Thoughts on a working as a land acquisition analyst for a US single-family home builder?
I’ve been offered a job as a land acquisition analyst for a large US single-family home builder. Just wondering what your thoughts are on this?
I’m worried that the job doesn’t offer much marketable skills going forward if it’s just plugging a few numbers into an excel spreadsheet and having other departments (e.g. engineering, construction, sales, etc.) provide those numbers on such things as land development costs, construction costs, and potential selling prices.
Also, will it lead to any potential exit opportunities to elsewhere in the real estate development industry, or will I be confined to jobs in home building? Seems like my potential ceiling would just be a more senior land acquisition person, or at a stretch, a division president.
I'm at a homebuilder. PM me for detailed thoughts.
Sounds like Toll Brothers.
I turned down an offer for this very role a couple years back for your exact concerns. Seemed very cookie cutter and seemed like a role where your just consolidating all info given from other departments. My main reason turning it down though, was the fact I felt I wouldn’t be getting the RE property level experience or the cradle to grave development experience.
Mind you, it’s not a bad career start but just know what you’re getting into. Can definitely pivot to a local developer or something. Also, if it is TB, they have Apartment and city living divisions but be aware those are very competitive and often sought by MSRED grads.
Thank you for going out of your way to respond and provide your thoughts on this. It really helps a lot as I make the decision. I really appreciate your help.
I mean, homebuilding is large industry, and this next decade will probably be very good for it (i.e. tons of jobs in the industry, more like it was back pre-08). I have a bunch of friends who did/do jobs like this in various southeast cities (where I am originally from), lots of careers can flow from this. Master planned development is a very obvious one, there is also the rising build-to-rent SFH asset class, condo development, I mean, lot's of close areas of alignment.
Not sure if this is a first job, or second job, or whatever, but I mean this is a big industry (just not one that get's much attention on WSO, given market dynamics, I suspect that will get changed a lot over next several years).
Forgot to mention, "land acq" skills are actually really really valuable for a lot of developers, just can be very "local" to whatever markets you are covering. Knowing the procedures/rules of zoning, entitlements, land development, are all pretty valuable in a lot of regions.
Not sure about the homebuilder or this job, if they do legit land dev, then I'd say potentially worthwhile. If all they do is lot takedowns from master developers, eh, less interesting but maybe not bad (I think most of the big shops do both by necessity these days).
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