Is real estate good for introverts?
The ratings for the 3 roles we compared are close together: contact with others runs from 4.4 to 4.8 out of 5, so the choice of role inside real estate changes less than you might hope.
Selling property means showing homes and negotiating, so contact is part of every version of the job. The roles differ most on face-to-face discussions and public speaking.
All three rate phone conversations high, so expect calls whichever route you choose.
We compared real estate sales agents and brokers with property and community association managers. The ratings come from O*NET, the US Department of Labor's occupation database, where workers answer questions about what their job involves.
What the data shows
- Contact with others ranges from 4.4 out of 5 for property, real estate, and community association managers (closest to "contact most of the time") to 4.8 for real estate brokers (closest to "constant contact").
- After contact, the biggest difference is in public speaking: 1.9 out of 5 for real estate sales agents, against 2.7 for real estate brokers.
- The next biggest is working in a team: 3.6 out of 5 for real estate brokers, against 4.3 for property, real estate, and community association managers.
- All 3 occupations with their own pay data involve more contact with others than the typical US occupation.
- 33% of real estate sales agents say they have face-to-face discussions every day, compared with 82% of property, real estate, and community association managers.
- 1 of the 3 rate working in a team as very important or more.
- Among occupations with their own pay data, the lowest-contact one is property, real estate, and community association managers, at a median $69,990 a year. The best paid is real estate brokers, at $73,220.
Social demands, side by side
Each figure is an O*NET average on a 1 to 5 scale. Lower means less of it. Hover a heading for the exact question.
| Role | Contact | Face-to-face | Phone | Speaking | Customers | Teamwork | Conflict | Noise |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Brokers | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.8 | 2.7 | 4.5 | 3.6 | 3.0 | 2.2 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 1.9 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.0 | 2.0 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | 4.4 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
Pay, entry and outlook
| Role | Median pay | Typical entry education | Typical training | Growth 2025-35 | Projected openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Real Estate Brokers | $73,220 | High school diploma or equivalent | None | +0.8% | 7,800 |
| Real Estate Sales Agents | $52,830 | High school diploma or equivalent | Moderate-term on-the-job training | +1.7% | 32,600 |
| Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers | $69,990 | High school diploma or equivalent | Short-term on-the-job training | +3.7% | 36,900 |
Each role in detail
Real Estate Brokers
Contact with others: 4.8 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 84% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 63% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a month or more". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "extremely important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $73,220 a year. Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent. About 7,800 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Obtain agreements from property owners to place properties for sale with real estate firms.
- Sell, for a fee, real estate owned by others.
- Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.
Real Estate Sales Agents
Contact with others: 4.6 out of 5, closest to "constant contact", more than 72% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 33% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "very important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a year or more".
Median pay $52,830 a year. Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent, with moderate-term on-the-job training. About 32,600 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Present purchase offers to sellers for consideration.
- Confer with escrow companies, lenders, home inspectors, and pest control operators to ensure that terms and conditions of purchase agreements are met before closing dates.
- Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.
Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers
Contact with others: 4.4 out of 5, closest to "contact most of the time", more than 55% of ranked occupations. Face-to-face discussions every day for 82% of workers. Phone calls: closest to "every day". Public speaking: closest to "once a year or more". Teamwork rated "very important"; dealing with customers or the public "very important". Distracting noise: closest to "once a month or more".
Median pay $69,990 a year. Typical entry education: high school diploma or equivalent, with short-term on-the-job training. About 36,900 projected openings a year.
Core tasks, as listed by O*NET:
- Manage and oversee operations, maintenance, administration, and improvement of commercial, industrial, or residential properties.
- Direct collection of monthly assessments, rental fees, and deposits and payment of insurance premiums, mortgage, taxes, and incurred operating expenses.
- Prepare detailed budgets and financial reports for properties.
What the numbers can't tell you
- O*NET ratings are averages of worker answers on a 1 to 5 scale. Some questions ask how much (contact), some how often (face-to-face, phone, public speaking, conflict, noise) and some how important (teamwork, customers). They are shown on their own scales.
- The ratings describe the job, averaged across workers and workplaces. A particular employer, team or shift can be very different.
- They don't measure personality, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.
- Pay and openings are national figures from the BLS. Local pay varies.
Common questions
Which real estate job involves the least contact with others?
Of the 3 roles compared here, property, real estate, and community association managers report the least, at 4.4 out of 5 on O*NET's contact rating, closest to "contact most of the time".
Do these real estate jobs need a degree?
3 of the 3 occupations with BLS education data typically need no more than a high school diploma: real estate brokers, real estate sales agents, property, real estate, and community association managers.
Do these ratings measure personality?
No. They are averages of what workers say their job asks of them. They describe the work, not the people doing it, and they are not career, medical or psychological advice.