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The differences between buyers' agents and purchasing assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a buyers' agent and a purchasing assistant. Additionally, a buyers' agent has an average salary of $59,175, which is higher than the $38,331 average annual salary of a purchasing assistant.
The top three skills for a buyers' agent include buying process, real estate license and purchase agreements. The most important skills for a purchasing assistant are purchase orders, purchase requisitions, and customer service.
| Buyers' Agent | Purchasing Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $59,175 | $38,331 |
| Hourly rate | $28.45 | $18.43 |
| Growth rate | 5% | -8% |
| Number of jobs | 33,999 | 8,415 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
A Buyers' Agent specializes in helping clients with their real estate needs. Their responsibilities begin at meeting the clients to identify their needs and preferences, discuss budgets and other relevant information, and understand the procedures' extent. From there, a Buyers' Agent conducts research and analysis to curate house listings that a client can choose from. They represent the client when liaising with the sellers' agent, conducting inspections and appraisals, and negotiating terms.
A purchasing assistant is responsible for obtaining raw materials and goods for a business or company. They primarily function to assist purchasing managers or supervisors by keeping records, maintaining inventory, reviewing purchase orders, and monitoring shipments and deliveries. Furthermore, a purchasing assistant may perform administrative support tasks ranging from arranging appointments and managing schedules, answering calls and inquiries, reaching out to vendors and suppliers, producing reports, and coordinating with various departments to ensure the smooth flow of products within the company.
Buyers' agents and purchasing assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Buyers' Agent | Purchasing Assistant | |
| Average salary | $59,175 | $38,331 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $86,000 | Between $31,000 And $47,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | - | Maryland |
| Best paying company | - | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a buyers' agent and a purchasing assistant in terms of educational background:
| Buyers' Agent | Purchasing Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between buyers' agents' and purchasing assistants' demographics:
| Buyers' Agent | Purchasing Assistant | |
| Average age | 48 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0% | Male, 22.8% Female, 77.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 65.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 7.8% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |