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Residential sales representative vs real estate agent

The differences between residential sales representatives and real estate agents 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 $54,919 average annual salary of a residential sales representative.

The top three skills for a residential sales representative include data entry, customer relationships and weed control. The most important skills for a real estate agent are customer service, real estate license, and excellent interpersonal.

Residential sales representative vs real estate agent overview

Residential Sales RepresentativeReal Estate Agent
Yearly salary$54,919$91,788
Hourly rate$26.40$44.13
Growth rate4%5%
Number of jobs148,13741,399
Job satisfaction-4
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Average age4749
Years of experience4-

What does a residential sales representative do?

The job of a residential sales representative is to sell the products and services to potential customers. Residential sales representatives design effective strategies to generate leads, establish a plan of action, and execute it. They manage all the leads and determine their prospective clients. It is part of their job to take part in different home shows and present the products and services their company offers. Marketing, communications, leadership, and business management are some of the skills they need to develop.

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.

Residential sales representative vs real estate agent salary

Residential sales representatives and real estate agents have different pay scales, as shown below.

Residential Sales RepresentativeReal Estate Agent
Average salary$54,919$91,788
Salary rangeBetween $39,000 And $75,000Between $66,000 And $126,000
Highest paying CityColumbia, MDLong Beach, NY
Highest paying stateNew JerseyWest Virginia
Best paying companyAmerican Residential ServicesSanta Clara Valley Water District
Best paying industryTechnologyFinance

Differences between residential sales representative and real estate agent education

There are a few differences between a residential sales representative and a real estate agent in terms of educational background:

Residential Sales RepresentativeReal Estate Agent
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 60%Bachelor's Degree, 59%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeSUNY College of Technology at Alfred-

Residential sales representative vs real estate agent demographics

Here are the differences between residential sales representatives' and real estate agents' demographics:

Residential Sales RepresentativeReal Estate Agent
Average age4749
Gender ratioMale, 72.3% Female, 27.7%Male, 43.4% Female, 56.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 73.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%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%
LGBT Percentage6%13%

Differences between residential sales representative and real estate agent duties and responsibilities

Residential sales representative example responsibilities.

  • Manage a sales team of 8 DSR's, performing as a supervisor and leading role.
  • Follow leads, complete bids, close sales and act as job foreman on all residential and commercial HVAC replacements.
  • Conduct follow-up of leads through means of telemarketing and person-to-person contact to identify customer needs.
  • Sell newspaper subscriptions to designate potential customers in order to achieve circulation sales department goals.
  • Generate sales appointments and insides sales opportunities through outbound telemarketing campaigns, including manual internet leads.
  • Contact medicare eligible recipients to sell medicare advantage plans through in-home meetings, community seminars and direct telesales.
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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

Residential sales representative vs real estate agent skills

Common residential sales representative skills
  • Data Entry, 19%
  • Customer Relationships, 17%
  • Weed Control, 12%
  • Telemarketing, 11%
  • Lawn Care, 11%
  • Cross-Selling, 11%
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%