Real Estate Major

Commercial agents and brokers specialize in income-producing properties, such as retail stores, shopping centers, office buildings, industrial parks, and apartment complexes. Commercial real estate professionals help clients evaluate a property’s income potential and offer guidance regarding local zoning and tax laws. Some states require a specialized license for commercial transactions, while others cover residential and commercial transactions under the same license.

Developers work on either commercial or residential real estate projects. Developers buy land, finance real estate deals, build or have builders build projects, create, imagine, control, and orchestrate the process of development from the beginning to end. Professionals in this area must be able to conduct market analysis and acquisitions analysis, create, update, and evaluate financial spreadsheets to examine returns to the developer and investors as a project evolves, review investment agreements and other legal documents, develop and execute project timelines, and ensure that contract agreements with construction and design firms are upheld.

Private equity real estate is an alternative asset class composed of professionally managed pooled private and public investments in the real estate markets. Investing in private equity real estate involves the acquisition, financing, and ownership (either direct or indirect) of property or properties via an investment fund.

Real estate brokers can work as independent real estate agents or have other agents working for them. Real estate brokers are licensed according to requirements that vary by state and typically specialize in a particular property type. Professionals with roles in commercial brokerage sell, for a fee, real estate owned by landlords or companies. Professionals with roles in residential brokerage act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.

Corporate real estate is the real property held or used by a business enterprise or organization for its own operational purposes. The goal is to maximize the firm’s value of resources devoted to space needs to improve the efficiency of real estate usage. Those working in corporate real estate must be able to conduct a site analysis to identify office space, distribution facilities, retail locations or manufacturing space for the company, conduct market research and establish a real estate strategy, participate in all aspects of property development including the entitlement process, legal process, and construction management.