What Does a Real Estate Agent Do? (US & Canada Career Guide)
What real estate agents really do, US and Canadian licensing, BLS and Job Bank pay data, the skills that matter and how to start a career selling property.
Ask ten people what a real estate agent does and most will say "shows houses and puts up signs." That's about 10% of the job. The rest is prospecting, pricing, marketing, negotiating, chasing paperwork and keeping nervous clients calm through one of the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
It's also one of the most accessible careers in property. In most of the US and Canada you don't need a degree to start, just the right pre-licensing course, an exam and a brokerage willing to take you on. What separates the agents who last from those who quit in year one is treating it like the business it is.
What a real estate agent actually does
A real estate agent (called a salesperson or sales representative in many states and provinces) helps clients buy, sell or rent property. Most work in residential, though some specialize in commercial, industrial, land or farm property. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the core duties: finding clients, advising them on prices, mortgages and market conditions, comparing properties to set a competitive price, marketing listings through ads, open houses and listing services, showing properties, presenting offers, negotiating between buyer and seller, and making sure contract terms are met through to closing.
A typical week might look like this. Monday you're following up open house leads and pulling comparable sales. Tuesday you're meeting a seller to walk through pricing and a marketing plan. Wednesday you're coordinating a photographer, a stager and a home inspector. Thursday evening you're showing five homes to a young couple after work. Saturday you're hosting an open house, and on Sunday a buyer calls because they want to write an offer tonight.
Agents represent either the buyer or the seller. Seller's agents (listing agents) price and market a property and find a qualified buyer. Buyer's agents help clients work out what they can afford, find the right home and negotiate the deal. In the US, buyer's agents now generally work under a written buyer agreement that spells out their compensation up front, one of the lasting changes from the 2024 NAR settlement. That's healthy: it forces agents to explain their value, and good agents can.
Agent vs. broker
In both countries there's a ladder. Agents (salespeople) must work under a licensed broker. Brokers hold a higher license, can run their own brokerage and supervise agents. The BLS notes most states require at least two years of experience as a licensed agent before you can sit for a broker license, plus extra coursework.
Licensing in the US
Every US state requires real estate agents to be licensed, and licenses generally don't transfer between states (though some have reciprocity agreements). The usual requirements are being at least 18, holding a high school diploma or equivalent, completing state-approved pre-licensing education, passing the exam and often a background check.
The coursework varies a lot by state. California's Department of Real Estate requires three college-level courses of at least 45 hours each, 135 hours in total. Texas requires 180 hours of qualifying education. Florida requires a 63-hour sales associate pre-licensing course. Licenses typically renew every two to four years, with continuing education required in most states. Always check your own state's real estate commission before paying for any course.
Licensing in Canada
Real estate is regulated provincially. In Ontario, you must be registered with the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO). That means being at least 18, completing the pre-registration phase of the Real Estate Salesperson Program (five courses, two simulation sessions and six exams, finished within 24 months, delivered through Humber), getting a criminal record and judicial matters check, being employed by a registered brokerage and buying into RECO's insurance program. You then need to complete a post-registration phase before your first renewal two years later.
Other provinces have their own regulators and courses, including the BC Financial Services Authority in British Columbia, RECA in Alberta and the OACIQ in Quebec.
What agents earn
Pay is the part people get most wrong. Most agents are paid on commission, so income swings with the market and with how hard and smart you work.
According to the BLS, the median annual wage for real estate sales agents was $52,830 in May 2025, with the lowest 10% earning less than $32,970 and the top 10% more than $123,590. Brokers earned a median of $73,220, with the top 10% above $143,300. The BLS counts about 427,000 sales agent jobs and 103,500 broker jobs, and despite slow projected growth of 2% from 2025 to 2035, it expects around 40,400 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers.
In Canada, Job Bank puts the national median for real estate agents and salespersons at $58,400 a year, ranging from $32,867 at the low end to $178,000 at the high end (2021 Census data, updated November 2025). Ontario's median is $62,400, with the high end reaching $206,000.
The honest reality: the BLS warns that earnings can be irregular, especially early on, and agents can go weeks or months without a sale. Budget for six to twelve months of thin income before you jump in.
Skills that matter
Communication and resilience come first. You'll hear "no" a lot. Next comes local market knowledge: schools, zoning, prices, and which streets flood. Then business discipline, because most agents are effectively self-employed and must manage their own marketing, money and time.
Tech skills are now a real edge. A CRM, a good social presence and AI tools like Grok Bot, ChatGPT or Claude for drafting listing descriptions, market summaries and follow-up emails can give a solo agent the output of a small team. The relationships still have to be all you, though.
Career path and how to start
Many agents start on a team or as a buyer's agent under a senior agent, then build their own book of listings. From there you can get your broker license, lead a team, open a brokerage, move into commercial brokerage, or pivot into property management, development, mortgage lending or brokerage leadership.
To get started: research your state or province's requirements, pick an approved course, and interview three or four brokerages before you finish it. Ask about training, mentoring, splits, fees and what they expect you to produce in year one. Big brokerages are raising the bar for new agents right now, which makes choosing a supportive first home more important than ever.
Ready to take the first step? Explore real estate and property jobs across the USA and Canada, from assistant and team roles to licensed agent openings.
