Real estate salaries really run the gamut due to several factors, including location, experience level and company. Deciphering what you’re worth can be dizzying – especially if you’re just starting out in the industry. Fortunately, there are various salary tools for real estate careers available online that are easy to use and typically provide accurate information on real estate industry salaries.

Whether you are considering relocation to another city, thinking about a job switch to a different company or trying to break into the real estate industry, finding average salaries for real estate professionals is imperative to ensure you make the right career move. Here are tips to help you get the real estate industry compensation information you need:

1. Calculate fair real estate salaries using online salary calculators.

2. Use cost of living calculators to factor location into real estate industry compensation.

3. Find average salaries for real estate professionals by researching current postings on job boards.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Use salary calculators to determine average real estate industry salaries

Real estate salary calculators can get as specific as you need. The difference in pay between a brand-new real estate professional for a small organization and a seasoned professional is quite dramatic, so fill in as many variables as you can on salary tools to get the most accurate information possible.

I recommend: Select the real estate job title that most closely describes your position at Salary.com to find information about real estate industry salaries. Type your job title and location in the salary calculator at CBsalary.com for real estate industry salary ranges.

Determine fair real estate industry salaries based on your area's cost of living

Location, location, location. It's the biggest factor in real estate, but it also plays a major part in job compensation too. If you're considering a job relocation or just searching for real estate jobs throughout the country in general, use cost of living calculators to help you find median real estate salaries.

I recommend: CityRating.com offers an easy-to-use cost-of-living calculator. You can get a breakdown by state as well as city and how the cost of living ranks among all U.S. states. Check out the cost-of-living calculator at Monster.com, where you’ll also find links to other salary tools, including tips on negotiation and benefits.

Use job boards for researching real estate industry salaries

Relying on calculators and other salary tools for real estate careers is one route, but you can also conduct your own research to find average real estate pay. Take a look at the salaries listed with job postings for careers in real estate in your area to figure out the going rate.

I recommend: Sign up for a free membership with Real-Jobs to view job postings in the commercial real estate industry. Yahoo! HotJobs is another source for nationwide job postings and real estate industry salary information.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Salary tools for real estate careers are a great way to figure out a career path. As you're researching real estate career salary guidelines, use the information you've gathered to set realistic goals for yourself. Reevaluate those goals every couple of years to make sure you stay on track.