1 million $ net 5 years out of college in Real Estate

Let's fantasize here what it would take for fresh graduate to make 1 million net in Real Estate in 5 years after graduating.

The only way I see this happening is starting out in development, working long long hours (80+), having rich parents/uncle/close connections to get some capital and starting to do small side projects on the side.

What do you think?

24 Comments
 

I know a kid that did this. Actually, far, far better. But his dad is worth somewhere in the 10+ figure range. Helps to have a "job" working for your dad when you're 22 and put all of your income into real estate. Don't know anyone else, and brokerage, while it's likely the best option, isn't really feasible because you're 22.... I sincerely doubt you'll get there in 5 years in brokerage unless you're born into a network or get very, very(VERY) lucky.

 

One way to do it is timing. I've mentioned this before, but most people who have gotten wealthy in real estate, whether they will admit it or not, struck it rich because they got in on the right deal at the right time. In other words, good luck plays a nice role in success; then again, you have to have the courage to take the risk in the first place.

Array
 

If you had zero family connections and no money of any significance to put to work then I would say working as a commercial sales broker in a very busy but not highly populated shop where the average deal size is 15mm and eat, drink, sleep, talk real estate 24/7 (while keeping your daily life overhead low). And it would still be a very rough road with a high (read 80 percent ~) burnout rate. Some of these guys work Saturday and Sunday at a pay per hour job just to their own lights on and coffee on their desk. Brutal but true.

 
Best Response

Quitting your RE job, attending a coding academy for 12 months, spend 1-2 years developing an app/product, and then spending the next few years growing your business and raising capital so hopefully you get 1. bought out by a large player like Zillow, CoStar, Yardi, etc. OR 2. Generate enough NCF and EBITDA to become profitable.

Or be the best broker in your market at your age.

edit:

Or #3, move to a midwest/southern 2nd tier market and flip houses. You could start flipping $100-200k homes making $30-70k before tax profit on each deal, by the time you get to year 3-5 you could have 3-5 flips going annually. But honestly, at this time, 5 years out in 2022, if you have 3-5 flips going on and the residential market crashes (because it will downsize in the next 5 years), you're going to get crushed if you're highly levered. The residential market is market that anyone can get into. You don't need to be the best broker at Eastdil/CBRE/JLL/CW. You just need to be an agent (or have one), filter through dozens of shitty contractors, filter through 100's of homes on and off market, and connect with hard money lenders for 90-95% LTV loans.

 

Dolorem molestias ea facere. Quia nobis ut delectus eaque rerum labore. Consequuntur non eius et itaque.

Ut debitis ut unde laboriosam. Necessitatibus tempora commodi doloremque minus omnis amet aliquam ipsa.

Laudantium consequatur sunt architecto doloremque. Asperiores et sit magni distinctio quos aut sunt. Temporibus neque eum reprehenderit eligendi laudantium dolor voluptatem. Repudiandae aut perspiciatis velit. Saepe adipisci iste quisquam et.

Cupiditate dolores voluptate cumque eum sed. Explicabo eveniet in sit cumque tempore tenetur velit voluptatem. Accusantium ipsum eligendi labore blanditiis ratione. Exercitationem tenetur dignissimos sed odio perspiciatis neque.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”