A Career in Commercial Real Estate

If you’re considering a career change, commercial real estate development may be for you. Learn how to get an education in the business.

 

In the red-hot real estate market you may see a lot of ads by real estate agents.  You may know a few people who are real estate agents.  But those people are likely agents for residential properties.  What about those who are in the business of commercial real estate?  That’s a different world, but one you might want to be part of.  We take a look at the commercial real estate business and how you can get in on it.

Resources:


Project REAP:http://projectreap.org/

Michael Bush, Founder, Project REAP

Ken McIntyre, Executive Director, Project REAP

About Project Reap

With the enthusiastic support of industry leadership, REAP—the Real Estate Associate Program—is now widely acknowledged to be the most successful diversity initiative in the commercial real estate industry.

REAP is an industry-backed, market-driven program that serves as a bridge between talented minority professionals and commercial real estate companies looking for talent.

REAP exists because the commercial real estate industry’s professional ranks are less than 1% minority at management levels—less than 1,000 people of color in an industry with over 125,000 professionals. During its short existence, REAP has increased that minority cohort by 10%—by spotlighting a talent pool that was always there, but previously unacknowledged.

Over 400 REAP Associates now work for leading firms in the industry, from London to Los Angeles, New York to New Mexico:

REAP’s recruiting process is competitive and selective, attracting credentialed, career-changing, professionals—architects, bankers, engineers, MBA’s, lawyers and sales people. They know how to add value to a company’s bottom line.

Employers meet potential minority employees—not in mandatory diversity training—but in voluntary, business-oriented opportunities that raise comfort levels on both sides.

REAP’s success has been validated by leading minority professional groups like Black MBA’s, Latino Professionals in Finance and Accounting, National Organization of Minority Architects, and REEC (Real Estate Executive Council), and through REAP’s affiliation with the Business Schools at Howard and Clark Atlanta Universities.

REAP was launched in Washington (1998); Atlanta (2001); New York City (2006); Chicago 2009; Los Angeles 2011; Cleveland 2012; Columbus 2014; Dallas 2015; and Kansas City 2017.