Ohio Real Estate Agent Demographics and Job Satisfaction: Insights from a Recent Survey

Switching careers can feel challenging, regardless of your stage of life. However, if you’re contemplating a move into real estate, it’s encouraging to know that most agents earn their licenses after working in other fields. A recent survey on real estate agent demographics provides insightful data that may ease your concerns about transitioning to the industry. (Check out the average first-year salary of real estate agents in Ohio.)

Here’s a closer look at the typical profile of individuals entering the real estate field in Ohio. Data collected at the end of 2023 shows that new agents come from diverse age groups and educational backgrounds.

Key Takeaways

• A recent survey reveals that Ohio’s prospective real estate agents come from a variety of age groups, backgrounds, and career paths, with most in their late 30s to early 40s, but a significant portion also from younger age groups.
• Current real estate agents report high job satisfaction, with 92% confident they’ll stay in the industry for at least two more years, and 75% identifying real estate as their primary occupation.
• Ohioans are drawn to real estate for its income potential, flexibility, desire to help people, and the appeal of being their own boss, leading to a boost in career satisfaction.

Overview of Current Real Estate Agent Job Satisfaction

Before diving into the survey results for those pivoting to real estate, let’s review the career outlook for active, experienced agents, as provided by the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR).

According to the 2024 NAR Member Profile Highlights, 73% of respondents were certain (and 19% somewhat certain) that they would remain active in the real estate profession for the next two years. So, 92% of current agents feel optimistic enough about the industry to stay active as a real estate professional. It’s safe to say that real estate agent job satisfaction is high.

Additionally, 75% of those surveyed stated real estate was their primary occupation, with 51% indicating that real estate earnings were the primary income source for their household.

This data underscores that real estate agent job satisfaction remains high, even amidst recent changes brought on by the NAR lawsuit settlement.

While the career satisfaction data isn’t available specifically for Ohio real estate agents, the housing market in the Buckeye State is strong. According to Zillow, home values are up 5.3% year over year. Homes moved to pending status in a median of 9 days as of September 2024, indicating swift sales and high demand. In addition, with 42.1% of sales exceeding the list price as of August 2024, there’s evidence of competitive bidding among buyers.

Survey Overview of Prospective Real Estate Agents in Ohio

A survey conducted in November 2023 among individuals who purchased or planned to purchase a real estate education program reveals that a broad range of age groups and career backgrounds are interested in entering the profession.

New Real Estate Agent Demographics in Ohio

Here’s what we learned about aspiring real estate agents in Ohio.

You’re not too young or too old for real estate! Agents from many different age groups find success in the field. While most prospective agents are in their late thirties or early forties, 22% of those surveyed were between 18 and 24 years old.

Most real estate students maintain full-time jobs while taking their real estate courses, but only 9% currently work in real estate in a role that doesn’t require a license. This means that real estate students come from various employment backgrounds. Many Ohio real estate students come from education (13%), healthcare (13%), or service industries (13%).

You don’t need a college degree to become a real estate agent. However, you do need to complete Ohio real estate classes.  Your qualifying education can be completed in person, through a livestream class, or at your own pace online.

Real Estate Career Plans

Many prospective or newly licensed real estate agents are fairly certain they’ll pursue real estate as their sole source of income. However, data shows that real estate can be a profitable part-time venture.

Reasons Why People Want to Earn an Ohio Real Estate License

Why do current agents report high career satisfaction? What motivates Ohioans to leave other industries to become a real estate agent? According to our report, the top reasons include:

• Income potential
• Flexibility
• Want to help people
• Love of houses
• Opportunity to be their own boss
• Boost in career satisfaction

Why do you want to become a real estate agent in Ohio?

Whatever your reasons, you can get your license quickly by taking online real estate courses through Hondros College.