Florida Realtors may have sold $200,000 less than the national median volume of $1.6 million in 2007, and they may have closed three transactions less than the average realtor across the nation last year, but in almost every other way, Florida realtors mirror the national average, sometimes minutely better or minutely worse. According to a Member Profile completed by the National Association of Realtors in 2008, realtors in Florida are 53 years old on average, as compared to 52 nationally. Women account for 60% of all realtors in Florida as they do across the nation. Like their national counterparts, Florida’s realtors work 40 hours per week, and remain with the same brokerage/firm for an average of four years; they use cell phones and smart phones equally to stay in touch with clients on a daily basis. In Florida, 92% of all realtors are home owners, just as are 92% of the entire nation’s realtors. Interestingly, 39% of Florida’s realtors held bachelor’s degrees or higher, and an equal number held prior careers in management, finance or sales. Why am I so keen to pass along these statistics? Because an overwhelming majority of buyers and sellers rely on realtors to conclude their real estate transactions. Further, because so many local realtors work with out-of-towners, I’m happy to know that these newcomers will be treated with a level of professionalism that’s equal, and sometimes better, than the national average. The designation “Realtor,â€� after all, stands for a set of ethics and standards, and I’m all for it!
