Real Estate Agent: What is the cost of hiring?

What is a real estate agent?

A real estate agent is a licensed professional who facilitates property transactions by representing buyers, sellers or both. They handle tasks such as marketing properties, scheduling showings, negotiating offers and navigating legal paperwork to ensure smooth and compliant closings. Their expertise enables businesses to save time, mitigate risk and maximize value in real estate transactions.

Why hire a real estate agent?

Hiring a real estate agent helps businesses navigate property acquisitions, leasing and sales with expert negotiation, compliance and market insight, saving time and maximizing ROI. Signs you may need to hire one include expanding operations into new locations, managing commercial property portfolios, or facing complex legal or zoning requirements.

Contributions of a great real estate agent:

• guides strategic property decisions using up-to-date market data
• negotiates favourable contract terms to protect business interests
• ensures smooth transactions by coordinating legal, financial and logistical details

Defining your hiring needs for a real estate agent

To define hiring needs for a real estate agent, start by assessing your property goals, whether buying, leasing or managing real estate, along with transaction volume and complexity. Review your budget to determine if you can support a licensed professional full-time, or if a freelance or part-time agent suits your needs. Choose the correct job title (e.g., commercial real estate agent vs. broker) based on required credentials and scope of work. If you are unsure whether to hire an agent or a broker, consider the key differences, such as licensing levels and the ability to own or manage an agency.

What are the types of real estate agents?

When writing your real estate agent job description, consider including some or all of the following keywords to improve the visibility of your job posting. These are the most popular search terms leading to clicks on real estate agent jobs, according to Indeed data:

• real estate
• sales
• real estate agent
• real estate broker

Want more hiring insights for your real estate agent role? Sign in or create your free Indeed account.

Where to find a real estate agent

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

• Networking: Networking at local property expos, Chamber of Commerce mixers or open houses is an effective recruiting strategy.
• Trade associations: Trade associations, such as the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) or provincial bodies like the Real Estate Council of Ontario (RECO), also maintain searchable registries.
• National directories: These directories allow you to search by location, specialty and language to identify top-tier candidates.
• Adjacent fields: If you’re hiring for a leasing or property management role, consider adjacent fields such as hospitality or commercial development, where professionals may possess transferable skills.

Post your job online. Try posting your real estate agent job on Indeed to find and attract quality real estate agent candidates.

Skills to look for in a real estate agent

A successful real estate agent candidate will typically have the following skills and competencies, which may be gained through a variety of experiences, training or education:

• sales and negotiation expertise to persuasively market properties and secure favourable terms for clients
• local market knowledge of regional trends, pricing strategies and neighbourhood dynamics
• client relationship management to build trust, communicate effectively and maintain long-term rapport
• legal and regulatory awareness with the ability to navigate contracts, disclosures and compliance
• time management and organization to balance multiple transactions, deadlines and client needs
• technical abilities to use digital tools like MLS platforms, virtual tour software and CRM systems to streamline workflow

Writing a real estate agent job description

Now that you know the key skills, salary expectations, popular job-seeker search terms and hiring insights for a real estate agent, you’re ready to write a job description.

A real estate agent job description typically includes a compelling summary of the role, a detailed list of duties and responsibilities, and the required and preferred skills for the position. You may also want to include information about your company culture, benefits and perks to attract candidates to your open role.

Ready to get started? See our full guide for writing real estate agent job descriptions.

Interviewing candidates for a real estate agent position

Strong candidates for real estate agent positions will be confident answering questions regarding:

• client interaction and relationship building (specifically, how they manage client expectations, build trust and handle objections)
• sales and negotiation strategy, including techniques they use to close deals, price properties and negotiate contracts
• market knowledge and research skills with an understanding of local trends, pricing strategy and neighbourhood dynamics
• legal and compliance awareness, including a familiarity with regulations, disclosure laws and contract requirements
• time management and organization, and how they juggle multiple listings, appointments and paperwork efficiently

Need help coming up with interview questions? See our list of real estate agent interview questions for examples (with sample answers).