workers operate real estate office, or work for commercial real estate firm, overseeing real estate transactions. O*NET rates it as considerable preparation, which usually means a bachelor’s degree plus a period of work experience. It leans on negotiation, speaking, and reading comprehension. The job can ask you to obtain agreements from property owners to place properties for sale with real estate firms. Its interest code is ECS. Enterprising leads at 6.5 out of 7, so expect leading, persuading and making business decisions, with Conventional next at 5.8. Expect to sell, for a fee, real estate owned by others. People who want leading, persuading and making business decisions usually fit better here than those who need creative work with room for original expression.

What they do

Operate real estate office, or work for commercial real estate firm, overseeing real estate transactions. Other duties usually include selling real estate or renting properties and arranging loans.

Main tasks

  • Obtain agreements from property owners to place properties for sale with real estate firms.
  • Sell, for a fee, real estate owned by others.
  • Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
  • Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers over property prices and settlement details and during the closing of sales.
  • Generate lists of properties for sale, their locations, descriptions, and available financing options, using computers.
  • Maintain knowledge of real estate law, local economies, fair housing laws, types of available mortgages, financing options, and government programs.

Skills

  • Negotiation
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Active Listening
  • Active Learning
  • Persuasion

Who this career fits

May suit you if

  • You like taking the lead and making the call.
  • You like clear rules and getting the details right.
  • You are ready to spend around four years on a degree, then build experience.
  • You are comfortable relying on negotiation and speaking.

May not suit you if

  • You would rather not persuade, sell or manage other people.
  • You need creative expression to be a big part of your day. Artistic rates 1.0 out of 7 here.
  • You want to avoid a four-year degree or its equivalent.

Interest profile

O*NET rates each occupation from 1 to 7 on six interest types. The code ECS takes the three highest, and Enterprising comes first here.

Preparation

Considerable preparation. Most jobs here ask for a bachelor’s degree, and employers usually expect a few years of related experience as well.

Also called

  • Broker
  • Broker Associate
  • Commercial Leasing Broker
  • Commercial Real Estate Advisor
  • Commercial Real Estate Broker

Related careers

Is this your direction?

See how your interests line up with ECS and 906 other careers.

Take the career test

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.