Few companies can claim immunity from the growing trend of remote work, and the pandemic has only accelerated work-from-home adoption across industries, including in real estate. Many real estate jobs involve some in-person interaction or travel, but many of the responsibilities these jobs entail require little more than a computer and an internet connection, allowing you to work remotely.
If you want to start or further your real estate career, but prefer to work from home, we’ve got you covered. Here are three of the hottest work-from-home real estate jobs available today to get you started.
Interested in real estate careers, but have no experience? Check out our guide on Real Estate Careers with No Experience Required.
Apartment Locator
An apartment locator specializes in rental properties. Instead of serving as traditional real estate agents, who focus on buy and sell properties, they place renters in units that match each client’s needs.
Apartments make up the vast majority of available rentals, but locators can also work with condominiums, townhouses, and even single-family homes. In addition to helping local clients with short-distance moves, they assist clients moving long distance in finding the perfect place to live.
After all, long-distance clients unfamiliar with the area and unable to tour potential units in person benefit from the expertise of local agents.
Many apartment locators work for independent companies, such as AptAmigo, that have agreements with numerous rental property owners. At AptAmigo, where we focus on apartment rentals in major cities across the US, we handle nearly all of the marketing, building relations, and administrative tasks, delivering leads straight to our agents.
Meanwhile, agents pour their efforts into clients, learning their needs and priorities in order to match them with the buildings most suited to their lifestyle. Apartment locators, therefore, need to build a strong understanding of the market in which they work.
Apartment Locator Salary
Because agents set their own hours, apartment locator salaries vary widely, with some hard workers earning six-figure incomes.
That flexibility attracts some people to the position, but these variable schedules can skew the average salary numbers. On average, apartment locators make around $50,000/year. However, at AptAmigo that commission-based income potential is much higher due to the high commission splits as well as the high volume of clients we deliver directly to our agents.
You can learn more about the ins-and-outs of apartment locator salaries in our article, “Apartment Locator Salary.” On the whole, individual deals for rental units are smaller than buy and sell real estate, but much more frequent. That’s why talented agents can close a few deals a week and make significantly more than $50,000 in a year.
Apartment Locator Education and Experience
The rules around licensing vary by state, but in many cities you can work for an apartment-locating business without a real estate license, or any previous experience. As a bonus, you’ll receive on-the-job training and mentorship to guide you through the process. To work on your own as an independent agent, however, you’ll almost certainly need a license.
People in this profession come from a variety of backgrounds. Some bring a wealth of expertise from former buy and sell jobs; others arrive with zero experience whatsoever. No matter your background, every new agent at AptAmigo starts placing clients in their first week.
Rather than spending years building up a career with excessive overhead costs and long, intense hours with little return, apartment locating agents can begin earning immediately. For some people, this provides the perfect opportunity to gain experience while working towards licensure. For others, the goal is to work their way up in the company.
Everyone’s long-term goals differ, but the flexible and accommodating nature of this position enables employees to leverage their work in a way that meets their needs.
The bottom line: dedicated, hard working individuals with great communication and customer service skills can succeed as an apartment locator.
Apartment Locator Work Schedule and Location
Depending on whether you decide to tour properties yourself, or use one of our friendly touring agents, you can do this job remotely, in person, or on a hybrid schedule.
Many tours even take place virtually these days, and that increases the possibility for remote work. It does, however, help to familiarize yourself with properties that you work with, and you may choose to visit in person for that purpose.
Keep in mind that despite the flexible hours for this position, staying readily available for clients when they need you, will greatly improve your performance.
Related: A Deep Dive on What Makes the Best Real Estate CRMs
Field Title Searcher and Examiner
Title searchers and examiners specialize in finding the property titles needed for a property sale. Their main job is to determine the ownership of a property to ensure the seller can legally complete the sale, which involves a significant amount of work.
Aside from evaluating the legality of a seller’s property sale, title searchers look for items such as liens and arrears, surveys and zoning, or leases and title notices. These documents assist a myriad of real estate transactions, for instance, creating deeds, or transferring property titles.
Field Title Searcher and Examiner Salary
Field title searchers make an average of just under $45,000 per year. However, state requirements for field title searchers and examiners can affect pay.
In states that consider the position a law practice, you’ll likely make more money given the requirements. Even in states where anyone can become a field title searcher and examiner, there’s a good chance that a relevant legal background will allow you to command higher pay.
Field Title Searcher and Examiner Education and Experience
Previous title law experience helps if you decide to consider a career in title searching and examining. However, the requirements for this job vary by state. Some have no requirements, and anyone can start with just a little relevant experience under their belts.
Other states consider it a law practice, thereby mandating that only licensed attorneys can become title searchers and examiners.
Field Title Searcher and Examiner Work Schedule and Location
Because most districts have digitized their property titles, title searchers can work remotely, and, in most cases, set their own hours as well. The occasional title search may require travel to a physical records office when only hardcopies exist.
Property Manager
A property manager performs building upkeep and ensures that owners see a financial return on their property. For example, residential property managers might sign leases and respond to tenants’ repair requests, or deal with emergency maintenance.
Real estate investors often hire managers to oversee properties, especially for large commercial properties that require more coordination with janitorial, leasing, and repair services.
Property Manager Salary
Depending on the property type and size, property managers make somewhere between $45,000 and $60,000 a year.
Property Manager Education and Experience
Most companies today prioritize candidates with Bachelor’s degrees over employees with a high school diploma or GED. Experience in previous real estate roles helps as well. A keen understanding of the real estate market in which you work makes all the difference.
Property Manager Work Schedule and Location
Property management requires a little more in-person work and stricter scheduling than some other work-from-home real estate jobs because you must visit the property when necessary.
That said, the need to visit the property decreases if you outsource certain tasks, such as repairs and leasing. Hours may be a bit less flexible than other work from home positions since you need to coordinate outsourced services during standard business hours to keep tenants satisfied.
Additional Work From Home Real Estate Jobs
This short list of remote real estate jobs barely scratches the surface of available opportunities. Find out more about other career options from outside experts before finalizing your decision. Then, check out AptAmigo’s job listings to discover the work from home real estate career of your dreams!
AptAmigo is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and does not discriminate based on race, religious creed, color, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, gender, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law, in connection with any aspect of employment at AptAmigo.
