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The differences between real estate agents and associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a real estate agent has an average salary of $91,788, which is higher than the $69,556 average annual salary of an associate.
The top three skills for a real estate agent include customer service, real estate license and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for an associate are customer service, sales floor, and patients.
| Real Estate Agent | Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $91,788 | $69,556 |
| Hourly rate | $44.13 | $33.44 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 41,399 | 569,041 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Average age | 49 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A real estate agent helps owners in the selling or renting of houses, land, offices, buildings, or any piece of property. They should be knowledgeable in the area they work in, which local properties are in the market, and the competitive prices for various properties. It is their responsibility to either market or sells in the best possible and reasonable price and conditions. Negotiating is a vital skill for real estate agents as they act as the middleman for buyers and sellers. Most agents bill the client with a percentage of the final sale price as the fee, but some would get a fixed commission for every sale.
Associates are typically entry-level positions for employees who are taking on their first job or organizational role. They are assigned to teams or departments that are related to their skills or educational background. They usually start with smaller tasks that may not seem as impactful but are still essential to the department. Associates are trained by more tenured team members on the ins and outs of the department and the organization. As they grow with the organization, they are given more responsibilities that directly impact the results of the department's initiatives as they work towards their goals.
Real estate agents and associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Real Estate Agent | Associate | |
| Average salary | $91,788 | $69,556 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $126,000 | Between $34,000 And $140,000 |
| Highest paying City | Long Beach, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | West Virginia | New York |
| Best paying company | Santa Clara Valley Water District | Simpson Thacher & Bartlett |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a real estate agent and an associate in terms of educational background:
| Real Estate Agent | Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between real estate agents' and associates' demographics:
| Real Estate Agent | Associate | |
| Average age | 49 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.4% Female, 56.6% | Male, 50.4% Female, 49.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 6.8% White, 70.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% | Black or African American, 10.5% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.3% Asian, 8.3% White, 57.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 7% |