Real Estate

Realestate3

Real Estate

The real estate industry involves the buying, selling, valuation, development, and investment of properties. These activities can take place in the individual consumer sector, business-to-business sector, or investment banking sector. The real estate industry has a direct impact on the hotel and lodging industry, the gaming industry (e.g. casinos), home building, and real estate investment trusts (REITs), all key drivers of the economy. 

Many investment banks on Wall Street and elsewhere have groups dedicated to real estate, which are good places for someone who has an interest in both real estate and investment banking. Products involve the repackaging of mortgages into residential mortgage-backed securities (MBS), collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS). Other popular areas include the REIT stock, bond and preferred stock origination business, lodging investment banking, principal investing in real estate and synthetic lease origination.  

Job Title Examples:

  • Real estate broker
  • Real estate sales agent
  • Appraiser
  • Property manager
  • Financial examiner
  • Analyst

Skills Needed:

  • Communication skills
  • Active listening
  • Problem solving
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Entrepreneurial spirit
  • Perseverance and work ethic

Further Education/Requirements:

Depending on the role (broker, appraiser, etc.) a licensing or professional certification may be required.

Find Opportunities

Irishcompass 01

Using IrishCompass, LinkedIn, and ND’s alumni association directory called myND is the best way to start on the networking front. Building relationships and networking is a key factor when it comes to finding out about opportunities in this sector as well. 

Job Databases:
There could be advantages to looking for jobs through an association. Often, job boards are only open to members, and jobs are not posted at traditional job boards, so you are competing with a much smaller pool of people.

Industry Timeline

Interviews with large, national firms, as well as real estate groups in Investment Banks/Private Equity, typically take place in the summer/fall.  Developers and smaller regional firms will interview both in the fall and spring.

Applying and Interviewing

Resumes

Your resume will often be the first impression for a potential employer.  You want to make sure that your resume is concise, direct, and specific. Ensure that your resume is tailored for the position and for the industry. Highlighting relevant coursework can demonstrate your fit for a particular position. Review our guide on resumes for more information on how to construct one.

Cover Letters

A cover letter introduces you to a potential employer. Use the position description to make specific connections between your skills and experience and what the organization is looking for in a candidate. The cover letter should be concise and well-written—if a potential employer reads your cover letter and is intrigued, they will then read your resume. Your cover letter should not repeat your resume verbatim, but enhance it. Together the cover letter and resume can help land you an interview. Review our guide on cover letters for more information on how to construct one.

Interviewing

Most interviews will contain a mixture of resume based questions (questions about your past experience) and behavioral based questions (your ability to handle prospective situations at work.  Most positions will begin with an interview that has a mix of these questions. Review our guide on common interview questions. 

Preparation is extremely important for interviews. Research the company/organization, current and previous projects they’ve worked on, and even the people that you’re interviewing with. This will not only help provide talking points but will show your knowledge and genuine interest in the position. Utilize our resources on how to best prepare yourself to excel in your interview.

Online Resources

Explore:

  • Vault 
    • Provides in-depth intelligence on what it's really like to work in an industry, company or profession—and how to position yourself for success. 
  • O*Net 
    • Provides comprehensive information about jobs within the different segments of real estate

Professional Associations:

Campus Resources

Career Counselor:

Ray

Ray Vander Heyden
Assistant Director, Accounting, Actuarial Science, Corporate Finance, Insurance, Real Estate

 

Student Clubs:

Employer Examples:

  • Coldwell Banker Richard Ellis - CBRE
  • Jones Lang LaSalle - JLL
  • Eastdil
  • Oak Street Real Estate Capital
  • Walton Street Capital

Join Handshake:

Personalize your feed, explore your curiosities, and get updates that matter to you. Handshake is a dynamic system that works to match students with the most relevant resources and opportunities offered by our office including:

•   Access to personalized job recommendations – This is based on major, career interests, and profile information such as skills and experiences. When students fill out their profile, they’ll be able to see jobs and internships that match their interests and skills.

•   Ability to schedule one–on-one counseling appointments  – Counseling appointments are able to be scheduled through Handshake and held virtually via Zoom. 

•   Ability to Interact with employers – Students can research contact information for local and national employers. Employers can also message students with opportunities and information.

•   Connect with students across the country -  Students can interact with their peers through messaging, get tips and advice, as well as network. 

•   Search for and apply to open positions -  On Handshake, students can see jobs and internships posted specifically for them as well as employers actively recruiting from Notre Dame.