How to hire a Real Estate Sales Associate

How to hire a real estate sales associate, step by step

Here's a step-by-step real estate sales associate hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a real estate sales associate job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new real estate sales associate
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a Real Estate Sales Associate do?

Post A Real Estate Sales Associate Job For Free, Promote It For A Fee

Post Free

1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a real estate sales associate, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine Employee vs Contractor Status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A real estate sales associate's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, real estate sales associates from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   Here's a comparison of real estate sales associate salaries for various roles:

   Type Of Real Estate Sales Associate	Description	Hourly Rate
   Real Estate Sales Associate	Real estate brokers and sales agents help clients buy, sell, and rent properties. Although brokers and agents do similar work, brokers are licensed to manage their own real estate businesses... Show More	$29-66
   Home Agent	Home Agents are responsible for negotiating the letting and sales of residential home properties through liaising with clients, property professionals, and solicitors. Their duties include gathering property information, reaching out to sellers about the property, estimating property value, and marketing properties for sale... Show More	$7-17
   Apartment Leasing Agent	Apartment leasing agents are professionals who are working on behalf of apartment owners to find potential tenants. The agents manage the signing of leases and provide existing tenants with customer service... Show More	$12-19

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common Skills:

   • Lead Generation
   • Real Estate Market
   • Commercial Property
   • Open Houses
   • Residential Real Estate
   • Customer Service
   • Contract Negotiations
   • Due Diligence
   • PowerPoint
   • Real Estate Sales
   • Excellent Interpersonal
   • Work Ethic
   • Purchase Agreements
   • Financial Resources

   Check All Skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage REO listings, complete BPOs, property checks, negotiate offers and manage closings.
   • Manage all accounting, cash management, budgeting and financing for individual LLC's and for corporate entity.
   • Prepare legal documents such as HUD-1 settlement statement, sales contracts, leasing agreements, etc.
   • Perform foreclosure inspections and price opinions on REO properties.
   • Prepare real estate closing documents to include HUD settlement statement and RESPA documents.
   • Provide notary services as needed for legal documentation (notary license still current).

   More Real Estate Sales Associate duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your real estate sales associate job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A real estate sales associate can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, real estate sales associates' average salary in hawaii is 59% less than in massachusetts.
   • Seniority. Entry-level real estate sales associates 55% less than senior-level real estate sales associates.
   • Certifications. A real estate sales associate with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a real estate sales associate's salary.

   Average real estate sales associate salary

   $92,941yearly

   $44.68 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level real estate sales associate salary

   $62,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 26, 2025

   Average real estate sales associate salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. Salary	Hourly Rate
   1	New York	$114,905	$55
   2	Massachusetts	$114,852	$55
   3	California	$111,421	$54
   4	Washington	$106,420	$51
   5	Connecticut	$105,669	$51
   6	Michigan	$101,122	$49
   7	Pennsylvania	$98,344	$47
   8	Utah	$90,257	$43
   9	Georgia	$89,905	$43
   10	Nevada	$88,829	$43
   11	Colorado	$88,485	$43
   12	District of Columbia	$88,238	$42
   13	Missouri	$86,609	$42
   14	Ohio	$86,289	$41
   15	Oregon	$86,193	$41
   16	Iowa	$84,530	$41
   17	New Mexico	$82,470	$40
   18	Maryland	$79,877	$38
   19	Arizona	$78,582	$38
   20	Delaware	$78,305	$38

   Average real estate sales associate salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average Salary	Hourly Rate	Job Openings
   1	Greenberg Traurig	$141,616	$68.08	27
   2	DLA Piper	$139,816	$67.22	45
   3	Kane Russell Coleman Logan	$134,500	$64.66	3
   4	Seyfarth Shaw	$132,255	$63.58
   5	Neuberger Berman	$124,554	$59.88
   6	Shearman & Sterling	$123,670	$59.46	1
   7	WLRK	$123,641	$59.44
   8	Brookfield Properties	$120,719	$58.04
   9	Google	$120,604	$57.98	8
   10	Masuda Funai	$118,516	$56.98
   11	Tishman	$114,618	$55.10
   12	Davis Graham & Stubbs	$113,199	$54.42
   13	Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker Llp	$112,705	$54.19
   14	BMO Capital Markets	$111,151	$53.44	8
   15	Blackstone Group	$110,671	$53.21
   16	Federal Reserve Bank of New York	$109,233	$52.52
   17	Moody's	$108,987	$52.40	2
   18	Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith	$108,541	$52.18
   19	Dorsey & Whitney	$108,496	$52.16	3
   20	Gordon Brothers	$107,941	$51.89

4. Writing a Real Estate Sales Associate Job Description

   A good real estate sales associate job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a real estate sales associate job description:

   Real Estate Sales Associate job description example

   Real Estate Development Associate Opportunity Onsite in their Conshohocken HQ Direct Hire with generous salary plus full benefits Create and review RFPs for vendors Strong Computer Skills to include Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Excel General knowledge of the construction and real estate industry Work with finance to record and followup on billings and invoices Polished and Professional as this role will be client facing. Excellent Administrative & Customer Service Skills Bachelor's Degree Required with 2+ years' experience in the Construction, Real Estate or Property Management Fields

   Copy This Example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right real estate sales associate for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with real estate sales associates they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit real estate sales associates who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your real estate sales associate job on Zippia to find and recruit real estate sales associate candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with real estate sales associate candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new real estate sales associate

   Once you've decided on a perfect real estate sales associate candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

   Sign Up To Download Full List

   Sign Up

How much does it cost to hire a real estate sales associate?