Hard sale: Median income $24,900 for agents

The housing market has been tough for many Realtors, with the median income declining 4.5 percent to $34,100 last year, which followed a 3 percent decline in 2009, according to the 2011 National Association of Realtors Member Profile.

Members licensed as brokers earned a median of $48,700 in 2010, while sales agents earned $24,900.

Members said the most important factor keeping potential clients from completing a transaction was difficulty in obtaining a mortgage, cited by one-third of respondents.

“This underscores the importance of mortgage availability to creditworthy home buyers, and the need to return to the safe, sensible underwriting standards that were in place before irresponsible lending led to the boom and bust cycle,” said Ron Phipps, NAR president.

NAR is the nation’s largest trade association and has approximately 1.1 million members. Not all real estate salespersons are members.

NAR members in the business for two years or less earned a median of $8,900, while those in the business for 16 years or more earned $47,100. Sixteen percent earned a six-figure income.

Fourteen percent of Realtors work fewer than 20 hours per week, 30 percent work 20 to 39 hours per week, 41 percent work 40 to 59 hours and 15 percent work 60 hours per week or more, the survey revealed.

Median Realtor household income, which includes business income, any secondary income and spousal or partner income, was $91,700 – greater than the national median of $50,000.