Real Estate
Careers in Commercial Real Estate
Owners of Real Estate
Tenant / Occupiers
Lenders
Brokers & Specialty Consultants
Attorneys
How to break into the industry
Show demonstrated interest
Take RE courses, enroll in argus training courses, get a RE license
Read The Real Estate Game by William Poorvu
Take the real Estate modeling courses such as the one offered by adventures in CRE (ACRE)
Follow the industry
Read publications like the Commercial Mortgage Alert, The Commercial Observer and The Real Deal
Be able to speak to recent real estate events - how tax laws are changing CRE Investment, a new lease signed in your city, a big financing, a recent life science or self storage sale, etc.
Network
OUTREACH. Visit the Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action. Reach out to Alumni, both young and old to hear what they do, how they do it
PREPARE. When speaking to anyone, do your due diligence and harness the power of social media - know their alma mater, work history, business line, hobbies,etc.
BE THOUGHTFUL when asking questions. Make sure they touch on your curiosities and cannot be answered with a simple google search
HAVE AN OBJECTIVE. Ask yourself why you want to speak with said person - do you want advice, an internship opportunity or just a general insight into a segment of the business? Whatever it is, make that clear and concise
Build your network
Talking to alumni in the real estate industry can be an important factor in finding a job. You can connect with anyone in the Corcoran Center's alumni database.
Equity Side - Investors in Real Estate & Owners of Real Estate
For Students recruiting: it is hard to break in here without experience … usually these firms raid the investment banks for talent (valuation skills)
This is usually a second step in the industry
Tenant Occupiers
Tenants provide the Cash Flow in Real estate
Leasing Agents - source and place tenants in different buildings
Commercial Leasing is a direct job you can work in Real Estate. This position is sales focused so you will be on the phone, providing customer service, networking, etc.
Lending
⅔ of the capital structure in a deal is the loan (Debt from Public or Private sources)
Ex: banks and life insurance companies
Lending side is a great way to break into commercial real estate as a college student
Usually hire graduates independently from HR, so networking will be very important
At Banks – workers will get a ton of deal flow, so your valuation and modeling skills will grow
Rating Agencies (S&P Global Ratings [S&P], Moody’s, and Fitch Group) are also great entry points for interested students in Commercial real estate.
Value the debt in a deal and gain good skills that Banks value
Brokers & Specialty Consultants
Entrepreneurial space in commercial real estate
Has a higher barrier of entry … usually "eat what you kill"
Leasing - Lease real estate to tenants
Investment Sales - help owners of real estate find a buyer
Debt & Structured Finance – source debt & equity for a real estate deal
Investment Banking Services – fund raising and advisory
Property Management - run the day to day operations of real estate
Appraisal Services - determine the value of the property (Good entry point for students)
Research - produce research on the economy and perspective markets
Explore and Learn
Getting Started
Read the Vault Career Guide to Real Estate to learn the basics, tips for researching potential employers and getting a foot in the door, and additional associations and organizations to help you plan and advance your RE career. (TIP: Login with your BC credentials to gain full site access).
Reference this Glossary of Commercial Real Estate (CRE) Terms to learn important terminology.
Stay up to date on news, trends, and forecasts
Sectors within Real Estate
Resources from the Joseph E. Corcoran Center for Real Estate and Urban Action
Watch the recorded industry overview lecture from Prof Edward Chazen, senior lecturer
Join BC’s Real Estate Club
An excellent way to learn the experiences of other students with past/current/future industry experience, connections in the field, and develop an accountability partner to practice and build skills with. (bostoncollegerealestate@gmail.com).
Alumni Interviews
Watch Interviews Recorded by the Real Estate Club Executive Board with BC Alums in Industry.
Max Bechtold '18
Leasing at WS Development
Brokerage
Aaron Horne '17
Project Manager, Trinity Financial
Development/Affordable Housing
Grace Keating '19
Financial Analyst at CBRE
Investments/Finance
Wade O'Neil '17
Investment Analyst, AEW Capital Management
Investments/Finance
Michael Lane '18
Analyst, Eastdil Secured
Investments/Finance
Professional Groups
Check out this REFA (Real Estate Finance Association) webinar recording to gain an overview of the major sectors and career paths within CRE (i.e. Brokerage, Ownership/Development, Lending, Public Sector, and Service Providers), a range of asset classes (mixed-use, speciality housing, retail, etc.) deal cycle examples, and required skills.
Opportunities
Summer 2021 introductory real estate courses and exclusive speaker series with an emphasis on business ethics, career development, and networking. Learn more and apply here.
The SelectLeaders Job Network is here for all your industry hiring and professional development needs. For job seekers looking to be at the top of their game, don’t forget to check out their detailed Talent Kit to guide you on an effective job search on our network. They are even offering career coaching and resume writing services to help you get hired faster.
Handshake: BC’s official career management platform, featuring a broad range of industries and geographic locations for students. Features top employers in the Fortune 500, startups, etc.
UCAN Internships: Compiled by a consortium of 20 national colleges and universities.
Explore the Career Center’s Jobs & Internships webpage for additional job board listings (including diversity and social good), industry hiring timelines, and search strategy tips.
Build Skills
Resources and Programs:
Real Estate Financial Modeling Accelerator: A comprehensive, case-based, real estate financial modeling training program. All members who complete the 16 core courses receive a ‘Certificate of Completion’, unique to them with custom URL, that can be shared on LinkedIn and with employers to confirm completion of this rigorous real estate financial modeling training program.
Forage (formerly InsideSherpa): Parktake in these Virtual Experience Programs to simulate real-world experience gained from a respective employer (e.g., market research, data analysis, financial modeling, PowerPoint, client communication), including Citi Global Consumer Banking, GE Digital Technology Data Analytics, Citi Institutional Banking). Free, self-paced (~5-6 hours), and gain a certificate to add to your resume.
Praxis Summer Program: Get career ready and boost your resume at your own pace, from the comfort of your own home. A comprehensive, eight-week self-guided summer career program designed to help BC students of any major recognize and develop the skills most highly sought after by employers as well as understand how to use your gifts and talents to engage with the world. This guide will help you reflect on and strengthen these skills in order to give you a competitive advantage when applying to jobs and graduate school in the future.
Freelancing work (e.g, Upwork, Toptal, Fiverr): Find clients and get paid for completing project work (e.g., web development, database administration, data visualization, financial modeling).
