General Description:  Good real estate agents are part detective, part counselor and part salesperson.  Agents help people find suitable properties, assist them through home buying negotiations and insure that the sale is completed as quickly as possible.  Agents representing the seller help their clients to determine a good selling price and insure that their homes are in "market-ready" condition.

Real estate agents usually are independent sales workers who affiliate with a real-estate agency. In return, the broker/agency pays the agent a portion of the commission earned from the agent’s sale of the property.  Once the property is sold, the agent who sold it and the agent who obtained the listing both receive a portion of the commission. Consequently, agents who sell a property that they themselves have listed can increase their commission.

Besides making sales, agents spend a significant amount of time obtaining listings, attending open houses and servicing clients.  Agents are often expected to spend desk-time in the office to meet with "off-the-street" customers.

Licensing Requirements: 

Real estate brokers and sales agents must be licensed. Prospective agents must be high school graduates, at least 18 years old, and pass a written test. Most States require candidates for the general sales license to complete between 30 and 90 hours of classroom instruction. Those seeking a broker’s license need between 60 and 90 hours of formal training and a specific amount of experience selling real estate, usually 1 to 3 years. 

State licenses typically must be renewed every 1 or 2 years, usually without having to take an examination. However, many States require continuing education for license renewals.

Options for Flexibility:  According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, "Advances in telecommunications and the ability to retrieve data about properties over the Internet allow many real estate brokers and sales agents to work out of their homes instead of real estate offices. Even with this convenience, much of the time of these workers is spent away from their desks—showing properties to customers, analyzing properties for sale, meeting with prospective clients, or researching the state of the market.

Agents and brokers often work more than a standard 40-hour week. They usually work evenings and weekends and are always on call to suit the needs of clients. Business usually is slower during the winter season. Although the hours are long and frequently irregular, most agents and brokers have the freedom to determine their own schedule. Consequently, they can arrange their work so that they can have time off when they want it."

Resources for Further Exploration: 

Associations:

National Association of Realtors (every state has an association -- please be sure to check with your state association for information about training and licensing).

Books: