Should You Become a Washington Real Estate Agent?

There’s a lot of upside to a career as a Washington real estate agent, including good pay, high job satisfaction, and flexibility. But maybe you’re still on the fence, unsure about whether real estate is the right fit for you.

Let’s explore some of the benefits of being a WA real estate agent. Learn more about the daily responsibilities and skills required to be a good agent as well as current market conditions to see if now is the time to join the Washington real estate industry.

5 Compelling Reasons to Become a Washington Real Estate Agent

Here are the top five most popular reasons to become a real estate agent in WA.

High-income potential. The average WA agent makes over $80,000 per yearCurrent Oes419022.htm#nat Oes, and since this figure includes part-time agents, the average figure for full-time agents is even higher! Agents in the 90th percentile earn around $128,000!
Job satisfaction. In a recent survey, an impressive 88% of agents report being satisfiedNational Is Now A Good Time To Be A Real Estate Agent Career Center with their careers.
Flexibility. Having control over your workload and scheduleReal Estate Career Offers Flexibility Blog allows you to fit your real estate career around family, travel, and even other jobs!
Power to be your own boss. As a real estate agent, you’ll choose a sponsoring broker5 Steps Help You Find Right Sponsoring Broker Blog to oversee your work, but most brokerages empower agents to manage their businesses on their own terms.
Comparatively easy entry. You don’t need an expensive college degree to practice real estate in WA. For around $900Washington Cost Real Estate License Washington Career Center, you can complete the required 90-hour course and get your real estate license quickly.

Day to Day Life of a Real Estate Agent in Washington

As a WA real estate agent, you get to list homes on behalf of sellers, show buyers around properties, and advocate for your clients as they make life-changing decisions!

Your daily job responsibilities include:

Finding new clientsWays New Real Estate Agents Find Their First Clients Blog to represent.
Explaining the home buying or selling process to clients and prospects.
Previewing homes so you can track market trends and report accurate info to your clients.
Answering inquiries about active listings.
Hosting open houses.
Marketing your listingsHow Successful Agents Are Making Their Listings Stand Out Blog.
Negotiating on behalf of your clients5 Of The Best Negotiation Tips From Lawyers Blog.
Coordinating all the steps of the sale to keep the transaction running as smoothly as possible.

Skills Needed to Be a Washington Real Estate Agent

The most successful real estate agents share a common set of skills10 Skills Successful Real Estate Agents Blog, including:

Reliability
Patience
Local knowledge
Trustworthiness
Communication
Time management

If these skills come naturally to you, you might make a great WA real estate agent!

The Washington Real Estate Market

Over the last five years, the median home price in Washington stateWashington Housing Market State has grown from $428,000 to $638,000. That’s a 49% increase, representing average annualized growth of around 10% per year.

While inventory is still tight, November 2024 saw 16.3% year-over-year growth in the number of home sales.

These are favorable indicators of a strong market. More transactions at higher prices mean more opportunities for real estate agents to close deals with higher compensation!

Reasons Not to Become a Washington Real Estate Agent

Real estate isn’t for everyone. Before jumping in, consider reasons why some people aren’t well-suited to the industry.

It can take a few months to earn your first check. Agents in Washington typically don’t earn hourly wages or an annual salary. Instead, you get paid only when you close a deal.
You’ll need to be social. If you don’t like working with people, you might quickly burn out from the social aspects of the job.
Self-motivation is crucial. Being an agent is like being a business owner. No one is going to push you to succeed. You have to find the drive in yourself to get up every day and create opportunities.