As real estate agents we can make a pretty penny facilitating the sale of homes from coast to coast. But what is the average salary for real estate agents in the US and are they the ones making the most money from the property industry in this country?

Realtors

The average wage for a realtor is just $47,700 a year. But this factors in the amount that part-time agents make, lowering the average a little. If you focus purely on full-time agents then the amount creeps up to around $55,000 and if you focus only on those that work for 60 hours or more a week then the total is nearly $90,000!

In other words, if you are a hard working realtor putting in a good number of hours every week then there is no reason why you can’t hit six figures.

Landlords

This is an area that can differ greatly depending on the number of properties owned and the type of properties owned. The average amount is around $30,000, but this factors in those at the very bottom and those at the top; those who only have 1 small property and those who own a huge portfolio of them.

Landlords usually benefit in other ways though. By having a large portfolio of properties they are not just earning a steady stream of income through rent. They can also benefit from increases in property prices, knowing that they can hold onto their investment until the time is right and then sell for a profit when it is. They also have a lot of buying power, with the sort of collateral that makes banks throw all kinds of loans and credit cards at them.

Investors

Obviously the amount of money that investors and flippers make can differs greatly. They usually make enough money to earn a respectable living, but only if they have the funds to invest in the first place and usually only if they have been doing it for a long time. Without a lot of luck on your side it’s very difficult to invest in a small number of properties and be looking at a huge income within the space of 5 years.

However, if you have the experience, the capital and a little luck, as well as the contacts for cheap contracting work, then there’s no reason why you can’t earn a 7 figure salary doing this kind of work. And the best thing about it is that you can earn more money as your capital grows, buying bigger projects and earning more money.

Builders

This is where the money is. If you are building the homes and selling them on, then you can make a substantial profit, averaging over $3 million a year in fact. Of course, you need the right tools, experience and capital to do this (see Drills and Drivers for more info) and you will also need to take risks and hire employees, but with a profit margin like that, it’s worth it.

No matter how you look at it, these are the guys who make the big money.