What was your first job in real estate?

I started as an assistant property manager in brooklyn on a ghetto neighborhood portfolio collecting rents. I admittedly job hopped quite a bit after college but if you have a story (key because you will be asked 100% of the time) and use each job as a stepping stone, you can still land good roles.

del

My first job was as a sales assistant selling new homes for Pulte. Then I took a job selling lots for a resort golf course community that ultimately failed. Spent about 3 years doing that, living on 100% commission. Worked with some real snakes and con artists during that time.

Now, most of my coworkers came from investment banking. I felt behind them for a few years but have caught up now, even passed some. Sure, I wish I had done banking - it would have made the journey way less complicated. But the beautiful thing about real estate is that there are many paths. And at least I know how to sell. Most of my coworkers talk too much, listen too little, and sure as shit can't close.

I think your job sounds like an excellent way to learn. But after a year or so max, look for something different.

Started in loan Asset Management, now I do acquisitions.

Market analyst for a top brokerage firm in a mid market. Moved to acquisitions, now in a real estate Masters program, and I'll be a development associate this summer.

Analyst for a large apartment company.

I started as a production analyst for a bank's DUS lending unit. I moved into a niche multifamily acquisition role at the same bank. Now I work for a REPE shop that targets all asset classes nationwide.

Did an internship at a small brokerage firm.

I assume this position is at a bank? In that case, it's not real estate, it's back office banking. Doc prep and reconciliation. It's definitely not a direct route to a career in real estate, unless you're planning to get formal credit analysis training and become a real estate lender.

Emerging REPE Fund with a niche focus on product type and market(s) as the sole analyst.

Multifamily appraisal analyst was my first real estate job out of college.

Analyst at a small brokerage firm in a major market.

I feel so underachieved by this thread. Worked odd jobs here and there (still am) to get through school and help support current family. Your first job out of college should discipline you as well into the work force. Develop healthy habits that show not only in your work but your mental/overall health as well.

I started at a major developer as an analyst, jumped ship very quickly to join small REPE shop because of much higher pay... probably should have stayed with the developer a bit longer, but things worked out.

large commercial GC --> development

Started as an analyst at a small appraisal shop doing middle-market ($1M - $75M) work in a major market. Thought valuation/advisory was great experience right out of school, with exposure to all property types (from boring as hell rent-controlled MF up to 200k sf office buildings, condo conversions, etc) and a wide variety of situations (sandwich leaseholds, government land with proposed rezoning, subdivision sellouts, minority interests, etc). Also had a lot of autonomy being in a small shop environment, which I enjoyed.

Did a couple years, but always knew I wanted to deal with institutional-level properties / be on the equity side. Took an opportunity in Asset Management at a prominent owner/operator/developer doing major projects and haven't looked back.

Started doing sales/cold calling/business development for a small brokerage shop. Got good at cold calls. Then got hired by a bigger brokerage shop. Then left brokerage and moved to the REPE world as a capital markets analyst. Been the lead analyst at a boutique REPE for several years now.

I learned the most by working in my role as a capital markets analyst mostly because I was doing the work you mentioned above. Most analysts can't read a term sheet let alone legal docs, estoppels, SNDAs, etc. Sounds like you landed a solid gig fresh out of school! Much better than making cold calls....

I found this thread while browsing Facebook during my small brokerage internship. This is one of those moments when stumbling across something so relevant feels like it cannot be mere coincidence.

For $10.50/hour, I'm crammed in the corner of a corner at a desk that's probably not even made of real wood. I've spent most of my time so far (A) looking better-dressed than my fellow grunts and (B) browsing the Internet. Turns out that no sites are blocked--not even 4chan. Second to that, I've spent the most working hours acquiring the invaluable skill of deciphering and transcribing shitty handwriting into Microsoft Word documents. Third most time has been spent walking around asking agents how I can be helpful.

Describing this on my resume--much less selling as a valuable experience it in-person--down the road is going to be interesting. Good thing this isn't my "real" junior internship though, I guess.

started out at a boutique REPE firm doing LP equity for acquisition and development before moving on to a larger REPE firm

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Started in the research group for a boutique national appraisal company. Got tired of doing zoning research and BS city and neighborhood analysis. Jumped over to emerging hotel developer as the Real Estate Associate.

Analyst in Advisory Services at a BB CRE group (think CBRE, JLL and Colliers).

My first RE job was as administrator of budgets for a mom and pop developer ( 1-2 Billion AUM...so maybe not much of a mom and pop). They hadn't ran a budget in 4 years. I was less than a year out of college and was working in the back office at a BB at the time. I met the CFO at happy hour, which led to the gig. Something, something, truth is stranger than fiction.

Started off as a research associate for a RE market data/analytics company... Think Real Capital, Reis, etc. Now im a valuations analyst for a mid sized REPE. I'm looking to get into acquisitions though.

In college, my language partner in my Japanese 101 class hired me. At the end of the semester, I asked him (an older gentleman) what he did and why he was in my class and he said he wanted to learn to speak Japanese to talk to clients and he was the head partner of a major land use law firm. Some kind of genius lightning struck my brain and my very next question was "do you have any summer jobs?" He said maybe, and turned out he needed someone to build cubicles and organize stuff for their office move. That experience was how I entered the RE field and I used the good name of the law firm to get my next job, which lead to the next opportunity. Being that this was a law firm, in my downtime, I read the Affordable Housing Finance, ULI magazines, and was invited to sit in on City Council hearings. Changed my life. Gave me an early start despite not coming from a real estate family (which was about 1/3 to 1/2 of the peers I've worked with in the industry in REPE, REIT, and development).

Sometimes lightning strikes and don't be afraid to go for it.

Worked at BB doing middle office work for about a year and a half and decided that wasn't for me. Landed at a shop that does CMBS and bridge and I have been there for about 6 months now. Hoping to get at least a year and a half under my belt here before the CMBS market goes back to shit with new risk regulation rules hitting in the winter.

I joined a real Estate firm as a Business Developer. Now i have my own Firm.

First job is with a bank working in originations. I've always been told your first job should give you as much deal flow as possible so that you can learn as much as you can. The more deals you work on the more you will be able to talk about in future interviews.

Investment sales analyst at one of the big 4 focusing on Office, multi family, industrial. Been good experience. Been there almost a year and a half. Did a 6 month externship with the cosulting group at the same brokerage. All in all good stuff.

Starwood Capital, bringing in >150K biatch, suck that appraisers, non-target fags and Investment Sales cucks

WF/BOFA/JPM (Institutional Commercial Real Estate Lending Group) --> Developer/Operator --> REPE (10B AUM)