Only five percent of REALTORS® stated that real estate was their first career in the 2018 Member Profile. Most commonly, members held previous full-time careers in management/business/financial sector (16 percent), and sales/retail (16 percent). Respondents are able to select from a list of options that best represents their previous career. For 19 percent of REALTORS®, they felt that their previous career fell into the “other” category. By taking a deeper look into this category, we can determine some of the unique and noteworthy previous careers of our members.
- Respondents of the “other” category are able to describe their previous career. The top previous careers included:
- business owner/entrepreneur
- finance/banking/accounting
- restaurant industry
- sales
- insurance
- marketing
- entertainment
- airline/aviation industry
- real estate related
- human resources
- Some of the more unique previous careers included:
- actor/actress
- choreographer
- equine therapist
- fashion designer
- firefighter
- mayor
- professional golfer
- polygraph examiner
- hospital chaplain
- seismic processor
- jet broker
Thanks to Research intern, Bronwen Leibe, for categorizing the responses from the "other" previous careers category.
Notice: The information on this page may not be current. The archive is a collection of content previously published on one or more NAR web properties. Archive pages are not updated and may no longer be accurate. Users must independently verify the accuracy and currency of the information found here. The National Association of REALTORS® disclaims all liability for any loss or injury resulting from the use of the information or data found on this page.