What Does a Real Estate Paralegal Do?

A Real Estate Paralegal helps real estate lawyers with a variety of tasks, such as offering advice to clients, doing research, and preparing documents. They collaborate with landlords, housing managers, or other real estate personnel.

Take a few minutes to create or upgrade your resume. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Real Estate Paralegal resume.

Real Estate Paralegal Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real real estate paralegal resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

Manage BPO and MMR reports on properties.
Manage a social marketing image for the agency (Facebook).
Manage national referrals for quiet title actions, injunctions, wrongful foreclosures, and appeals.
Achieve sole responsibility for administration of all estates and guardianships.
Communicate directly with lenders in various states, completing affidavits and ensuring that they are properly record and organize.
Prepare forms for the MLS submission.
Work to create listings in MLS.
Coordinate appropriate UCC and real property searches, and appraisals.
Research receivership estate's liabilities including UCC and county-level liens.
Participate in annual HMDA-LAR submission to HUD and to the OCC.
Prepare and review conveyance documents, title insurance coverage and insurance pertaining to each real estate transaction.
Search funding options for commercial real estate clients involve with purchase, refinance, SBA loans and construction financing.
Provide assistance in the preparation for and closing of various transactions, including conveyance, acquisitions, leases and loans.
Put together PowerPoint presentations used for business development.
Create PowerPoint presentations for executive board weekly meetings.

Real Estate Paralegal Job Description

Between the years 2018 and 2028, real estate paralegal jobs are expected to undergo a growth rate described as "much faster than average" at 12%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. So if the thought "should I become a real estate paralegal?" Has crossed your mind, maybe you should take the growth rate into account. In addition, the number of real estate paralegal opportunities that are projected to become available by 2028 is 39,000.

On average, the real estate paralegal annual salary is $68,387 per year, which translates to $32.88 an hour. Generally speaking, real estate paralegals earn anywhere from $49,000 to $94,000 a year, which means that the top-earning real estate paralegals make $59,000 more than the ones at the lower end of the spectrum.

Once you've become a real estate paralegal, you may be curious about what other opportunities are out there. Careers aren't one size fits all. For that reason, we discovered some other jobs that you may find appealing. Some jobs you might find interesting include a legal office assistant, legal administrator, legal assistant, and legal clerk.

Learn More About Real Estate Paralegal Job Descriptions

Find Better Talent in Less Time

Post a Job on Zippia and take the best from over 7 million monthly job seekers.

Real Estate Paralegal Jobs You Might Like

12 Real Estate Paralegal Resume Examples

Build a professional real estate paralegal resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 12+ resume templates to create your real estate paralegal resume.


Andrea Hill Real Estate Paralegal Contact Information Clearwater, FL (280) 555-5376 ahill@example.com Skills Title Companies Real Estate Legal Proceedings EB-1 Medical Records Trial Preparation Settlement Statements Internet Scheduling Meetings Document Management Employment History Real Estate Paralegal 2020 - Present Allstate Clearwater, FL Conducted legal research and drafted pleadings, discovery, discovery responses, and memorandums. Reviewed responses to discovery requests; prepared meet and confer letters; prepared motions to compel discovery responses and/or further responses. Worked with attorneys in residential real estate and prepared and reviewed documents for closings. Litigation Legal Assistant 2010 - 2020 Anton Becky Ferrell Clearwater, FL Worked on various due diligence projects as required by attorneys and other departments within law firm. Summarized plaintiff and defendant complaints, depositions and trial transcripts. Prepared PowerPoint drawings for submission with applications. Assisted attorneys in all levels of discovery, production preparation, trial preparation and court filings. Immigration Paralegal 2009 - 2010 Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice Raleigh, NC Initiate investigative work to support staff attorneys during pre-trial preparation, in which they may be obligated to testify in court. Drafted legal documents and correspondence inclusive to motions, answers to summons and complaints and expert witness disclosures under attorney supervision. Reviewed and managed fee and expense reporting for the firm's Management Committee in prominent, high-profile securities litigation matter. Education Bachelor's Degree Legal Support Services 2001 - 2004 National Paralegal College Phoenix, AZ


Robert Elliott Real Estate Paralegal Contact Info Springfield, IL (870) 555-3428 relliott@example.com Skills UCCForeign AffairsCommunity OrganizationsCriminal CasesReal EstateCorporate Minute BooksLendersPre-Trial MotionsSpecial Interest GroupsConstituent Correspondence Employment History Real Estate Paralegal 2020 - Present DRAKE Springfield, IL Drafted and filed legal documents such as pleadings, wills and petitions. Handled all Real Estate closings including, pre- and post-closing and resolving title issues. Organized and maintained corporate secretarial database and minute books, stock certificates. Ordered and review title and survey for partners, senior counsel and associates. Law Clerk 2018 - 2020 DRAKE Springfield, IL Filed legal documents at courts. Employed financial modeling in Microsoft Excel to support ACO physician reimbursement rate negoations & contracting. Legislative Assistant 2014 - 2018 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON Springfield, IL Responded to constituent correspondences via phone, email and walk-in. Assist the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus through the facilitation of their agenda and programs as caucus liaison. Researched and analyzed complex legislation on behalf of constituent inquiries. Education Bachelor's Degree Legal Support Services 2011 - 2014 South University Savannah, GA


Jeffrey Carter Real Estate Paralegal Chantilly, VA (360) 555-2392 jcarter@example.com Experience Real Estate Paralegal2011 - Present CACI International•Chantilly, VA Worked independently and as a team player with attorneys and other litigation support staff. Performed document reviews and classifications, and screened documents for relevance and privilege according to established guidelines and criteria. Prepare draft legal documents, such as motions, memoranda of law and correspondence for attorneys. Provided litigation support to U.S. Dept. Real Estate Assistant2004 - 2011 Prudential Realty•Pittsburgh, PA Created marketing materials in print and online for MLS listings of client homes. Set up for open houses, made fliers, made signs, and assisted with transactions and offers. Scheduled and hosted open houses for agent tours and the public. Run my own business selling and listing real estate. Enter new contact names, addresses, and emails from information requests and other sources in our database. Leasing Agent2003 - 2004 Kmg Prestige•East Grand Rapids, MI Prepared daily and weekly reports, resident communications, move-out inventory and market surveys. Manage Real Estate Budget: $30 mm. Lease out apartments, Run credit checks and Maintain Accounts through Property ware. Managed numerous commercial portfolio properties, maintaining high occupancy rates. Skills Budget PreparationMLSPacerOpen HousesCorporate TransactionsSettlement StatementsTitle CompaniesBuyersReal EstateCounsel Education Bachelor's Degree Legal Support Services2000 - 2003 Davenport University•East Grand Rapids, MI

Create My Resume

Build a professional resume in minutes using this template.

Real Estate Paralegal Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 14% of Real Estate Paralegals are proficient in Law Firm, Litigation, and Due Diligence. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Computer skills, and Research skills.

We break down the percentage of Real Estate Paralegals that have these skills listed on their resume here:

Law Firm, 14%
Scheduled/attended commercial and residential real estate closings at various title companies/law firms.
Litigation, 9%
Manage litigation proceedings on assigned cases by interacting with assigned default counsel and Attorney Relationship Managers.
Due Diligence, 9%
Review due diligence and complete commercial transactions for national and local developers specializing in land acquisition, zoning and entitlement.
Probate, 4%
Attended initial attorney-client conference regarding estate matters to prepare and file petition for probate.
Estoppel, 4%
Analyzed and reviewed of new and existing commercial lease agreements, estoppel certificates, subordination and non-disturbance agreements and lease amendments.
Affidavits, 4%
Communicated directly with lenders in various states, completing affidavits and ensuring that they were properly recorded and organized.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Real Estate Paralegal Resume templates

Build a professional Real Estate Paralegal resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Real Estate Paralegal resume.

Most real estate paralegals list "law firm," "litigation," and "due diligence" as skills on their resumes. We go into more details on the most important real estate paralegal responsibilities here:

Communication skills can be considered to be the most important personality trait for a real estate paralegal to have. According to a real estate paralegal resume, "paralegals must be able to document and present their research and related information to their supervising attorney." Real estate paralegals are able to use communication skills in the following example we gathered from a resume: "prepared attorney review letters using effective communication skills to maintain rapport with clients, attorneys, lenders and real estate agents. "

Another trait important for fulfilling real estate paralegal duties is computer skills. According to a real estate paralegal resume, "paralegals need to be familiar with using computers for legal research and litigation support." Here's an example of how real estate paralegals are able to utilize computer skills: "entered all new property information into the computer system and verified accuracy as the legal descriptions. "

Real estate paralegals are also known for research skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a real estate paralegal resume: "paralegals gather facts of the case and research information on relevant laws and regulations to prepare drafts of legal documents for attorneys and help them prepare for a case." We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "assisted in litigation researching using lexis/nexis, organizing documents and creating a chronology of facts. "

See the full list of real estate paralegal skills.

Before becoming a real estate paralegal, 52.1% earned their bachelor's degree. When it comes down to graduating with a master's degree, 3.6% real estate paralegals went for the extra education. If you're wanting to pursue this career, it may be possible to be successful with a high school degree. In fact, most real estate paralegals have a college degree. But about one out of every six real estate paralegals didn't attend college at all.

Those real estate paralegals who do attend college, typically earn either legal support services degrees or business degrees. Less commonly earned degrees for real estate paralegals include political science degrees or criminal justice degrees.

When you're ready to become a real estate paralegal, you might wonder which companies hire real estate paralegals. According to our research through real estate paralegal resumes, real estate paralegals are mostly hired by Robert Half, The Fusco Group, and Beacon Hill Staffing Group. Now is a good time to apply as Robert Half has 23 real estate paralegals job openings, and there are 23 at The Fusco Group and 22 at Beacon Hill Staffing Group.

But if you're interested in companies where you might earn a high salary, real estate paralegals tend to earn the biggest salaries at Kane Russell Coleman Logan, Walgreens, and Morgan Stanley. Take Kane Russell Coleman Logan for example. The median real estate paralegal salary is $93,990. At Walgreens, real estate paralegals earn an average of $89,578, while the average at Morgan Stanley is $88,496. You should take into consideration how difficult it might be to secure a job with one of these companies.

View more details on real estate paralegal salaries across the United States.

We also looked into companies who hire real estate paralegals from the top 100 educational institutions in the U.S. The top three companies that hire the most from these institutions include Pauls, Latham & Watkins, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.

The three companies that hire the most prestigious real estate paralegals are:

Robert Half23 Real Estate Paralegals Jobs
The Fusco Group23 Real Estate Paralegals Jobs
Beacon Hill Staffing Group22 Real Estate Paralegals Jobs

Build a professional resume in minutes.

Our AI resume builder helps you write a compelling and relevant resume for the jobs you want. See 10+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Don't Have A Professional Resume?

What Legal Office Assistants Do

A Legal Office Assistants serves as the apprentice of lawyers. They are responsible for doing daily clerical works inside a law office. They gather relevant information like pieces of evidence and organizes all the needed data. They also prepare subpoenas and summonses, review legal documents, and take down notes in a courtroom. Unlike the Lawyers, this career handles a more significant caseload. They must also have good communication skills with clients regarding their cases.

We looked at the average real estate paralegal annual salary and compared it with the average of a legal office assistant. Generally speaking, legal office assistants receive $34,254 lower pay than real estate paralegals per year.

While the salaries between these two careers can be different, they do share some of the same responsibilities. Employees in both real estate paralegals and legal office assistants positions are skilled in law firm, litigation, and probate.

As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a real estate paralegal responsibility requires skills such as "due diligence," "estoppel," "affidavits," and "real estate transactions." Whereas a legal office assistant is skilled in "management system," "legal correspondence," "data entry," and "office equipment." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

Legal office assistants receive the highest salaries in the non profits industry coming in with an average yearly salary of $41,921. But real estate paralegals are paid more in the finance industry with an average salary of $72,649.

Legal office assistants tend to reach similar levels of education than real estate paralegals. In fact, legal office assistants are 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.5% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

What Are The Duties Of a Legal Administrator?

The job of legal administrative assistants is to provide support to lawyers and paralegals. They typically perform legal research, manage schedules, and draft legal-related documents. Other duties include interpreting laws, regulations, and rulings in legal documents, obtaining information from other agencies or organizations, and preparing management and legal reports. In addition, legal administrative assistants are responsible for updating and maintaining databases and ensuring to provide effective administrative assistance. They are also expected to schedule client meetings and court hearings.

Next up, we have the legal administrator profession to look over. This career brings along a lower average salary when compared to a real estate paralegal annual salary. In fact, legal administrators salary difference is $21,189 lower than the salary of real estate paralegals per year.

While the salary may be different for these job positions, there is one similarity and that's a few of the skills needed to perform certain duties. We used info from lots of resumes to find that both real estate paralegals and legal administrators are known to have skills such as "law firm," "litigation," and "due diligence. "

While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that real estate paralegal responsibilities requires skills like "estoppel," "affidavits," "real estate transactions," and "lenders." But a legal administrator might use skills, such as, "veterans," "powerpoint," "management system," and "data entry."

It's been discovered that legal administrators earn lower salaries compared to real estate paralegals, but we wanted to find out where legal administrators earned the most pay. The answer? The government industry. The average salary in the industry is $54,616. Additionally, real estate paralegals earn the highest paychecks in the finance with an average salary of $72,649.

In general, legal administrators study at higher levels of education than real estate paralegals. They're 5.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.5% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

How a Legal Assistant Compares

Legal assistants are responsible for doing most of the administrative or clerical needs of a lawyer. They support lawyers by preparing documents for hearings or trials, conducting research for legal cases, organizing files and records, managing schedules, manning phone lines, communicating with legal clients, documenting meeting minutes, and setting up appointments. It is important for legal assistants to have a basic knowledge of laws and the judiciary system so that they can provide better support to lawyers. They should also be detail-oriented, organized, and excellent communicators.

Let's now take a look at the legal assistant profession. On average, these workers make lower salaries than real estate paralegals with a $26,000 difference per year.

While looking through the resumes of several real estate paralegals and legal assistants we discovered that both professions have similar skills. These similarities include skills such as "law firm," "litigation," and "probate," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers as shown by resumes from each profession. Some of those differences include the skills required to complete responsibilities within each role. As an example of this, a real estate paralegal is likely to be skilled in "due diligence," "estoppel," "real estate transactions," and "lenders," while a typical legal assistant is skilled in "legal correspondence," "discovery responses," "trial preparation," and "scheduling appointments."

Interestingly enough, legal assistants earn the most pay in the professional industry, where they command an average salary of $47,979. As mentioned previously, real estate paralegals highest annual salary comes from the finance industry with an average salary of $72,649.

When it comes to education, legal assistants tend to earn similar education levels than real estate paralegals. In fact, they're 0.9% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Description Of a Legal Clerk

A legal clerk is responsible for performing administrative and clerical duties to legal offices and organizations to ensure smooth legal business operations. Legal clerks sort and distribute documents to the appropriate personnel, update information on the database, schedule appointments, respond to clients' inquiries and concerns, and document meeting objectives. They may also coordinate with other offices and institutions to acquire files and research data according to the needs of the managing department. A legal clerk must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in monitoring business transactions and submitting reports timely and accurately.

The fourth career we look at typically earns lower pay than real estate paralegals. On average, legal clerks earn a difference of $33,235 lower per year.

While their salaries may vary, real estate paralegals and legal clerks both use similar skills to perform their jobs. Resumes from both professions include skills like "law firm," "litigation," and "probate. "

While some skills are shared by these professions, there are some differences to note. "due diligence," "estoppel," "affidavits," and "real estate transactions" are skills that have shown up on real estate paralegals resumes. Additionally, legal clerk uses skills like legal correspondence, trial preparation, court dates, and real estate on their resumes.

In general, legal clerks make a higher salary in the professional industry with an average of $39,441. The highest real estate paralegal annual salary stems from the finance industry.

The average resume of legal clerks showed that they earn similar levels of education to real estate paralegals. So much so that the likelihood of them earning a Master's Degree is 0.9% more. Additionally, they're more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 9.4%.

Updated October 2, 2020