How the Real Estate Industry Works

How does the Real Estate Industry Work?

The real estate industry works because the value of real estate tends to rise. As a result, people are able to make a profit by buying and selling real estate.  Agent and brokers capture a portion of this profit by selling a service to those engaged in a real estate transaction.

Not clear enough? We’ll break it down piece by piece.

What is Real Estate?

Real estate is property consisting of land, the buildings on it, and any natural resources within the property boundaries, such as waters and crops. Real estate can be categorized into four types: residential, commercial, industrial, and land.

Residential properties include structures for domestic residence such as single-family homes, condominiums, townhouses, mobile homes, and vacation rentals.

Commercial properties include structures used to produce income such as offices, stores, hotels, services and other businesses.

Industrial properties include structures used manufacturing, such as factories, warehouses, and research centers. Generally industrial is for the production of goods and commercial is for the distribution of goods.

Land properties include few or no structures such as vacant land, farms, ranches, and reclaimed sites.

What is the Real Estate Market?

The real estate market is all properties available for sale in a given area. Because of large economic forces, there are times when these properties rise in value (or fall) at the same time. This what people mean when they say the market is up (or down).

The housing market is a segment of the real estate market that consists of residential properties only. Trends in the housing market are closely watched because they provide a measure of general welfare.

Because many residential properties are owned by individual families, if the housing market is doing well, we can assume that families are doing well because their net worth is increasing.

What Do Real Estate Agents Do?

Real estate agents help people buy and sell homes by providing expertise on the dynamics of the local real estate market, ensuring any transaction follows local laws and regulations, and negotiating on behalf of their client.

A buyer’s agent represents people seeking to purchase property. A listing agent represents people seeking to sell property. These agents work with their clients and each other to complete a real estate transaction quickly and efficiently.

LUKE’S TIP: 

How Do Real Estate Agents Make Money?

Real estate agents make money by charging a commission for their services that is usually paid out as a percentage of the final property selling price. This commission is split by the buyer’s and seller’s agent and it is only paid out when a sale is complete.

Also, agents are required to give a certain percentage of their commissions back to the brokers. This percentage is often 5%-20% of the commission received for large, national brands, but there are brokerages where the agent gets to keep 100% of their commission and own their brand.

How the Real Estate Industry Works in the U.S.?

  1.     Homeowner and listing agent enter contract for the sale of the home
  2.     Listing agent publishes the home on the local Multiple Listings Service (MLS)
  3.     Buyer’s agent finds home and inquires about it for potential buyers
  4.     Listing agent provides information and showing
  5.     Listings and buyer’s agent enter negotiations for sale
  6.     Buyers and sellers agree to final price
  7.     Agents ensure the legality of the sale
  8.     Sale closed and commission paid

How the Real Estate Industry Works in Canada?

The real estate industry in Canada works much in the same way as the real estate industry in the U.S. with one major difference being the availability of the Data Distribution Facility (DDF), which allows a property to be marketed for sale nationwide.

DDF works a lot like an MLS except the participating brokers are located across country rather than in a specific state or county like in the U.S.

So that’s how the real estate industry works. Did we miss something? Leave a comment below. Or for more on the real estate industry, check out Real Estate Listing Data Explained and How Big Is the Real Estate Industry?

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Disclaimer

The opinions or information expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views, policy, or position of Realtyna. The information on Realtyna’s Website is general, for informational purposes only, and is not to be relied upon or interpreted as real estate, legal, accounting, or other professional advice or a substitute. Please discuss anything related to the certification process, professional advice or legal procedures with your MLS providers.

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32 Comments
  • Golf Grove
    Posted at 02:09h, 05 February

    Amazing post!!!

  • Angel Bogart
    Posted at 21:25h, 22 February

    I’m so glad to know that the real estate business works exactly the same way in the US and in Canada, except for the Data Distribution Facility that allows properties to be sold nationwide. Mom would love this because she’d be able to search for listings of properties in all states and get the respective agents to book her a visit. This country-wide listing would save her a lot of time searching for contacts and leads to her dream home.

  • Angel Bogart
    Posted at 01:20h, 16 March

    I find the idea of Data Distribution Facility really helpful in marketing real estate because it allows properties to be nationally marketed. Should Mom wish to get her homes for sale sold in all states, it would be best she gets them listed by all brokers nationwide. It would surely help her sell her properties fast by reaching her target audience of startup families all through the United States.

  • Vivek
    Posted at 05:29h, 26 March

    Interesting post. We cannot look at the numbers in isolation to the RE industry. The years 2012-2014 have seen the highest inflation challenges faced in our country.

  • Jay Jorgenson
    Posted at 11:41h, 10 July

    I’d be interested to learn more about how a real estate works. It really helped when you explained a real estate is property consisting of any resource within the property boundaries. Thank you for explaining real estate agents help people buy and sell homes by providing information on the local real estate market.

  • Alexander May
    Posted at 00:01h, 18 September

    Thank you for sharing deep insights. Your tips and links are really helpful in good way.

  • Bridge Dale
    Posted at 05:51h, 29 September

    Real estate industry is very complicated, but thee always loopholes that you can use if you have the righ5 contacts. I always get my friend to help me with selling all of my houses.

  • Homeia
    Posted at 10:12h, 14 October

    Thanks Morgan Taylor for informative post. It’s really helpful for readers who want to learn more about real estate investing.

  • Muyoba Mashika
    Posted at 01:16h, 09 February

    Thanks for the info i would love to venture into business of real estates in residential properties. How do i start im in Africa Namibia.

    • Tonya
      Posted at 05:23h, 10 February

      Hello Muyoba, please send your request to us by click on orange “Request a demo” button.
      And our Sales team will contact you ASAP.

  • Zoe Campos
    Posted at 13:25h, 26 February

    Thank you for explaining what it means to say that the market is up or down in real estate. I wasn’t fully aware that large economic forces can affect when will these properties rise or fall in value, and I think every investor should understand how it really works. My brother is thinking of entering the field by buying at least three residential properties, but I think that he should start small since he’s only a beginner. I’d also tell him to work with professionals that can provide expertise on the dynamics of the local real estate market to ensure that each transaction is done quickly and efficiently.

  • Taylor Hansen
    Posted at 11:39h, 20 March

    It’s interesting that trends in the housing market are a measure of the general welfare. My brother is wanting to get more into the real estate market, specifically, get into flipping houses. I’ll be sure to share this with him as he continues to research how to get started working in the real estate market.

  • Plots for Sale in Shadnagar
    Posted at 15:39h, 30 March

    Thanks for the information

  • Victoria Addington
    Posted at 21:14h, 13 April

    Honestly, this is my first time buying a residential property so I don’t have a background in real estate. I got curious about how it works and happened to stumble upon your blog. I had no idea that it is categorized in four parts: residential, commercial, industrial, and land. You mentioned that having a real estate agent to guide me can help me in choosing the right home for me.

  • Kishan singh
    Posted at 02:14h, 19 April

    Very intresting blog.is there any international web portal for real estate which works in india also..??

    • Tait Militana
      Posted at 05:44h, 22 April

      Hi Kishan, you may want to check out the Listings of India network. If you want to post your own listings, you can also check our WPL solution. It works anywhere in the world.

  • Jenny Smith
    Posted at 11:06h, 22 April

    Loved reading these ideas. Share some more information about how real estate industry works?

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  • Faizan Alam
    Posted at 02:25h, 09 June

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  • cami
    Posted at 07:10h, 01 July

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  • Marijan Koturic
    Posted at 04:10h, 09 July

    very informative article. I think who are interested in real estate, they should read this

  • Richard
    Posted at 06:53h, 17 July

    Thanks for the interesting information. Real Estate marketing is one of the tough tasks but it can be made easy by listing your real estate properties in different listing sites.

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    Posted at 10:55h, 08 October

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  • Ramesh Verma
    Posted at 05:18h, 21 October

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    Posted at 20:11h, 03 January

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