The most useful real estate skills are negotiation and sales, market research and analysis, contract and legal knowledge, communication, customer service, and problem-solving. All of these, along with measurable results on your resume, position you as a standout realtor.
However, many fail to show these skills clearly, thus leaving a weak impression on recruiters. To help you, we will cover each skill in this guide in more detail and show you how to present them effectively on your resume.
Key Takeaways
Some essential hard skills to include on your real estate resume are negotiation and sales, market research and analysis, property management, and property marketing.
You should also showcase soft skills such as communication, customer service, problem-solving, creative thinking, time management, and attention to detail.
It is best to list hard skills in your resume’s Skills section and weave the soft skills in the Summary and Work Experience sections, along with quantified achievements.
Keeping a close eye on market trends and updates, practicing your presentation and communication skills regularly, and learning new tools as they emerge allow you to grow continuously as a realtor.
7 Hard Real Estate Skills to Add to Your Resume
Let’s explore the seven most useful real estate skills for your resume in more detail:
#1. Negotiation & Sales
Negotiation is the ability to clearly communicate and reach an agreement between two or more parties with different needs or interests. To negotiate effectively, you will also have to draw on some interpersonal skills like active listening, problem-solving, and creative thinking.
In real estate, every transaction involves buyers, sellers, agents, lenders, inspectors, etc., each with their own priorities. So, having strong negotiation skills allows real estate professionals to represent their clients’ best interests while closing deals.
This ability is also part of sales, which involves identifying and satisfying customer needs with the right products or services. Within the real estate field, this would involve property transactions or support for buying, selling, or leasing. Sales skills rely on relationship and being able to explain value in a way that connects emotionally and logically.
#2. Client Relationship Management
Client relationship management (CRM) entails building and maintaining connections with customers by understanding what they need and communicating with them clearly.
In day-to-day tasks, real estate professionals may exercise this skill while:
Tracking leads, contacts, and transaction phases
Scheduling follow-ups and reminders
Personalizing chats and messages based on the client’s previous exchanges
Besides soft skills, having software skills to operate CRM tools and platforms is rather important, especially with the industry’s digitization in recent years. So, it’s no wonder CRM is among the top real estate skills, as relationships drive referrals and repeat business.
#3. Real Estate Contracts & Legal Knowledge
This hard skill involves understanding, preparing, and managing legally binding documents related to property transactions. It requires you to be well-versed in the local laws, rules, and contractual terms that govern buying, selling, and leasing real estate.
Industry-related legal knowledge is perhaps the most crucial on our real estate skills list, as it protects all parties involved. This is why professionals in this field must pass a licensing exam before they are allowed to practice.
#4. Market Research & Analysis
Market research and analysis is the process of gathering, interpreting, and using data to make informed decisions (i.e., for pricing, marketing, and investment strategies in real estate). It draws on two set of skills:
Technical skills, which include working with market reports, databases, CRM systems, and analytical tools to collect data and pinpoint trends.
Conceptual skills, which are used to make sense of the data and involve recognizing patterns, making predictions, and applying insights to current strategies.
When you understand current market conditions and buyer or seller behaviors, you can set accurate property prices and advise clients more confidently. By the same token, having data to back you up can improve your presentation, negotiation, and communication skills.
With data-driven insights now a norm in real estate practice, you also need to sharpen this skill to keep pace with evolving industry expectations.
#5. Property Management
Having property management skills means being able to effectively oversee, maintain, and operate properties on the owners’ behalf. To do so properly, you will need to excel in:
Communicating and building relationships with tenants
Handling leases, rent payments, and other financial records
Coordinating repairs with other contractors for tenants
Ensuring compliance with local laws
This skill is particularly important for property managers, asset managers, leasing managers, portfolio managers, strata managers, and real estate investors.
#6. Property Listing & Marketing
To attract the right buyers or tenants for properties, real estate professionals need strong marketing skills. They will likely have to:
Write clear, compelling property descriptions
Produce high-quality photos, videos, and floor plans
Price and position properties appropriately
Choose and manage marketing channels such as social media
With marketing shifting to the World Wide Web, it is necessary to be technologically savvy. According to a realtor technology survey, 75% of individuals in this group use social media, 67% use AI-powered content and CRM tools, and 38% offer virtual tours. This means that if you are not comfortable with tech-driven marketing tools, you will be left behind.
#7. Presentation Skills
Presentation skills refer to the ability to clearly and confidently deliver information, ideas, or proposals to an audience. Beyond clear non-verbal and verbal communication, it requires strong writing, storytelling, and active listening skills, as well as emotional intelligence.
Real estate professionals need to present pricing, property features, conditions, and processes almost every day. They might do it formally during open houses and showings, or informally while having a first chat with clients.
In any case, being able to convey information professionally helps them appear more credible, thereby attracting even more clients and advancing their careers.
6 Best Soft Skills for Real Estate Professionals
Here are the top six soft skills for a realtor:
#1. Communication
Having strong communication skills means being able to share information while also listening and responding effectively to others. It involves non-verbal and verbal communication, as well as writing skills.
This is crucial for realtors because transactions typically involve many complex details that need to be explained carefully. Poor communication can cause misunderstandings, delays, and potential legal issues.
#2. Customer Service Orientation
Customer service orientation is a mindset where you are focused on meeting customers’ needs and providing them with the best possible experience(s). Having such a skill means being attentive, responsive, and empathetic while prioritizing long-term relationships over short-term ones.
Good customer service is one of the key non-price factors influencing homebuyers’ and sellers’ selection of real estate brokers and firms. Therefore, demonstrating this skill on your resume can help hiring managers envision your value in supporting repeat and referral business.
#3. Problem-Solving
Problem-solving skills involve:
Recognizing and understanding the issue
Gathering relevant information to weigh options and solutions
Thinking critically and logically
Making decisions and following through to take action
Many challenges can arise during property transactions and lead to delays or derailments if they are not properly handled. For example, there might be failed inspections, title transfer concerns, or appraisal gaps; a real estate professional with strong problem-solving skills can prevent these issues from escalating and keep everything on track.
This is one of the most in-demand skills because it can’t always be taught or trained for. It is often what separates higher-level professionals from entry-level ones. So, if you are seeking a management role in real estate, you should focus on showcasing this skill in your resume.
#4. Time Management
Possessing time management skills means knowing how to use your time efficiently to complete tasks and meet deadlines. It involves setting priorities, scheduling activities, and avoiding distractions. As such, it also involves using soft skills such as organization, self-awareness, and self-discipline.
Being able to manage time well is crucial in real estate because you will typically have to juggle multiple clients, properties, due dates, and callouts. Therefore, strong time management skills help you build a reliable and responsible reputation, which ensures you stand out in the increasingly competitive industry.
#5. Creative Thinking
Creative thinking includes:
Thinking flexibly and exploring multiple solutions
Adapting strategies to changing situations
Challenging assumptions and not being afraid to reinvent the wheel
This skill is important when working in real estate because not every deal follows a standard process. Thinking creatively allows you to create more value for clients; for example, by:
Differentiating listings with unique marketing strategies
Finding win-win solutions when deals are put on hold
Adjusting to changing market conditions and client expectations
#6. Attention to Detail
Attention to detail refers to the ability to notice small details that can affect transactions, client outcomes, and compliance; for example, a missed clause in a contract or an extra zero in a property’s pricing.
Such an ability is critical in practice because real estate involves many complicated legal requirements, timelines, and financial concepts. If you can catch errors or inconsistencies early, you can prevent costly delays and legal issues; as such, this skill is highly appreciated by hiring managers in the industry. It is not limited to preventing mistakes, though.
This soft skill can also help you provide more personalized advice and, in doing so, close deals. For example, if you notice that a client has young children who like to climb, you might point out that the house you are showing them has balcony railings and window locks.
How to Showcase Real Estate Skills on Your Resume
You can showcase the skills above on your real estate agent resume by demonstrating how you have applied them in previous roles and quantifying the measurable outcomes they have provided.
To make your real estate agent hard skills more concrete and credible, always highlight the number of deals closed, transaction figures, or growth rates; for example:
Real Estate Agent Hard Skills Example
Closed 40 transactions within one year, totaling over $10M in sales
Managed client relationships using Salesforce and contributed to a 10% increase in repeat and referral business
Real estate agent soft skills are best woven into the descriptions in your Summary and Work sections. For the former, you should choose the strongest skills that describe who you are and set you apart as a professional.
It is best to avoid using generic buzzwords and/or simply listing standalone words without anything to substantiate your claim; for instance:
Real Estate Agent Soft Skills Example
Detail-oriented, hardworking, and results-driven real estate agent with strong communication skills.
If you are struggling with providing context, you can try to think of the process as practice for real estate agent interview questions and use the STAR method to clearly explain what you did and why it mattered.
Remember that you need to tailor your resume to each role you apply for; an easy way to do this is by using the same words and phrases as those in the job description. Mirroring the tone that the company uses can also help you subtly present yourself as a strong fit.
You can use our resume builder to take care of all the design details, like setting margins, fonts, and spacing to meet employers’ expectations. This saves you time, so you can focus your efforts on writing the content and presenting your qualifications.
3 Effective Tips for Improving Your Skills as a Real Estate Agent
Keep these three tips in mind to sharpen your skills as a real estate agent:
Master your local market. If you don’t understand your market like the back of your hand, you won’t be able to stand out against other real estate agents. Therefore, you should regularly review recent sales, listings, and pricing trends to understand buyers and sellers intimately.
Practice again and again. Clients and companies choose agents who communicate well, so invest time in honing this skill. You can participate in workshops led by other real estate professionals, make mock presentations, and seek feedback from your clients and colleagues.
Stay current. Keeping up with trends and tools allows you to remain competitive and demonstrates to employers that you are proactive and committed to continuously growing professionally. You should follow real estate market reports and publications, as well as attend networking events to exchange insights with other professionals.
Emphasize Your Real Estate Skills With Resume.co!
Use our resume builder to save time and win over employers.Closing Thoughts
Showcasing the top real estate skills on your resume will help hiring managers understand your competencies and easily envision how you could add value in the position.
This, in turn, boosts your chances of securing the job. So, take time to include the skills above strategically and don't forget to quantify your achievements; with a well-crafted resume, you can land your dream role in no time.
Real Estate Skills FAQs
#1. What skills are most important for real estate professionals?
The most important skills for real estate professionals are negotiation and sales, contract and legal knowledge, market research and analysis, communication, problem-solving, and marketing. These allow agents and managers to support clients in buying, selling, and leasing properties.
#2. Should I focus on hard or soft skills?
You should focus on both hard and soft skills when writing your resume as a realtor. Hiring managers look for candidates who can effectively handle both the technical and interpersonal aspects of real estate work.
#3. How many skills should I list on my resume?
You should list around ten skills on your resume; however, don’t focus too much on the number of skills, but more on their relevance. Be sure to include a mix of soft and hard skills and choose ones that can directly contribute to a company’s mission, vision, and goals based on your company research.
