18 Jobs You Can Do With a Real Estate License
Real estate continues to be a growing field and you may be interested in becoming a part of this thriving industry. If you currently have a real estate license, or are considering obtaining one, you may be curious as to the different career paths available. There are a number of real estate positions to consider, other than being a real estate agent or broker. In this article, we share a list of jobs you may want to consider if you have your real estate license.
Read more: Pros and Cons of Being a Real Estate Agent
What you can do with a real estate license
Once you have a real estate license there are several positions you could consider. Following are some roles you may be interested in, organized by the national average salary. For the most up-to-date information from Indeed, please click on the salary link for each job title below.
1. Leasing consultant
National average salary: $33,738 per year
Primary duties: A leasing consultant is responsible for ensuring that a property has tenants. They may market available listings, reach out to potential tenants to gauge their interest and host events to promote the property.
Read more: Learn About Being a Leasing Consultant
2. Real estate assistant
National average salary: $43,422 per year
Primary duties: A real estate assistant is responsible for helping the real estate agents and brokers at a company with administrative tasks. They may answer phone calls and emails, maintain and share property listings, file documents, help set up a home for an open house, keep a marketing list and schedule appointments.
3. Title examiner
National average salary: $45,800 per year
Primary duties: A title examiner is responsible for reviewing titles to make sure they are complete, accurate and can be transferred from a property owner or bank to the new buyer. They also help secure title insurance as a way to protect the buyer in a purchase. Title examiners may also need to work with county or state records to trace the history of a title and then go through the steps to correct that title so it's clean and ready to transfer to the new owner.
4. Real estate paralegal
National average salary: $48,923 per year
Primary duties: A real estate paralegal is responsible for working alongside the real estate attorney to assist clients with their real estate transactions. They may file documents, draft agreements and letters, secure title insurance and help their client through the closing process. Paralegals may also need to go through a training program to become a certified paralegal.
5. Apartment manager
National average salary: $50,508 per year
Primary duties: An apartment manager is responsible for being available to apartment tenants, renting out units, securing monthly rent payments from residents and addressing any property issues. They may hire maintenance crews to maintain the property or fix any problems in individual apartments. An apartment manager must also show open apartments to interested renters, process security deposits and review the renter's agreement.
6. Property manager
National average salary: $52,457 per year
Primary duties: A property manager is responsible for ensuring that a real estate property is safe and that both the owners and tenants are satisfied with the arrangement. They work closely with an owner to get a property ready to rent, act as the middle person to secure monthly payments, coordinate repairs, get all parties to sign agreements and contracts and arrange for the tenant to move out at the end of their lease.
A property manager may also visit the property to make sure everything is still in working condition and arrange for the return of a tenant's security deposit if necessary. A property manager must be organized and able to handle multiple properties at a time while also providing superior customer service to both the property owner and their tenant.
Read more: Learn About Being a Property Manager
7. Home inspector
National average salary: $53,501 per year
Primary duties: A home inspector is responsible for checking out a property with the goal of identifying any current or possible issues with a building's structure, appliances and other systems like plumbing, electricity and air conditioning. They will take the time to inspect all areas of the home and the surrounding land, then produce a report that lets the property owner, lender and potential buyer know of their findings.
8. Real estate marketing specialist
National average salary: $53,959 per year
Primary duties: A real estate marketing specialist is responsible for marketing the real estate business or brokerage online. To do this, they may create and maintain social media profiles, design brochures and business cards, create websites and landing pages and build an email list of potential and current clients they can market to. A real estate marketing specialist is also responsible for managing the brand image for a real estate firm or individual agent, writing relevant blog posts and generating leads.
9. Foreclosure specialist
National average salary: $60,243 per year
Primary duties: A foreclosure specialist is responsible for processing the required paperwork when a property is going through foreclosure. They typically work for a lender and have a goal of making the foreclosure process run as smoothly as possible so the lender can recoup some of their money from a new buyer.
10. Real estate appraiser
National average salary: $62,346 per year
Primary duties: A real estate appraiser is responsible for figuring out what the value of a property is, whether residential or commercial. A lender, current property owner or potential buyer may use an appraiser's services during the home selling process or before the property is taxed. An appraiser will look at a home's features, location, land and similar properties close by to come to a true home value for the property.
Even with a real estate license, an appraiser must have a specialized license for this job, which usually requires 75 education hours and a passing score on a final exam.
11. Escrow officer
National average salary: $63,519 per year
Primary duties: An escrow officer is responsible for holding onto the escrow money that a homebuyer gives as part of the purchase of their new home. They are a third-party that is a neutral part of the home buying and selling process. An escrow officer must be familiar and comfortable with handling large amounts of money, as the escrow amounts for homes can be considerable. They must also complete training in escrow and work as an apprentice.
Read more: Learn More About Being an Escrow Officer
12. Commercial property manager
National average salary: $64,737 per year
Primary duties: A commercial property manager is responsible for overseeing operations for commercial buildings. This may include reviewing contracts, collecting rent payments, making sure a crew maintains and cleans the property and negotiating leases.
13. Broker
National average salary: $71,938 per year
Primary duties: A broker in real estate is responsible for the same things that a real estate agent is, except they go on to earn their broker license, which means they can work for themselves or have other agents work for them.
Read more: Learn About Being a Real Estate Broker
14. Real estate agent
National average salary: $82,611 per year
Primary duties: A real estate agent is responsible for showing homes to buyers and assisting these clients throughout the home buying process. They may also represent those who are selling their home. A real estate agent maintains home listings, shows available homes to potential buyers, works with others in the process to help the transaction go through smoothly and negotiates the price of the property on behalf of their client.
Read more: Learn About Being a Real Estate Agent
15. Property developer
National average salary: $83,157 per year
Primary duties: A property developer is responsible for managing the construction of a property, which may include condos, single-family residences or commercial buildings. They secure the land and materials, find a contractor and hire other workers like engineers and architects and secure an attorney who can review contracts. Property developers must be able to project manage on a large scale.
16. Commercial real estate agent
National average salary: $84,335 per year
Primary duties: A commercial real estate agent is responsible for having the same responsibilities as a residential real estate agent, except for commercial properties like office buildings and complexes. Their clients include other businesses that want to secure property for their company operations.
17. Real estate attorney
National average salary: $98,561 per year
Primary duties: A real estate attorney is responsible for working with clients during the real estate process. They may review contracts, work with the title examiner to correct titles, mediate issues between two parties in the home buying process and more. A real estate attorney's goal is to ensure that the transaction is legal and free of any problems for any involved party.
To be an attorney, you must also have bachelor's and Juris Doctor degrees, pass the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) and state bar exam and gain some experience in law. While a real estate license isn't required, it can help an attorney with their job by providing them with a greater understanding of the field.
18. Loan officer
National average salary: $145,074 per year
Primary duties: A loan officer is responsible for helping their clients secure loans to purchase a new home. They ask the buyer questions about their financial history and request documentation for items like pay, credit cards, student loans and mortgage payments on other residences. In addition to obtaining a loan for their customers, loan officers also help draw up contracts, review payments and interest rates and may also collect the first payment.
Read more: Learn About Being a Loan Officer
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