10 Best Cities for Real Estate Agents in 2019

Being a real estate agent is one of the best career choices in 2019- that is if you’re in the right city. If you’re still at the beginning of this career path or have no problem with relocating for a more successful real estate business, why not work in one of the best places to be a real estate agent?

Important Factors to Consider When Choosing a Location in the US Housing Market

The best market for your real estate career depends on what your career actually is. Real estate investors, for example, look at different factors than real estate agents. So what are the key variables which indicate the best place to be a realtor? Here are a couple:

Real estate agent salary (median compensation)
Home turnover rate (how many homes sold in that real estate market the prior year)
Change in median sales price
Competition from other agents in the market
The ratio of the average home sale price to its list price
Level of job opportunity for a real estate agent career

When looking for the best cities for real estate agents, you need to study potential markets and be well-informed on their conditions in order to choose the right one for your career. This means not just looking at the current hottest real estate markets and choosing them, but also looking at their historic trends to determine how consistently they maintain positive performance. A WalletHub study analyzed how attractive certain markets within the US are and chose the best locations for residential real estate agents. Conducting their analysis using 19 key indicators of a healthy real estate market, 179 cities were included in the study.

If you’re looking to boost your real estate agent career, then you should take a look at the results. With that being said, let’s see which locations are the 10 best cities for real estate agents in 2019. (We’ll start with number 10 and work our way down to the best city for real estate agents).

10) Phoenix, AZ

Results for the Phoenix real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 55.99
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 28
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 16
Annual Job Growth: 2.72%

According to Salary.com, real estate agents in Phoenix make, on average, $41,356 a year. The city has a median home price of $242,100, which has gone up 4.5 percent since last year. Average sale price is $262,000, which is 2.7 percent higher than last year’s average. It’s one of the best cities for real estate agents because according to Zillow, it’s currently a hot seller’s market. Homes for sale close at a price 2 percent below listing and are off the market in about 42 days. This combined with all of the other factors mentioned make it a great location for finding buyer leads and being a real estate agent.

9) Washington, D.C.

Results for the Washington real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 56.96
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 6
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 38
Annual Job Growth: 0.90%

Washington has one of the strongest job markets in the nation, and this is true not only for politicians but also for real estate agents. The average annual salary of $46,423 combined with the market’s high score for agent opportunity, makes it one of the best cities for real estate agents. The median home value is down 0.4 percent and is currently $563,200. The average sales price is much higher in this hot seller’s market, up 0.84 percent since last year reaching $600,000. With residential real estate selling around list price and only spending an average of 9 days on the market, there is definitely strong lead generation potential for agents in this real estate market.

8) Boston, MA

Results for the Boston real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 57.13
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 5
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 53
Annual Job Growth: 1.19%

Real estate agents will be selling Boston homes for sale in an average of 12 days. These properties are closed on at around listing price which is on average, $709,000. The median home value in Boston has gone up 2.5 percent and is currently $594,600. The Boston metro area ranked in at #33 for the Forbes best places for business and careers.

7) Fremont, CA

Results for the Fremont real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 57.49
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 27
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 3
Annual Job Growth: 2.59%

Fremont is definitely one of the booming real estate markets in 2019. The overall healthy market trends it’s experiencing make it one of the best real estate markets for agents. The average salary of $50,818 for real estate agents is already pretty high, but with the median home value at $1,097,800, agents can expect some serious real estate commission by selling Fremont residential properties. Homes typically sell 1 percent above list price and get off the market in 16 days.

6) Denver, CO

Results for the Denver real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 57.64
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 25
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 2
Annual Job Growth: 1.51%

Denver is truly one of the best cities for real estate agents. It is the 4th best place for business and careers on the Forbes list and has the second strongest real estate market out of the 179 cities included in the analysis. The annual salary is $42,208 and homes sell at an average price of $440,000 (which is 4.8 percent higher than last year).

5) San Jose, CA

Results for the San Jose real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 58.08
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 16
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 7
Annual Job Growth: 2.51%

The biggest city in California’s Bay Area, San Jose is one of the best places for real estate agents. The median home value is over $1M and with a lot of inventory on the market, real estate agents can find some serious seller leads. Homes sell for about 1 percent above list price (average of $1.02M) and get off the market in 25 days. California seems to be having some of the highest-paid real estate agents as annual salary in San Jose is $50,918, whereas most of the other cities on this list have averaged in the $40K range.

4) Oakland, CA

Results for the Oakland real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 58.30
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 9
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 13
Annual Job Growth: 1.47%

A very hot market, Oakland homes have an average selling price of $825,000 which is 8.6 percent higher than last year. If that value boost isn’t enough, homes also typically sell at about 12 percent more than their list price. This is a very competitive market, so if you want in on the heat, get your real estate agent license and start working in one of the best cities for real estate agents.

3) San Francisco, CA

Results for the San Francisco real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 62.07
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 4
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 18
Annual Job Growth: 2.59%

Real estate clients for agents in the San Francisco housing market will be giving you some serious commission when you’re selling their homes valued at $1,362,200. Homes are selling at about 10 percent above list price, and hot homes can go as high as 22 percent above list price. On average, real estate agents in San Francisco make $52,587.

2) Salem, OR

Results for the Salem real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 63.74
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 3
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 8
Annual Job Growth: 1.91%

The runnerup for the best market for real estate agents is Salem, OR. It’s a city full of real estate opportunity and agents should seriously consider it as the new home for their real estate business. Median home value jumped 8.1 percent since last year and is currently at $284,300.

1) Seattle, WA

Results for the Seattle real estate market:

Total Score out of 100: 64.28
Rank for Agent Opportunity and Competition out of 179 Cities: 1
Rank for Real Estate Market Health out of 179 Cities: 12
Annual Job Growth: 2.59%

This is the most competitive market and got first place for real estate agent opportunity, in addition to other factors making it the best city for real estate agents. Homes sell around list price and only spend a short amount of time on the market (average of 10 days, hot home selling in 6 days). Real estate agents can expect an average salary of $45,799.

This is a big business in the real estate market and if you want to come out on top, you need to work in the best cities for real estate agents.

Need help finding qualified real estate clients in these markets? Use Mashboard to instantly qualify leads, match them to the right property, and close sales quickly.

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