Careers in Real Estate

Building the World: Why Real Estate Is the Hot Career . . . and How to Get Started

An important new book offers career-seekers an in-depth look at a path they may never have considered. Here, from author Stan Ross, are six tips to help you get off on the right foot.

Whether you’re a high school student exploring colleges or a 30-something looking to shift gears, finding the right career is very much on your mind. You want to make your living doing something exciting. Meaningful. And yes, potentially lucrative. You’ve considered the old standbys—doctor, lawyer, professor, politician—but none of them seems exactly right for you. Stan Ross has a suggestion: why not consider one of today’s hottest careers . . . real estate.

That’s right. The author of Inside Track to Careers in Real Estate (Urban Land Institute, April 2006, ISBN: 0-87420-954-4, $19.95) says while this industry has always held great promise—people will always need places to live, work, shop, and vacation—the world itself is evolving, and real estate simultaneously reflects and shapes those changes.

“Professionals with a variety of talents, skills, experiences, and educational backgrounds will be in demand, both in the traditional businesses of development, ownership, property management and real estate services as well as in many other areas such as rebuilding neighborhoods or cities following natural or manmade disasters; sustainable development that improves our quality of life and preserves natural resources; or investment and development in emerging markets such as China and India,” Ross writes in his introduction.

If you don’t know anything about real estate, or are not sure about a career in real estate, or may be interested in a real estate career, this book is a great starting point. It’s packed with information on the many diverse segments of the industry, the wealth of job opportunities, and the possible career paths you can take to meet your goals. Just as important, Inside Track to Careers in Real Estate helps you explore your own skill sets, strengths, goals, and desires so you can decide whether the field is right for you.

Dozens of candid interviews with top real estate leaders (yes, including Donald Trump) and real estate educators add flavor and the credibility that only real-life, been-there-done-that voices can provide.

Here, excerpted from Inside Track to Careers in Real Estate, are a few tips, insights, and suggestions for anyone interested in exploring this fascinating field. [read more]

About the Book

Inside Track to Careers in Real Estate

by Stan Ross with James Carberry

Real estate can be a lucrative industry–known for making deals, moguls, and millionaires. If your goal is to have a potentially high-paying job in an exciting business, this book will help you determine if a career in real estate is right for you and how to get started.

Focusing on careers for college graduates, the book is packed with information on the wealth of job opportunities in the industry—including development, finance, asset management, international opportunities, starting your own real estate company—and the possible career paths you can take to meet your goals. Candid interviews with top industry leaders, as well as recent graduates, offer practical tips and advice on what a career in real estate is really like, how to get your first job, and what it takes to be successful.

To order visit www.bookstore.uli.org or call 800-321-5011.

About the Author

Stan Ross is Chairman of the Board of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate and Senior Fellow. He previously was Vice Chairman-Real Estate Industry Services for Ernst & Young LLP, and a member of its Management Committee, which set the policy and strategy for the firm. Prior to that, he was Managing Partner of  Kenneth Leventhal & Company, an accounting firm specializing in real estate, where he was responsible for its overall business planning, strategy, direction and operations. Ross continues his diverse activities in the real estate industry as a consultant and serves on several boards of directors including those of The Irvine Company, Forest City Enterprises and the University of Judaism.

Ross is widely recognized for his experience in strategic planning for real estate companies, with expertise in mergers, acquisitions and reorganizations, and the development of creative financial structures. He was involved in the initial organization of the Resolution Trust Corporation (RTC) and was a member of the Auditing Standards Board of the AICPA, which set the auditing rules for the accounting profession. Ross is a frequent lecturer at various universities, accounting symposia and real estate conferences and has written numerous articles concerning real estate and accounting matters. He is a Life Trustee and Governor of the Urban Land Institute and Trustee of Baruch College from which he graduated in 1956.  He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Baruch in 1999.

James Carberry is the principal of Carberry Communications, a San Francisco-based business writing and editing service. During his career he has been a corporate writer and editor, a business writer based in Singapore, and, for ten years, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.  He is a graduate of the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

For an advance copy of the book or an interview with the author, please contact Dottie DeHart, Rocks-DeHart Public Relations, at (828) 459-9637 or DSDeHart@aol.com

News

Recruiter Remains Upbeat About Real Estate Careers by Sheryl Silver (Hartford Courant, February 27, 2007)

Inside Track to Careers in Real Estate/Buy Even Lower: The Regular People's Guide to Real Estate Riches by Sandra Pianin (NewsBlaze, February 16, 2007)

Don’t Let Weak Housing Market Drive You to Abandon Your Real Estate Career, Industry Expert Says (Press Release, October 30, 2006)

Careers In Real Estate: How To Uncover Job Opportunities In A Dynamic Industry by James Carberry (www.planetizen.com, July 5, 2006)

Real Estate: The Overlooked Career by Stan Ross and James Carberry (GO Magazine, July 5, 2006)

Starting a Development Business by Stan Ross and James Carberry (Urban Land, April 2006)

The Real Estate Job Boom by Chris Palmeri (BusinessWeek Online, May 2, 2006)

Free Career Advice from Industry Experts

The scion of one of America’s oldest real estate families, John Cushman worked his way up the career ladder from elevator operator to chairman of Cushman & Wakefield. [read more]

Jana Turner began her real estate career as a leasing receptionist and advanced to president of asset services of CB Richard Ellis. [read more]

Susan Hudson-Wilson built a company on her idea for analyzing real estate portfolios. [read more]

A chance call from an employment agency led Alice Connell to a career at TIAA-CREF. [read more]

Given choices of where to start work at a company, Victor MacFarlane chose the real estate department and went on to start his own real estate business. [read more]

To order visit
www.bookstore.uli.org
or call 800-321-5011.

Free Podcasts

Get advice from insiders on what a career in real estate is really like, where the opportunities are, and what employers are looking for.

Author's Note

Stan Ross explains the impetus for authoring a book on careers in real estate. . . [read more]

Podcast 1: Careers in Real Estate

Podcast 2a: A Look At Development

Stuart Proffitt provides a first-hand account of the development business in this. . . [read more]

Podcast 2b: What it Takes to be a Developer

Jim Todd discusses his transition from a manager in the telecommunications sector to. . . [read more]

Ray Mikulich describes what it’s like to be head of one of the largest real estate investment banking. . . [read more]

Podcast 4: What's Right for You?

Karl Zavitkovsky discusses his experience in real estate and transition to the public sector. . . [read more]

Podcast 5: On the Inside: Real Estate Jobs

Mark Hatcher explains the importance of corporate real estate and the day to day activities. . . [read more]

Podcast 8: What do Employers Want?

Tony LoPinto offers thoughts based on many years of experience recruiting. . . [read more]

Podcast 9a: Finding That First Job

Allyson Watkins explains how she got her start in real estate. . . [read more]

Podcast 9b: Finding That First Job

Heidi Brandl relates her experience in searching for a job with a real estate investment firm. . . [read more]

Directory of Real Estate Development

Throughly updated and revised, this book helps you compare more than 60 graduate and undergraduate programs in the United States and abroad.

To order visit www.bookstore.uli.org
or call 800-321-5011.

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 is an industry-backed, market-driven program that recruits and trains minorities for professional careers in commercial real estate, through education, networking, and professional training with leading firms.

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