Nearly Half of Realty Firms Have Small Staffs, Poll Shows

Realtors apparently believe that small is beautiful--at least when it comes to the size of their office.

About 43% of the 1,200 real estate firms that responded to a recent nationwide poll said they have five or fewer sales representatives. An additional 23% have six to 10 agents; only 4% had more than 50 agents.

The poll was conducted by the National Assn. of Realtors, which, ironically, is the nation’s largest trade group.

But while the survey indicates that small, “mom-and-pop” operations continue to thrive, the bulk of NAR’s 750,000 members apparently work for large real estate companies. The poll found that only 7% of sales professionals work for firms that employ five or fewer associates, while 44% of the agents work for companies with more than 50 representatives.

The survey also suggests that part-time salespeople may have a tough time finding work: Only 50% of the nation’s real estate firms continue to employ part-timers, and 80% of the people in the real estate business work at it full time.