Realtors® Report Finds 11 Percent Increase in Commercial Member Income, 19 Percent Increase in Sales Transaction Volume

WASHINGTON (August 2, 2017) – Commercial real estate markets continue to improve, with Realtors® specializing in commercial real estate reporting both an increase in member's gross income and sales volume, according to the National Association of Realtors® 2017 Commercial Member Profile.

The annual study's results represent Realtors®, members of NAR, who conduct all or part of their business in commercial sales, leasing, brokerage and development for land, office and industrial space, multifamily and retail buildings, as well as property management.

"There has been an uptick in Realtor® members who choose to specialize in commercial real estate at the same time as commercial professionals report improvements in the market and their business activity," said 2017 NAR President William E. Brown, a Realtor® from Alamo, California. "A stronger commercial market is a good indicator of a growing economy, so the outlook is positive for commercial members in the year ahead."

The median gross annual income for commercial members in 2016 was $120,800, an increase from $108,800 in 2015. Brokers and appraisers tend to report the highest median annual incomes, while sales agents report the lowest among licensees. Those with less than two years of experience reported a median annual income of $31,500 in 2016, down from $43,400 in 2015; members with more than 26 years of experience reported a median annual income of $162,200 in 2016, down from $165,400 in 2015.

Commercial members completed a median of eight sales transactions in 2016, a decrease of one since 2015. A quarter of commercial members reported having one to four transactions, and 27 percent reported having more than 20 transactions.

While the number of transactions decreased slightly in 2016, the sales volume increased again this year. The median sales transaction volume in 2016 among members who had a transaction was $3,500,000, an increase from $2,931,000 in 2015. Only 7 percent of commercial members reported not having a transaction at all, which decreased from 8 percent in 2015.

The median years of experience in real estate increased to 24 years in 2017, up from 20 years in 2016, as did the median years of experience of members in commercial real estate – up from 15 years in 2016 to 19 years in 2017.

Forty-seven percent of NAR's commercial members are brokers, and 30 percent are licensed sales agents, consistent with last year. Seventeen percent of commercial members have a broker-associate license while appraisal license holders account for 5 percent, also consistent with last year.

The median age of commercial members remained the same as last year, at 60 years old. Almost three out of four commercial members are male, identical to last year's results. Men reported being active in any real estate capacity for a median of 25 years and in commercial real estate for a median of 20 years, the same as last year. Women have been active in real estate for a median of 19 years (up from 14 years last year) and in commercial real estate for a median of 15 years (up from 11 years last year).

Commercial members who manage properties typically managed 82,000 total square feet, representing 15 total spaces, up from 50,000 square feet and 17 spaces in 2015. Those who manage offices typically managed 25,000 total office square feet, representing seven total offices, up from 20,000 office square feet and five offices last year.

Thirty-three percent of commercial members were involved in international transactions in 2016, down 2 percent from 2015. Eighteen percent of commercial members reported an increase in international transactions, while only 1 percent had a decrease.

Sixty-five percent (up from 60 percent in 2016) of respondents are members of any of several commercial affiliated institutes, councils, or societies. These commercial organizations include the CCIM Institute, the Institute of Real Estate Management, the Counselors of Real Estate, the Realtors® Land Institute and the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors®.

In June 2017, NAR invited a random sample of 64,147 Realtors® with an interest in commercial real estate to fill out an on-line survey. A total of 1,926 responses were received for an overall response rate of 3.0 percent. All information in this report is representative of member characteristics in 2017 while sales and lease transaction values and income are characteristic of calendar year 2016.

The National Association of Realtors®, "The Voice for Real Estate," is America's largest trade association, representing 1.2 million members involved in all aspects of the residential and commercial real estate industries.