When it comes to buying or selling real estate, location matters, but does where you live impact your success as a real estate agent? It might.
According to a study by WalletHub, success as a real estate agent depends on more than just your personality and where you complete your real estate training. The city where you work can have an effect on your success and happiness as a real estate agent.
The study looked at more than 170 cities and compared 22 different factors to narrow down the best places to become a real estate professional. So, where is the best place in the U.S. to be a real estate agent? Here's what the research says.
The Best Place to Be a Real Estate Agent, According to Research
To determine the best places for real estate agents, WalletHub looked at two main categories: job opportunities and competition and real estate market health. After crunching the numbers, they were able to find the best — and the worst — places to be a real estate agent.
Top 5 Overall Cities to Be a Real Estate Agent
If you are considering earning your real estate license, check out these five cities that earned the most points based on the 22 indicators WalletHub considered.
Seattle, Washington: Total Score 59.10
Pearl City, Hawaii: Total Score 58.65
Sacramento, California: Total Score 57.17
Salt Lake City, Utah: Total Score 56.78
Denver, Colorado: Total Score 56.44
Seattle ranked number one for overall points and number one for job opportunities and growth, making it an ideal place to get started. Salt Lake City ranked fourth in overall points and fifth in the nation for real estate market health, meaning the market is growing fast.
Top 5 Cities Based on Real Estate Job Opportunities
Getting started as a real estate agent is no easy task. Getting licensed is just the first step — then it's time to build your business. The following cities ranked in the top five based on job opportunities, making these places a great place to start your real estate career.
Factors tracked for this list include sales per agent, median home price, monthly average starting salary, the annual median wage for real-estate agents, employment growth, and the hours required to get a real estate license.
Seattle, Washington: Total Score 59.40
Washington, DC: Total Score 55.13
San Jose, California: Total Score 54.30
Boston, Massachusetts: Total Score 52.47
New York, New York: Total Score 44.96
Top 5 Places to Be a Real Estate Agent Based on Real Estate Market Health
Real estate market health can have a massive impact on your success as an agent. So, what cities have the healthiest real estate markets? Based on factors such as urban migration, home turnover rate, and home value forecast, here are the cities where real estate is booming:
Missoula, Montana: Total Score 50.77
Reno, Nevada: Total Score 53.52
Lubbock, Texas: Total Score 43.93
Fort Wayne, Indiana: Total Score 46.13
Salt Lake City, Utah: Total Score 56.78
Earn Your Real Estate License Online
What if you don't live in and of the top cities for real estate? Don't worry; the real estate marketing is booming all over the country, with states like Florida and California leading the pack. Sign up to take the required real estate courses online, and you could be on your way to a new, fulfilling career in just a few weeks.