Real Estate Agents and Realtors

Curious about Realtors?

We write regular articles about average real estate agent commission rates, the number of real estate agents working in the Portland metro area, the difference between different types of local real estate licenses, where to find the best real estate agent reviews, best questions to ask when interviewing local agents, and much more. Enjoy!

Learn How to Become a Licensed Real Estate Agent in Oregon – 2020 Update

August 14, 2020

Why should I read your guide to getting licensed? I run a top 250 real estate team in the U.S. according to Real Trends. Personally I got licensed in Oregon in 2003 as a Broker, then later upgraded to a Principal Broker’s licensed and have also obtained the highest level of license in Washington, Managing Broker. I’ve overseen more than a thousand local sales. In addition to all of that, it would be because I run this website which produces annual, local real estate market research reports on the topics you would want to know before becoming a licensed agent in Oregon, and follow after you are one. I have a genuine passion for the industry, my clients, my fellow...

How much do Real Estate Agents Make? 2020 Update

August 7, 2020

The National Association of Realtors puts out a Member Profile Report nearly every year that spells out exactly how much real estate agents make, or in this case since they are all members, how much Realtors make. Confused as to the difference? Read our article on Agent vs. Broker vs. Realtor. In 2020 the median gross income of Realtors was $49,700 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 34900 43500 47700 45800 39200 42500 39800 41800 49700 Realtor Income Hasn’t Changed Much I will tell you exactly why this is the case. It might surprise our readers but real estate commission rates haven’t changed much over the last ten years (see our 2020 national average commission rates report...

Every Real Estate Agent should join eXp Realty – 5 Reasons Why

July 31, 2020

Okay, I know that is a bold title. But I honestly do believe every real estate agent, or nearly (we can leave out a few bad apples) should join eXp Realty. I’ve been licensed in Oregon since 2003 as a Broker initially and as a Principal Broker today. In the those last 17 or so years I’ve been a part of a (single) handful of Realty companies and have been recruited by most in town at one point or another. Let’s be honest to start, there are plenty of good Realty companies in and around Oregon and southern Washington. I have very particular reasons to share why I’m at eXp Realty and why I believe any other good real estate...

Average Real Estate Commission, Buyers Agent Rates – 2020 Report

July 24, 2020

When people think of real estate commission, they often think of 6%, 5%, or 4.5% (what we charge as our max. rate). The public is not generally in their mind dividing commission between the sellers agent and buyers agent. But in the vast majority of real estate transactions the commission is split between those two agents, and it is not typically split 50 / 50 like many would assume. No, each area has its own majority commission rate that is offered to the buyer’s agent. All real estate commissions are negotiable, what I’m providing here is research on the local commission rates offered in Portland, Oregon using the data available from RMLS, our local MLS provider where buyers agent commission...

Home Value Estimates – Online vs. Realtor

July 20, 2020

Online Home Value Estimates are Fast and Hassle Free There is no reason not check your home value online on occasion. In most cases the online value will be in the general range of its real estate market value. However, when you’re getting ready to sell, say anytime in the 12 months prior, you should have a professional, a top real estate agent come out and see your home and give a true value. Online estimates, even in 2020, are not at all close to the actual homes value! See our report on Zillow Zestimates in 2020, and how off they are (and how Zillow cheats to make them look better then they are). While there are more sources for...

Real Estate Commission Report – 2020 National Average

July 17, 2020

Real estate commission data is hard to come by. One of my goals as a real estate agent in Portland is to educate the public and provide transparency within the real estate industry on a number of topics – including commissions. Most of the information you can find online is dated or summary in nature, many without proper references. Realogy Brokerage Group has, “As of December 31, 2019, approximately 710 company owned brokerage offices and approximately 52,200 independent sales agents working with these company owned offices.” They report that their average commission per side was 2.41%, which would equal a 4.82% commission rate for the seller (since the seller typically pays both sides of the commission and the buyer does...

5 Questions to ask a Realtor in an Interview

June 26, 2020

Selling a home is one of the most important financial decisions a person makes during their lifetime, even if they make it multiple times. A good Realtor can make the experience stress free and enjoyable (or as enjoyable as possible) and financially rewarding. But how do you know if a Realtor will perform, how do you know if they are a good fit? Questions to ask a Realtor during an interview: 1. What are the exact terms of your cancellation policy? Okay, so maybe you didn’t expect this to be the first question. But honestly I think it should be. Let’s say you went through the interview process and the real estate agent told you everything you wanted to hear...

Top Real Estate Agent Review Sites: 2020 Update

December 13, 2019

For a long time, unverified online reviews were the bane of the real estate agent’s existence! Now it’s almost 2020, and we can finally celebrate the fact that actual customers are voicing their opinions online, creating a merit-based system in which the best real estate agents win. However, the saavy real estate agent chooser should know where to look, because fake reviews are still out there (and we’ve been hit ourselves with some bogus spam reviews from people who simply don’t exist. So where’s the best place to find verified reviews of real estate agents from people who actually worked with them? We’re glad you asked! If you’re simply looking for reviews on the Stephen FitzMaurice Team, you can find...

How Many Real Estate Agents Are There? 2019 Update

September 20, 2019

Number of Real Estate Agents in the United States According to the National Association of Realtors 2019 Monthly Membership report, membership hit a historic high in August of 2019 at 1,393,186 Realtors. Now Realtors are real estate agents who are members of NAR and adhere to the NAR code of ethics and pay their membership dues. I cannot find any number on the count of real estate agents (licensed with their state) that are also not actually Realtors, but I imagine the number is less than 1%. For the 16 years I’ve been licensed I’ve never met a single one. Every Realty company I’ve run across makes NAR membership, Realtor membership a requirement for the licensed real estate agents in...

Real Estate Agent Reviews Guide – 2019 Update

June 3, 2019

Find the best sites for Realtor Reviews Frankly it is incredible how many places you can find real estate agent reviews online. But which sites should you trust? Does anyone verify that the reviews are from real clients? And it may surprise you to know that sometimes looking for Realtor reviews can cost you money! Read to the end for those important details. 1. Zillow’s Agent Finder Zillow drives real estate agents crazy sometimes because it tends to have a lot of data errors for home buyers searching their site, while other major home buying search portals, like Realtor.com, tend to be more accurate. But when it comes to real estate agent reviews – I’m grateful for Zillow and we...

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Stephen FitzMaurice

Team with eXp Realty