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The differences between sales associates and realtors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a realtor has an average salary of $38,290, which is higher than the $32,167 average annual salary of a sales associate.
The top three skills for a sales associate include customer service, sales floor and cash handling. The most important skills for a realtor are residential real estate, open houses, and purchase agreements.
| Sales Associate | Realtor | |
| Yearly salary | $32,167 | $38,290 |
| Hourly rate | $15.46 | $18.41 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 579,849 | 7,482 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 49 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
Sales associates are responsible for promoting the company's goods or services. They are expected to provide exceptional customer service to prospective buyers. They should be familiar with all features of the company's products or services so that they can answer the customers' inquiries. Sales associates also assist customers in processing their checkouts, refunds, returns, and other needs. They should be customer-oriented, and they should have great communication skills. They should know how to sell their products or services to customers. They are considered the company's representatives on the ground.
A realtor is responsible for processing real estate transactions and assisting clients with their concerns and inquiries about a specific property. A realtor should always work for their clients' best interests, ensuring that proposals work within the client's specified budget and property goals. A realtor will also consider the security of a property location before a recommendation to ensure the client's safety and comfort. Realtors must finalize records of cost estimates and purchase agreements, which are essential in choosing the best property.
Sales associates and realtors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Sales Associate | Realtor | |
| Average salary | $32,167 | $38,290 |
| Salary range | Between $21,000 And $47,000 | Between $27,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Antonio, TX |
| Highest paying state | New York | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Barclays | Berkshire Hathaway Homeservices Alliance Real Estate |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Real Estate |
There are a few differences between a sales associate and a realtor in terms of educational background:
| Sales Associate | Realtor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between sales associates' and realtors' demographics:
| Sales Associate | Realtor | |
| Average age | 41 | 49 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6% | Male, 40.2% Female, 59.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.4% Asian, 6.9% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 5.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 13.3% Asian, 6.9% White, 69.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 13% |