Post job

Real estate agent vs attorney

The differences between real estate agents and attorneys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, an attorney has an average salary of $109,476, which is higher than the $91,788 average annual salary of a real estate agent.

The top three skills for a real estate agent include customer service, real estate license and excellent interpersonal. The most important skills for an attorney are litigation, legal research, and law firm.

Real estate agent vs attorney overview

Real Estate AgentAttorney
Yearly salary$91,788$109,476
Hourly rate$44.13$52.63
Growth rate5%10%
Number of jobs41,39910,991
Job satisfaction45
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Doctoral Degree, 48%
Average age4946
Years of experience-4

What does a real estate agent do?

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.

What does an attorney do?

Generally, an attorney's responsibility is to advise the client with an ongoing lawsuit on the legal procedures and provide strategies to resolve the case as early as possible. An attorney compiles necessary documents or any records for appeal and client's defense. Attorneys must acquire strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to mediate disputes and settle pending litigation for the client's best interest. In some cases, an attorney's procedure depends on any evidence and research presented during the trial period. An attorney is expected to present clients on legal proceedings, seeking justice and justifying the law.

Real estate agent vs attorney salary

Real estate agents and attorneys have different pay scales, as shown below.

Real Estate AgentAttorney
Average salary$91,788$109,476
Salary rangeBetween $66,000 And $126,000Between $69,000 And $172,000
Highest paying CityLong Beach, NYWhite Plains, NY
Highest paying stateWest VirginiaNew York
Best paying companySanta Clara Valley Water DistrictThompson Coburn
Best paying industryFinance-

Differences between real estate agent and attorney education

There are a few differences between a real estate agent and an attorney in terms of educational background:

Real Estate AgentAttorney
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 59%Doctoral Degree, 48%
Most common majorBusinessLaw
Most common college-Stanford University

Real estate agent vs attorney demographics

Here are the differences between real estate agents' and attorneys' demographics:

Real Estate AgentAttorney
Average age4946
Gender ratioMale, 43.4% Female, 56.6%Male, 49.9% Female, 50.1%
Race ratioBlack 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, 5.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 6.4% White, 75.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage13%10%

Differences between real estate agent and attorney duties and responsibilities

Real estate agent example responsibilities.

  • Manage all accounting, cash management, budgeting and financing for individual LLC's and for corporate entity.
  • Manage extremely complex REO and short sale transactions, coordinating sellers, buyers, and lenders in order to complete them.
  • Create ad campaigns via Google ad-words and Facebook.
  • Determine whether title transfers are assessable for taxation.
  • Learn all phases of real estate ethics, practice and procedures.
  • Review and analyze corporate leases, securities offerings, and secure transactions.
  • Show more

Attorney example responsibilities.

  • Manage the death administration department with approximately thirty-five plus estates through trust administration, Medicaid estate recovery or probate.
  • Respond to subpoenas and pleadings in litigation and in regulatory inquiries and investigations involving corporate clients.
  • Represent employers before federal administrative agencies, including inspections, administrative litigation, court-enforcement actions and appeals.
  • Litigate personal injury, and general liability matters, worker's compensation, estate planning and litigation, environmental liability litigation.
  • Create and give a presentation regarding non- attorney ethics to division staff.
  • Comply with all agency policies and procedures, including those pertaining to ethics and integrity
  • Show more

Real estate agent vs attorney skills

Common real estate agent skills
  • Customer Service, 15%
  • Real Estate License, 11%
  • Excellent Interpersonal, 10%
  • Real Estate Market, 10%
  • Open Houses, 7%
  • Develop Marketing Materials, 6%
Common attorney skills
  • Litigation, 19%
  • Legal Research, 9%
  • Law Firm, 8%
  • Legal Issues, 6%
  • Legal Advice, 5%
  • Juris, 4%