real estate jobs

30 Best Paying Jobs in Real Estate

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Today there are more than 5 million people working in various parts of the real estate industry in the United States. Real estate has many wide-ranging career opportunities associated with it, both directly and indirectly. Many real estate jobs require licensing—such as a real estate license, continuing education, or other certifications or degrees. Below we outline the different types of real estate jobs available today, as well as the typical real estate salary or income associated with each.

Types of available real estate jobs

Real estate careers can be associated with the financial side of the industry by way of a mortgage brokerage, loan processing, underwriting, credit analysis, foreclosure management, loan funding, and investment. There are also a number of important and high-paying jobs available on the title insurance, appraisal, escrow, property management, and legal sides of the business, in addition to residential and commercial brokerage sales.

What can you expect from a real estate agent salary? Find out more in our free Real Estate Agent Income Guide.

30 jobs in real estate industry

Let’s take a look at the salary or income opportunity for thirty different real estate jobs available. In this context, the term “salary” might also include commissions and bonuses. The usual range, unless otherwise noted, includes salaries from the 25th to 75th percentiles:

  1. Appraiser (residential): The median annual salary is $55,483 with a salary range usually between $45,713 and $64,115.
  2. Appraiser (commercial): The median annual salary for an appraiser who works in the commercial sector is $103,932 with a range usually between $89,394 and $119,222.
  3. Commercial leasing manager: The median annual salary is $116,429 with a range usually between $87,792 and $162,129.
  4. Commercial real estate broker: The average annual salary is reported by Glassdoor.com to be $79,590, but annual incomes in this field can vary dramatically, going as high as several million dollars per year, depending upon the annual closings. Total pay usually falls between $41,000 and $156,000.
  5. Commercial real estate loan officer: The median annual salary nationally for a lower-level loan officer is $82,000, with a salary range between $70,900 and $94,600. A senior loan officer’s median salary is $104,400. The sale of just one multi-million dollar commercial property per year can generate over $63,000 in commission income alone.
  6. Community development manager: The median annual salary range is $116,100 with a range typically between $100,190 and $134,051.
  7. Compliance specialist: The median annual salary for an entry-level compliance specialist is $58,103 with the standard range between $51,837 and $66,220. More senior compliance specialists average $61,188 to $83,075, with a median of $71,289.
  8. Escrow officer: The median annual salary is $50,173 with a standard range between $40,608 and $60,823. Escrow company owners can earn several hundred thousand to well over a million dollars per year in income with enough steady escrow closing volume.
  9. Foreclosure specialist: The median reported annual salary is $44,616, typically ranging between $37,514 and $53,454.
  10. Land administration manager: The median annual salary is $169,063, typically ranging between $153,822 and $189,341.
  11. Leasing consultant: The median salary nationally, early in a consultant’s career, is $31,072, typically ranging between $28,087 and $34,497.
  12. Lease administrator: The median reported salary is $54,136 with incomes frequently ranging from $47,854 to $69,522.
  13. Lease administration manager: The median annual salary is $54,136 with incomes frequently ranging between $47,854 and $69,522.
  14. Mortgage collection manager: The median reported starting salary nationally is $84,079, typically ranging between $68,947 and $97,439.
  15. Mortgage credit analyst (Level I – newer employee): The median salary is $56,362; the typical range is $46,555 to $65,754. For a senior mortgage credit analyst, the median annual salary is $62,817, typically ranging between $56,735 and $70,373.
  16. Mortgage loan officer (Level I – starting level): The median annual salary is $44,330 for a newly employed loan officer with a typical range between $36,237 and $53,931. Median salary for a senior mortgage loan officer is $78,155.
  17. Mortgage loan processor (Level I): The median annual entry-level salary is $35,100 with ranges between $33,799 and $43,900.
  18. Mortgage loan processing manager: The median reported annual salary is $95,240 with most salaries ranging between $81,289 and $106,692.
  19. Real estate attorney: The median reported salary is $151,865; the standard range is $132,426 to $168,266.
  20. Real estate consultant: The median reported annual salary is $61,719 with a standard range between $53,237 and $71,968.
  21. Property manager: The median annual salary is $101,234; the standard range is $87,882 to $116,471.
  22. Residential property manager: The median reported annual salary is $65,516; the standard range is $58,481 to $73,766.
  23. Retail real estate manager: The median annual salary is $130,086; standard range is $109,298 to $150,766.
  24. Real estate zoning manager: The median annual salary is $116,533; standard range is $103,645 to $129,606.
  25. Real estate sales agent: The average annual income for a real estate agent in the U.S. is $43,076, with a standard range of $42,081 to $54,791, but top producers can earn far more.
  26. Real estate and relocation director: The average annual reported salary is $157,821 with a typical range of $134,183 to $196,392.
  27. Title examiner: The reported annual salary is $42,328 with a standard range of $39,259 to $45,275.
  28. Top mortgage loan servicing manager: The median annual salary is $161,743 with a typical range of $135,248 to $278,971.
  29. Top commercial real estate executive: The median reported annual salary is $303,906 with a standard range of $261,119 and $374,025. The job functions can include overseeing a commercial real estate firm’s agents as well as planning and directing policies and objectives for the entire firm.
  30. Top retail real estate executive: The median annual salary is $288,090; the standard range is $237,749 to $366,445.

How to get started in real estate

Ready to start a new and exciting career in real estate? If you’re interested in becoming a real estate agent, the first step is to take your real estate pre-licensing courses. We also recommend downloading the following free resources from our website, which will walk you through information on real estate licensing, income, and start-up costs:

* Sources include salary.com, payscale.com, monster.com, 2020-2021 Real Estate Agent Income Guide and the National Association of REALTORS (NAR).