Tech, business and creative · Ohio
Real estate agent: what the job actually is
Helping people buy, sell or rent homes and buildings, and doing a great deal of unpaid work before any deal closes.
By Nick Gonzalez, founder, U.S. Air Force veteranChecked against official Ohio sources Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025
The work
What this job actually is
- Finding clients. Before anything else, most new agents spend months asking everyone they know for business.
- Showing homes on evenings and weekends, because that is when buyers are free.
- Paperwork and deadlines: contracts, inspections, appraisals and financing, all of which can fall apart.
- Negotiating for your client, then keeping everyone calm when something goes wrong a week before closing.
- Uneven income. Agents are usually paid when a deal closes, and deals do not close on a schedule.
A Tuesday
What a normal day looks like
Not a good day or a bad one. The ordinary version, which is what you would actually be living.
- 8:30: Reply to messages from buyers who saw new listings overnight.
- 9:30: Call past clients and friends to ask whether anyone they know is moving.
- 11:00: Meet a seller to walk through their house and talk about price. They think it is worth more.
- 12:30: Lunch while you check an inspection report for a deal that is under contract.
- 2:00: The buyer's lender needs another document. You chase it down.
- 5:30: Show three homes to a young family. They like none of them.
- 8:00: Write up an offer for a different buyer, because evenings are when people decide.
Honestly
Who loves this, and who should not do it
- You like people and do not mind talking to strangers.
- You want to control your own schedule and income.
- You stay organized with many deadlines at once.
- You find houses and neighborhoods interesting.
- You need a steady paycheck. Early income can be very uneven.
- You want your evenings and weekends free.
- You do not like asking people for business.
- Stressful moments, like a deal falling apart, would keep you up at night.
The route in
How you actually get there in Ohio
Wait until 18 and finish high school
To get an Ohio real estate salesperson license you must be at least 18, have a high school diploma or equivalent, and be a U.S. citizen or legal alien.Take 100 hours of prelicensing courses
Real Estate Principles and Practices (40 hours), Ohio Real Estate Law (40 hours), Real Estate Appraisal (10 hours) and Real Estate Finance (10 hours), from a school that awards at least a two-year degree, in a classroom or online. This dropped from 120 hours in April 2025.Find a sponsoring broker and apply
You must be sponsored by an Ohio broker. You apply to the Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing and complete state and FBI background checks.Pass both exams
You must pass both the state and national portions of the Ohio salesperson exam.Finish post-licensing education in your first year
Within 12 months of getting your license you must complete 20 hours of approved post-licensing instruction, or your license is suspended automatically.
While you are still in high school
- Look for a Finance career-tech program; Ohio's Finance career field includes real estate.
- Join Ohio DECA, Ohio FBLA or Business Professionals of America to practice selling and presenting.
- Take business courses through College Credit Plus, free for public school students at a public Ohio college.
- Get a customer-facing part-time job. Real estate is mostly about people.
Where this comes from: Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing: Requirements for a salesperson's license · Ohio Division of Real Estate and Professional Licensing: Requirements for a broker's license · Ohio Revised Code 4735.09: Salesperson license and post-licensing education · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: Finance career field · Ohio DECA · Ohio Department of Education and Workforce: College Credit Plus (cost for public school students). Rules change, so check the official page before you rely on a detail.
The money
What it pays in Ohio
Last on purpose. Pay matters, but it is a bad reason to pick a job you would dislike for thirty years.
- $46,240
- Median pay in Ohio, a year
- $22.23
- Median pay in Ohio, an hour
- 5,130
- People doing this job in Ohio
Most people in Ohio earn between $29,990 (the lowest-paid tenth, usually new starters) and $96,840 (the highest-paid tenth) a year.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Ohio. Median means half earn more and half earn less.
Try it this week
Price a house like an agent
Pick a house for sale in your town on a free listing website.
Find three similar homes nearby that sold recently: similar size, age and number of bedrooms.
Decide what you think the house is really worth and write down why.
Watch for a few weeks to see whether the price drops or it sells fast.
Questions to ask somebody who does it
- How long did it take you to close your first deal?
- How do you find clients now?
- How many evenings and weekends do you work?
- What does your broker do for you, and what do you pay for yourself?
- What makes a deal fall apart?
Can you own one?
Yes, with a broker's license. In Ohio you need to have held an active salesperson license for at least two of the last five years, completed 20 qualifying transactions, finished additional coursework, and passed the state and national broker exams. A broker can open their own brokerage and sponsor other agents.
Thinking about it? How to start a business in Ohio and the free Business 101 course are the place to begin.
Questions
Quick answers
- How much does a real estate agent make in Ohio?
- The median pay for a real estate agent in Ohio is $46,240 a year ($22.23 an hour), according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for May 2025. Most people earn between $29,990 and $96,840.
- How do you become a real estate agent in Ohio?
- Wait until 18 and finish high school. Take 100 hours of prelicensing courses. Find a sponsoring broker and apply. Pass both exams. Finish post-licensing education in your first year.
- Can you own your own business as a real estate agent in Ohio?
- Yes, with a broker's license. In Ohio you need to have held an active salesperson license for at least two of the last five years, completed 20 qualifying transactions, finished additional coursework, and passed the state and national broker exams. A broker can open their own brokerage and sponsor other agents.
Close cousins
Jobs like this one
- Sales representativeSelling a company's products to other businesses, keeping those customers happy, and living with a number you are expected to hit every month.$73,960 a year
- Marketing specialistFiguring out who might buy something, what would make them notice it, and then checking the numbers to see whether it actually worked.$72,790 a year
- Construction managerRunning construction projects: keeping the schedule, the budget, the crews and the safety plan on track from groundbreaking to handover.$101,980 a year
Still deciding?
Start with you, then look at the work
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