Top Reasons Agents Have the Best Job Satisfaction
According to research conducted by Career Bliss and reported on by Forbes, the happiest workers in America aren’t doctors, lawyers, scientists, preachers, or college professors—they’re real estate agents. With a job satisfaction index of 4.26, real estate agents rank highest across a range of factors. So, let’s get into the top reasons agents have the best job satisfaction in the country.
The Real Estate Market
Although real estate agents have been the happiest workers for over a decade, the more recent developments in the real estate market have only enhanced their contentment. The market in much of the country, especially in urban centers, is red-hot. Houses are being sold nearly immediately, over asking, even with waived contingencies. Inventory is scarce, and buyers are plentiful.
This combination of factors makes the real estate agent’s job much easier, reduces advertising costs, and allows agents to close far more deals per year compared to even five years ago.
No Cap on Earnings
Unlike the majority of American workers, real estate agents work in a field that doesn’t automatically cap their income potential. By carving a space in a niche that specializes in high value transactions or putting in extra hours to stack multiple smaller transactions, real estate agents can maximize their income potential.
No College Degree Required
In real estate, agents have an open pathway to success without having to complete any higher education. Perhaps surprisingly, real estate agents who have only completed a high school education report the highest job satisfaction. However, when one considers the high debt American college students often accrue, it’s understandable that agents without this additional burden are able to enjoy their earnings sooner.
Flexible Schedules
While real estate agents who are able to work earlier in the day are more likely to be high earners, it can’t be overstated how much the flexibility of being an agent contributes to their reports of high job satisfaction. Do you have children whose schedules you must accommodate? A partner whose schedule is rigid and can’t be altered? It can be easy to understand how a flexible work week may lead to really high levels of job satisfaction. Establishing a healthy work/life balance is getting more attention than ever these days, and for good reason.
Cooperative Partnerships Bring Happiness
Despite agents being independent, self-starting workers, the agents who report the highest job satisfaction have formed a professional partnership with another agent. The ability to socialize, strategize, divide labor, and combine referral networks are all factors that contribute to this increase in job satisfaction.
No Traditional Boss
While agents who form cooperative business partnerships are responsible to each other, most real estate agents do not have to report to a boss in the traditional sense. While most Americans experience direct oversight from a superior who controls their activity and productivity, agents are free to work toward their own individualized goals as they see fit.
Happiness Increases with Experience
As agents gain experience, expand their networks, and earn more every year, their happiness increases at the same rate. If you’re a newer agent, don’t be discouraged by a slow start. Keep plugging away, and you’re very likely to close transactions that will make you feel like dancing.
Agents Bring Happiness to Others
One of the greatest things about being an agent is experiencing the joy your clients experience as they buy or sell a property. You’re working in a field that handles the single largest financial investment most Americans make, and they’re likely to remember the experience for decades to come. You can make a huge difference by doing great work on behalf of your clients, and your own happiness will get a boost every time.
The Joy of Referrals
The happiest agents get most of their clients from their referral network. Hopefully, yours is created through the word-of-mouth of your favorite clients and brings in people who are equally delightful. The power of being able to craft a self-replenishing fount of clients from a pool of positive interactions never gets old. If you’re new to our ranks, lean into the hard work of getting this particular ball rolling, and it will pay you back for many years to come.
Ever-Changing Work Environment
Human beings can be divided into two camps: those who are soothed by a predictable daily routine, and those who are driven mad with boredom by the same. If you’ve always longed for an exciting, evolving environment that shifts in both short- and long-term aspects, real estate may be perfect for you. While you will be required to complete routine paperwork, little else about your days will be routine.
Every addition to your inventory will bring intriguing new challenges, every client will have unique needs, and closing a deal will often teach you something new. For workers who thrive on change, real estate can be the ideal career.
Optimization Tools
As technologies that optimize an agent’s workflow have continued to be expanded and refined, agents have reported higher job satisfaction. Because this aspect of our work will only continue to improve, it’s likely that this upward trend on technological contentment will do likewise. With that said, it’s essential that real estate agents consistently work hard to stay current with emerging technologies. From social media tools to real estate-specific programs, you’ll need to be comfortable with computers, smart phones, and a range of software programs to pull ahead of the competition.