As with any profession, REALTORS®, members of the National Association of REALTORS®, are a diverse group; there are members of both sexes, of all generations, and with varying amounts of experience. According to NAR’s 2016 Member Profile, however, there have been shifts in some of these groups. For example, the report shows a drop in REALTOR® median age from 57 last year to 53 this year, the lowest that number has been since 2008 (when the median age was 52). Related to that, the typical REALTOR® reported a median of 10 years of experience in real estate, which is down from the 12 years in the last profile. Looking from another angle, 41 percent of REALTORS® were more than 60 years old in last year’s report, while only 2 percent were under age 30. Today, the percent of REALTORS® over 60 years is down to 30 percent, and the number of those younger than 30 years is up to 5 percent.

Story Springboard

Review NAR’s 2016 Member Profile to get a full picture of REALTOR® demographics, experience and business practices. Talk to REALTORS® in your community to see how long they’ve been working in real estate. Contact a local REALTOR® association to see if your area is mirroring national REALTOR® trends.