Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between occupancy specialists and housing specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become an occupancy specialist, becoming a housing specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, an occupancy specialist has an average salary of $44,632, which is higher than the $40,842 average annual salary of a housing specialist.
The top three skills for an occupancy specialist include tax credit, affordable housing and yardi. The most important skills for a housing specialist are landlords, social work, and mental health.
| Occupancy Specialist | Housing Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $44,632 | $40,842 |
| Hourly rate | $21.46 | $19.64 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 31,847 | 56,215 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
An Occupancy Specialist assists the applicants and the residents of housing programs intending to achieve maximum occupancy. Their responsibilities include: collecting required information for the organization such as income, assessing the eligibility of occupants, maintaining occupants and potential occupant records, plan, direct, buying and, selling of the different properties such as commercial, industrial, and real estate and interaction and dealing with home-related persons such as homeowner associations.
A housing specialist is responsible for determining the eligibility of individuals on housing opportunities, coordinating with non-profit organizations to request financial assistance, and negotiating terms for housing purposes. Housing specialists analyze the property market conditions, including social services offers and its qualification requirements, to inform the clients of housing support programs and other alternatives. They also prepare cost analysis reports to identify financial needs and check the availability of resources with minimal restrictions. A housing specialist must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling clients' account statements and assisting them for approval.
Occupancy specialists and housing specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Occupancy Specialist | Housing Specialist | |
| Average salary | $44,632 | $40,842 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $70,000 | Between $29,000 And $57,000 |
| Highest paying City | Auburn, WA | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | FM Global | GeoLogics |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Government |
There are a few differences between an occupancy specialist and a housing specialist in terms of educational background:
| Occupancy Specialist | Housing Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 46% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between occupancy specialists' and housing specialists' demographics:
| Occupancy Specialist | Housing Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 18.3% Female, 81.7% | Male, 27.0% Female, 73.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.9% White, 59.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.5% Asian, 7.0% White, 55.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 11% |