Estate agents earn an average of £59,606, plus an average bonus of £38,417.

The figures are in the new 2018 RICS and Macdonald & Company rewards survey, which shows that the salary is slightly over the property industry average of £58,633, but that the bonus is twice the industry average of £15,703.

The overall industry figures are the highest in the property sector since 2009.

However, while the survey tells us that it had 117 responses from estate agents dealing in sales and lettings, it does not say where the responses came from geographically, or what the level of seniority was.

All the responses would, however, have been from RICS sales and lettings agents, and the survey says that on average, an RICS qualification leads to a 21% higher base salary in the property sector.

The survey also drew responses primarily from men (78%) and shows that male property professionals earn on average £61,705 compared with their female counterparts, who earn an average of £47,260.

The property profession as a whole has little confidence in the sector, with only 28% believing that activity will increase in their sector over the next year. Key factors include likely rises in interest rates, the moribund residential market in London and the prospect of a hard Brexit.

Sectors with little confidence include residential agents, with industrial agents and quantity surveyors among those with most confidence.

The survey drew 6,905 responses in total between last November and January from a large variety of professionals, ranging from architects through to asset managers.