Real Estate Agent Resume Samples & Writing Guide

You scour local property listings. Represent them to prospective buyers so well they don’t want to leave. But it’s a buyers’ market. The competition is as fierce as Million Dollar Listing New York. Your real estate resume should have “I live to see the joy on the new homeowners’ faces as I hand them the keys” all over it!

Well, you got it. Just as you take clients from open house to closing, we'll walk you through writing a winning resume for real estate jobs from A to Z.

This real estate resume guide will show you:

• A real estate resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a real estate resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a real estate resume.
• How to describe experience on a resume for real estate agents to get any job you want.
• How to list real estate license on resumes for realtors and real estate agents

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

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Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume examples here.

 If you'd like to see other resumes in the real estate sector, check out these helpful guides:

• Property Manager Resume Sample
• Leasing Agent Resume Sample & Writing Guide
• Claims Adjuster Resume: Sample & Full Writing Guide
• Leasing Consultant Resume: Sample & Guide

Still need more examples? See:

• The Best Resume Examples for All Jobs

Also remember having a perfect Real Estate Cover Letter can boost your chance to get the job!

1

What’s the Best Format for a Real Estate Resume?

Before you show a home, you've got to prepare it with inspections, a cleanup, and some choice decorations.

It's similar here on a real estate resume—

You need to choose the right real estate resume format before you start writing.

One that will get on with them like a house on fire.

Pro Tip: Is real estate your passion, but you’re not sold on selling it for a living? Perhaps you want to transition from real estate brokering to property management? Read our guide on writing the perfect property management resume.

How to Format a Real Estate Resume with Experience

Have you been employed in real estate before?

Then the reverse-chronological format is best for your experienced real estate agent resume.

Why is that?

This common resume format emphasizes your real estate duties, selling experience, and work history.

You’ll list your most recent work positions first and go back through past jobs in reverse-chronological order from there.

As the most standard format, it tends to be the easiest to read and scan - for hiring managers at the real estate agency and applicant tracking systems (ATS) alike. More on the ATS later, though.

How to Format a Real Estate Resume with No Experience

But, what if you have a real estate agent resume with no job experience?

Well, here’s the thing: you might not have experience for this job, but you have experience relevant to the job.

On an entry-level real estate resume, you’ll still list other jobs you’ve held in reverse-chronological order.

However, this time you won’t talk about your professional agent duties and responsibilities.

Rather, you’ll highlight relevant skills and achievements from past jobs in bullet points, neatly aligned like the houses on Main St.

List them under relevant subheadings like: Communication Skills.

This is the so-called combination resume format. But more on that in our guide.

Pick and choose transferable skills to match the real estate job description from the ad.

Have no work experience at all? Not to worry! You can start out by writing an unlicensed real estate assistant resume. In this case, the education section moves to the top, followed by other sections (e.g., volunteering, languages), which we’ll talk about more in just a moment.

Next, save your resume as a PDF. The real estate resume PDF format keeps the layout in shape.

Want to make sure your resume will hook every recruiter and get you that interview? Get our free checklist and learn what makes a job-winning resume: 46 Things You Need To Do Before You Send Your Resume.

Pro Tip: Check the job posting to make sure PDFs are OK. Some Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) can clog like an old home’s pipes on a PDF-formatted resume. The ATS scans for keywords, and if it can’t read your file, it’ll assume you can’t do anything right.

Not entirely sure about the reverse-chronological format for your real estate resume? See our guide: "3 Resume Formats: How to Choose the Best One [Examples]"

You want the employer to love your resume the same way newlyweds love their new home.

So—

You need the best real estate resume objective or resume summary.

But which heading statement is right for you?

Example Real Estate Resume Summary

Have you worked amongst professional brokers and estate agents?

Go with the resume summary.

The summary statement breaks down your real estate experience, talks up your property flipping skills, and promotes your candidacy with a verifiable achievement.

Here’s an example of an experienced real estate agent resume summary:

In the wrong resume summary example, you merely give several real estate duties.

The right one, however, turns it up a notch by including a numbered achievement to prove your skills.

An area of a real estate resume that is often neglected is that of showing what client relationships were built and how. The importance of maintaining long-term clients can sometimes be more important than obtaining new clients so consider including client retention or referral rates. It's also important to add value to clients to keep them on board so if you've blogged or created a newsletter with market information and expert advice, be sure to mention it.

Kelvin Elliott

Director at Yes Homebuyers

Example Real Estate Agent Resume Objective

Go with the resume objective if you're applying as a first-time agent. 

The objective statement promotes your residential or commercial career goals to replace the lack of experience. But it, too, includes a quantifiable accomplishment to verify your suitability. 

Here’s an example objective statement on a real estate consultant resume without experience:

Just like in our summary example, an objective statement with numbers is way more effective for any real estate job.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

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When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

Seeking more examples of a resume summary or resume objective for realtors and real estate agents? Check out our guides: “How To Write A Resume Summary: 21 Best Examples You Will See” and “20+ Resume Objective Examples - Use Them On Your Resume (Tips)”

“Welcome to the neighborhood; we’re glad to have you!”

That’s not only what you’d like to tell your clients when they purchase a property from you. It’s also the reaction you hope to get from the agency after they look at your professional real estate agent resume.

So, time to talk up your employment experience in a way which brings down the house.

Real Estate Resume with Experience:

Held a residential, commercial, or industrial real estate position before?

You have the upper hand, then, but you'll still have to relay your past work history in a way that is relevant to the real estate job.

Take a look at these creative real estate resume job description examples:

Notice the differences here?

The wrong example is how many real estate job candidates format their job description, but it's too basic and ineffectual. 

The right example, though, details the real estate job description in an interesting way, and it goes further by adding those numbered achievements at the end.

Trade Trifles & Trivia: A real estate agent resume is not the same as a realtor resume. Though people often use these terms synonymously, a realtor is someone who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS (NAR), while real estate agents are simply licensed in a particular location to see real estate properties.

Real Estate Resume Without Experience:

If you've never worked in real estate before, you'll have to show the boss that you’re someone to write home about:

See that?

If you haven't worked to sell homes in real estate before, you simply need to list the most real estate-relevant job duties from your past employment.

Need ideas for the best real estate resume achievements? Check out this guide: How to Put Achievements on a Resume

Many prospective agents deem the education section as a waste of resume real estate.

Don't neglect it, though.

Most real estate jobs require at least an associate degree, and even higher if you're seeking a managerial role.

So, on a full-time or part-time real estate resume—

Here’s how to document a completed degree:

Bachelor's of Arts in Property Management

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

Completion: 2012

And—

Here’s how to list an in-progress degree:

Majoring in Commercial Property Management

University of Arizona, Phoenix, AZ

Expected Graduation: 2021

And what if all you have is your high school diploma?

Not to worry!

List your high school, styling it like this:

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology

Alexandria, Virginia

Graduated in 2004

Pro Tip: Don't add your high school on your resume for real estate jobs if you have a completed college degree.

Want more ways to make the best use of your real estate resume education area? Then check out: “How to Put Your Education on a Resume [Tips & Examples]”

There are two things which cause a real estate agency manager to sit up straight:

Closing on the most expensive house in the neighborhood, and...

An awesome real estate resume.

That's where the real estate skills list comes in.

Like the list of properties you’ll print out for a potential buyer, real estate skills are important, but only relevant and appropriate ones. You don’t include apartments if the buyer only wants a single-family house.

What are some skills for real estate and realtor resumes?

Here are the basic real estate and realtor skills:

But, you mustn't simply take this list of generic real estate skills and add it to your resume.

Instead—

Browse the real estate job ad as you would the MLS database. However, rather than finding the perfect starter home, look in the job requirements and take note of specific keywords of skills and abilities they're searching for.

Here's an example of real estate responsibilities you can pluck from a job ad:

Now, let's turn it into a skills list for a real estate resume:

How about that?

If you didn't pay attention to the job ad, you'll list real estate skills, sure. But, you won't list the real estate skills that this particular agency is searching for.

Pro Tip: Sold a house? Or did you close on a delightful detached, single-family home? Use powerful action verbs and descriptive wording to enhance your resume's appeal.

Want more tips for writing the best real estate resume skills list? See our guide: “30+ Best Examples of What Skills to Put on a Resume (Proven Tips)”

Trade Trifles & Trivia: There is no one realtor resume, as a realtor is simply a member of the National Association of REALTORS (NAR). A realtor resume might actually be a real estate broker resume, a real estate manager resume, a real estate appraiser resume, or something else.

By now, you have a solid real estate resume.

However, those were only the core sections, which all the other job candidates will include, as well.

So—

Add one or two additional sections to round out your resume and allow you to stand out above the other applicants:

Certifications

Every real estate agent needs to be licensed and/or certified, whether in their state, city, or region.

Here’s how to add real estate licenses to resumes for agents:

Volunteer Experience

Volunteer work always looks awesome.

However, only list it if it's relevant to real estate jobs:

Hobbies & Interests

If you have a particular interest or hobby which makes sense on a resume for real estate agents, add it!

Here's an example:

Languages

Proficiency in another language may be required in neighborhoods with a large immigrant population, for example. 

Need more examples of hobbies and interests which work well on real estate resumes? Still not sure if you even want to add extra sections? Read our guide: “20+ Best Examples of Hobbies & Interests To Put on a Resume (5 Tips)”

Would you close on a house sale and not give the nice family keys?

A resume with no cover letter attached is similarly not ready to hand over.

Here is how to write a real estate cover letter they’ll admire:

• Just like in your resume, learn how to format a cover letter before you start writing.
• Address the realtor cover letter correctly: your details first (top-left), followed by the date, and then the contact details of the real estate agency.
• Open the cover letter with a strong, compelling introductory paragraph.
• Tell the agency manager why you're the best real estate consultant for the job.
• Explain to them why this is the best agency to work for. Show some enthusiasm!
• Prove you're the ideal applicant by adding several quantifiable wins.
• End the cover letter with a call to action.

Pro Tip: A postscript after your signature on a real estate cover letter is a nifty little trick to grab their attention once more before they move on.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

Did you know that our resume builder doubles as a cover letter builder and will also help you write a professional cover letter for a real estate job? For more, read our cover letter tips or find out exactly what to include on a cover letter.

Trade Trifles & Trivia: The realtor description from the National Association of REALTORS (NAR) states that a member must adhere to the 17 Articles in the REALTOR Code of Ethics. If you aren’t familiar, you are probably not writing a resume for realtors, but rather a resume for real estate agents.

Now you have a spectacular real estate resume.

Let's sum it all up—

This is how to write a real estate resume sure to get you an interview:

• Start by formatting the resume before you begin writing.
• Use a powerful heading statement to captivate them (resume summary or objective).
• Talk up your previous work experience using related duties and verifiable accomplishments.
• Document your education without adding high school if you've completed college.
• Add choice realtor skills by looking at the real estate job ad first.
• Include extra sections as appropriate, such as real estate licenses or certifications.
• Don't forget to attach a real estate cover letter! 

Do you have any questions on how to write a real estate resume? Not sure how to describe your real estate skills or property-selling achievements? Get at us in the comments below and we will answer your question. Thanks for reading!