Realtors see first bump in income in a decade

Median gross income for the typical Realtor rose for the first time since 2002 last year, though net income fell, according to the National Association of Realtors' 2012 Member Profile. The median gross income of a Realtor increased 2.3 percent to $34,900 in 2011, with brokers and broker associates earning a median $48,400 and sales agents earning a median $27,200. After taxes and expenses, however, net income fell 5.7 percent last year for Realtors overall, to $23,200. Brokers netted $30,800 compared with $17,900 for sales agents. More than half of Realtors had median net incomes of less than $25,000 last year. "Many Realtors have persevered through very difficult market conditions and understand the cyclical nature of the business, but have never had to endure a cycle like the one that is presently waning," said Paul Bishop, NAR's vice president of research, in a statement released today. "The good news is home sales are rising, overall activity is expected to be not...