Atlanta, 8th best city to become a real estate agent

When it comes to selling homes, not all cities are created equal. Luckily for local agents, Atlanta is one of the best cities to operate in, according to a new study.

Clever Real Estate ranked Atlanta No. 8 among the best U.S. cities for real estate agents, based on a variety of metrics including housing affordability, annual salary, number of agents per 100,000 residents and annual home sales per full-time agent.

Among the factors weighing in Atlanta’s favor, Clever noted a 61.8% increase in home values ​​over the past five years, the fifth highest in the study, as well as Zillow’s 12-month home value forecast, which predicts growth of 0.6%, the eighth highest in the study and much better than the median city, where prices are expected to decline 0.6%.

Commission rates in Georgia are also better than the median, Clever noted. Georgia buyers’ agents earn an average of 2.88%, 8% higher than the median and the eighth-highest overall, while listing agents earn an average of 2.93% per sale, 4% higher than the median.

Georgia also grants full licensing reciprocity to real estate agents from other states, and prospective agents only need to study 75 hours to become licensed, compared to the average of 90 hours, Clever added.

The top 10 cities for agents are:

1. Detroit
2. Buffalo, New York
3. Kansas City, Missouri
4. Tampa, Florida
5. Richmond, Virginia
6. Columbus, Ohio
7. Jacksonville, Florida
8. Atlanta
9. Pittsburgh
10. Hartford, Connecticut