It's been a challenging eight years to be a real estate agent, and thousands across the country have left the industry or taken on part-time work to help supplement income lost when the housing market crashed. A new report, however, shows that with home sales on the rise, agents are finally earning more.

The median gross income for the average Realtor last year was $43,500 - a 25 percent from 2011, according to new data from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). During the same period, the median sale price of all closings in the metro was just shy of 12 percent. For agents, that was the second year of gains after nine consecutive years of declines.

Do these figures seem to surprising? Should agents earn more? Less? Share your thoughts, but be civil.