Credit in US for CRE work done in China?

Hey everyone, I have a question for you.

I'm a 2014 top-5 MBA grad with a CFA and about 7 years of non-CRE pre-MBA experience.

After undergrad (full ride to a business school in Boston), I did 2 years of mortgage backed securities, 2 years of Bulge Bracket Bank Corporate Development M&A, 2 years of New Product Strategy for that bank's Mutual Fund company, and 6 months of Quantitative Investment Consulting work.

After my MBA, I went to China and worked as an expat helping to manage a regional real estate development company.

Here's my current resume description of what I did there, focused on the larger of 2 developments that they had going on.

XYZ CORPORATION XYZ, CHINA
Asset Manager, Real Estate Development Jun 2014 – Nov 2016

Responsible for Asset Management, budgeting, sales & marketing for a 1.1 million square foot mixed-use development comprising a 430,000 square foot shopping center, 130-room limited-service hotel and 800 high-rise residences
*) Asset Management – Centralized management of over 2,900 units across two active developments and existing corporate property portfolio; sought to optimize occupancy and overall cash flow by fine-tuning marketing and property improvement efforts; oversaw work of 4 on-site property managers
*) Budgeting – Oversaw internal project status updates and coordination of funding equity draw requests, coordinated data flow between construction, budgeting and accounting departments, and tracked total development cost per square foot
*) Sales – Recommended transition to external sales & marketing team, evaluated bids from national service providers, negotiated service agreement, set monthly performance targets and oversaw multiple sales channels
*) Marketing – Revamped mall image and marketing strategy, increased marketing channels to improve ROI and brand recognition among target markets, and oversaw new price & marketing strategy for 105 square foot condos
*) Lease Up – Managed development of lease up strategy and reorganization of tenant / category mix


I'm now back in the US and trying to find my next role. I think ideally it would be in acquisitions, but I'd also start with asset management to get my feet wet.

My questions for all of you: how much credit will the CRE industry here in the US give me for that work I did in China? Real Estate is a very location specific business, after all.

Is that resume going to get my anywhere? I didn't model any new projects or do permitting and entitlements. I DID do lots of other work managing people, but I'm trying to keep this focused on the CRE aspect.

I guess I'm trying to buck up my confidence because I haven't had anyone knocking down my door yet.

Hopefully yours,

CRE_ativeFinance

 

It's not necessarily what you know about a particular market but about what you have done and how you think. Some national and international development companies have a single Asset Management division who has to deal with unique challenges which they face as the company expands to new territories unfamiliar to the team. Market specific information while important to certain companies who only operate in one market to others it's meaningless. To these companies, it's about how you think and how they feel you would deal with complex challenges when they arise.

 

Thanks REfuturesee, this is helpful. I'm definitely working to add more local knowledge, and I've had a positive response in the time since I posted this message looking for guidance.

Does anyone have an opinion on which news sources are the best for following the CRE market on a day to day basis? Globest? UrbanLand Magazine? Multi-housing news? Obviously asset type specific there.

 

Ut harum quo et inventore accusamus non consequatur rem. Est eaque voluptas amet.

Harum consequatur dolores pariatur sunt. Aut eos voluptatem ut praesentium esse eius nostrum ipsam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Jefferies & Company 02 99.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 19 98.8%
  • Harris Williams & Co. (++) 98.3%
  • Lazard Freres 02 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 03 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Harris Williams & Co. 18 99.4%
  • JPMorgan Chase 10 98.8%
  • Lazard Freres 05 98.3%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.7%
  • William Blair 03 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Lazard Freres 01 99.4%
  • Jefferies & Company 02 98.8%
  • Goldman Sachs 17 98.3%
  • Moelis & Company 07 97.7%
  • JPMorgan Chase 05 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

March 2024 Investment Banking

  • Director/MD (5) $648
  • Vice President (19) $385
  • Associates (86) $261
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (13) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (33) $170
  • 2nd Year Analyst (66) $168
  • 1st Year Analyst (202) $159
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (144) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
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...”