Residential real estate sales associates have a wide variety of responsibilities, falling into two general categories; working with sellers and working with buyers.

Working with sellers begins with obtaining listings. A listing is an agreement between a property owner and a real estate firm. The firm will act on behalf of the owner to find buyers for the property. Once you have obtained a listing contract, you will be responsible for marketing the property. This procedure can involve a wide range of activities including placing signs, entering date into the Multiple Listing Service, holding open houses, advertising, creating and distributing flyers and brochures, conducting tours for other sales associates and many, many other marketing activities.

Working with buyers also involves a multitude of tasks: identifying their needs, evaluating their financial capabilities, showing properties, assisting with sales contracts and handling details necessary to close the transaction are only a few of them.

How do you find these buyers and sellers? Prospecting!!! The ability to establish a broad base of potential clients is the key to success in real estate sales. Newcomers to the profession can establish their potential client base in a variety of ways: direct mail, advertising, telemarketing, knocking on doors, joining groups and -above- all- working with groups of people you already know: friends, relatives, present and past co-workers. You may already have a built-in client base!

A career in real estate can also offer several options for specialization. Residential sales is by far the most popular with 80 percent of real estate professionals focusing on thie area. Some of the options are:

 ● Commercial Investment            ● Property Management
 ● Industrial                                  ● Leasing
 ● Farm & Land                             ● Development
 ● Appraisal                                  ● Syndication
 ● Training                                   ● Auctioneering
 ● Management                           ● Administration

Opportunities are also available in a range of real estate fields: mortgage, insurance, title research, escrow, planning, surveying, architecture, real estate law, building and developing.