Should I Hire an Admin Assistant or a Buyer's Agent First?

Hire the administrative assistant first unless your buyer volume already supports a licensed producer, because an unlicensed assistant legally cannot show property, solicit business, or negotiate, and a licensed buyer's agent cannot fix a paperwork bottleneck. The median annual wage for secretaries and administrative assistants was $48,310 in May 2025, and the National Association of Realtors' 2026 Member Profile found the typical Realtor individually completed nine transaction sides in 2025 with a median sales volume of $2.7 million among brokerage specialists. Those two numbers frame the whole decision: one hire is a salary you pay, and the other is a producer who has to generate sides.

What each role is, in plain terms

An administrative assistant in a real estate business is an unlicensed employee who handles office work. New York's Department of State says unlicensed assistants may generally engage in any office activities not specified in Section 440 of Article 12A of the New York State Real Property Law, and lists permitted tasks including answering phones and taking messages, arranging appointments for the licensee, following up on loan commitments after a contract is negotiated, assembling closing documents, placing broker-approved classified advertising, typing contract forms for broker approval, and computing commission checks. The New Jersey Real Estate Commission's list of what an unlicensed assistant or secretary can do includes answering phones and forwarding calls, processing and submitting listings and changes to an MLS system, and following up on loan applications after contracts have been fully executed.

A buyer's agent is a licensed team member who does the work that requires a license. In Texas, an unlicensed person may not engage in any activity for which a real estate license is required, under TRELA §1101.002(1) and Texas Real Estate Commission Rules 535.4 and 535.5. Texas Real Estate Commission Rule 535.4(c) requires a person to be licensed as a broker or sales agent to show a broker's listings, so an unlicensed assistant cannot show a property. Rule 535.4(f) requires that all solicitation work, often called telemarketing, be conducted by license holders.

The license line decides which problem each hire can solve

Write down every task that is eating your week, then sort it against the license line. Everything on the Texas Real Estate Commission's prohibited side of that line stays with a licensee: showing property, soliciting business, and the activities covered by TRELA §1101.002(1). The Colorado Real Estate Commission's position statement on personal assistants, revised October 2012, says unlicensed assistants may not negotiate, list, or sell.

Everything on the other side is delegable to an administrative hire today. Florida Real Estate Commission guidelines allow an unlicensed personal assistant to submit listings and changes to an MLS, follow up on loan commitments after a contract is negotiated, assemble closing documents, secure public information from courthouses and utility districts, have keys made for company listings, and write ads for licensee and broker approval before placing classified advertising.

If your sorted list is dominated by MLS entry, closing-document assembly, loan follow-up after contract, appointment scheduling, and advertising production, an administrative assistant solves it. If your list is dominated by showings, buyer consultations, and prospecting calls, no unlicensed hire is legally permitted to take any of it, and the hire you need is licensed. State rules differ, so confirm the permitted list with your own state regulator and your broker before you write a job description.

The volume math for a buyer's agent starts with transaction sides

A buyer's agent only works if there is enough buyer business to keep that person producing. The National Association of Realtors' 2026 Member Profile found the typical Realtor individually completed nine transaction sides in 2025, with a median sales volume of $2.7 million among brokerage specialists. Agents with six or more years of experience had a median of 10 transaction sides and about $3 million in sales volume in 2025. Those are the production levels an individual licensee is typically reaching, and they are the yardstick for whether the buyer leads you can hand over will support one.

Team production sits at a different level. Team-based brokerage specialists, typically consisting of four members, had a median of 32 transaction sides and $17.5 million in median sales in 2025, and 54% of teams had brokerage sales volumes of $10 million or more. For the first time, the 2026 Member Profile examined team production, finding Realtor teams typically completed 31 transaction sides and generated a median sales volume of $17.5 million in 2025.

Count the buyer sides you closed last year and the buyer sides you turned away or handled badly. Compare that count against nine transaction sides, the 2026 Member Profile's individual median. If the buyer business you can hand off does not approach that number, you are hiring someone into an income problem, and the income problem shows up fast.

Pay benchmarks differ because one role is salaried and the other is commissioned

The median annual wage for secretaries and administrative assistants was $48,310 in May 2025, with the lowest 10 percent earning less than $35,360 and the highest 10 percent more than $77,720. The median annual wage across all occupations was $50,980 in May 2025.

The level of administrative hire matters to the number. Median annual wages as of May 2025 were $76,590 for executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants and $47,540 for secretaries and administrative assistants except legal, medical, and executive.

Agent pay runs on commission. Median pay for real estate brokers and sales agents was $57,400 per year as of 2025, with real estate brokers at a median of $73,220 and real estate sales agents at $52,830 in May 2025. The Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook states that brokers and sales agents earn most of their income from commissions on sales, and that commissions are often divided among the buying agent, selling agent, brokers, and firms.

The experience spread on the agent side is wide. Median gross income from real estate activities was $59,200 in 2025, up from $58,100 in 2024, with Realtors of 16 or more years of experience earning a median of $88,500 and those with two years or less earning a median of $8,000.

Compensation structure follows the license, not your preference

How you pay an unlicensed assistant is constrained by law in some states. Arkansas law, at A.C.A. § 17-42-104 and 311, states unlicensed assistants may be employed only at a salaried or hourly rate for or on behalf of a licensed principal broker. New York's Department of State says unlicensed assistants may be paid directly by either the broker or the salesperson, and that reimbursement for unlicensed activities is best handled on an hourly or salaried basis.

Build the administrative role as a fixed cost you can forecast against the Bureau of Labor Statistics benchmarks above, and build the licensed role as a split on sides the agent actually closes. Check your state's rule on paying unlicensed staff before you commit to a structure, because a commission-style arrangement that works in one state is prohibited in another.

Supervision is part of the cost of the unlicensed hire. In California, unlicensed assistants must work under the direct supervision of a licensed broker or salesperson who remains fully responsible for all real estate activities and client interactions, and the supervising licensee cannot delegate licensed responsibilities to unlicensed personnel. New Jersey's Real Estate Commission notes that because of licensure requirements under N.J.S.A. 45:15-1 and 15-3, there are limits on the activities unlicensed persons may lawfully engage in.

Systematize the transaction before you hand it to anyone

Delegation only works on work that is already defined. Two parts of the process are defined for you by regulation and by survey data, and they are the right place to start documenting.

The closing timeline has hard dates. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau states that by law a buyer must receive the Closing Disclosure at least three business days before closing. A creditor must ensure a consumer receives an initial Closing Disclosure no later than three business days before consummation, under 12 CFR § 1026.19(f)(1)(ii)(A). Three types of changes require a corrected Closing Disclosure at least three business days before consummation and trigger a new three business-day waiting period, while all other changes require only that the consumer receive a corrected Closing Disclosure at or before consummation. The Closing Disclosure is a five-page form providing final details about the mortgage loan, including loan terms, projected monthly payments, and closing costs. Under Regulation Z at 12 CFR 1026.2(a)(6), business day for that waiting period means all calendar days except Sundays and the legal public holidays specified in 5 U.S.C. 6103(a), so Saturdays count. A creditor must also ensure the consumer is provided a Loan Estimate within three business days of the consumer's application.

The buyer timeline is measurable too. In 2025, 52 percent of buyers found their homes through online searches, 27 percent through a real estate agent, and nine percent through a friend or neighbor. Fifty-six percent of buyers said finding the right property was the most difficult step, including 54 percent of first-time buyers and 57 percent of repeat buyers, while 31 percent of first-time buyers cited saving for a down payment. Recently sold homes were on the market for a median of four weeks, one week longer than the prior year.

Write those steps down as a checklist with owners and dates attached before either hire starts. A 10-week median search and seven homes viewed is a sequence you can define and hand off. A three business-day disclosure requirement is a deadline, not a judgment call, and it belongs in a documented file-management process the day your assistant arrives.

Only about one in five Realtors works on a team

Twenty-one percent of Realtors worked as part of a team in 2025, with a median of four members. Eighty-seven percent of NAR members are independent contractors at their firms. Most agents are still operating solo, which means the first hire is a structural change to how the business runs, not a routine addition of headcount.

The Bottom Line

Start with the license line and your side count. If the tasks consuming your week are MLS entry, closing-document assembly, loan follow-up after contract, and advertising production, an administrative assistant can legally take all of it, at a median annual wage of $48,310 as of May 2025. If the tasks consuming your week are showings, buyer consultations, and prospecting calls, none of it is delegable to an unlicensed person under TRELA §1101.002(1) and Texas Real Estate Commission Rules 535.4 and 535.5, and the only hire that solves it is licensed. Before you decide, count your buyer sides against the nine transaction sides the National Association of Realtors' 2026 Member Profile reports for the typical individual Realtor in 2025, and document the closing process the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau already dates for you.

If you want a second set of eyes on your side count, your task list, and the hire that fits both, reach out and we will work through the numbers together.

Written by Joe Quattrucci, part of the Kristan Cole Network team.

Sources

Pages read on October 5, 2026.

• Use of Unlicensed Assistants in Real Estate Transactions (trec.texas.gov)
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Secretaries and Administrative Assistants : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• National Association of Realtors: The Feature Sheet: 2026 Member Profile
• National Association of Realtors: Even in a Tougher Market, REALTORS® Are Holding Their Ground
• Bureau of Labor Statistics: Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• When do I get a Closing Disclosure? (consumerfinance.gov)
• What is a Closing Disclosure? (consumerfinance.gov)
• TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure FAQs (consumerfinance.gov)