Are you passionate about pursuing a career in real estate but don’t think you would be well suited to a job as a residential real estate broker? You might consider looking to the corporate world. Working in corporate real estate usually entails finding properties for the business of companies, which are often large corporations. Some of your duties might include finding store locations, office space, factory buildings, or warehouse space.
Read on to find out more about how you might put your North Carolina real estate license to good use in the corporate world.
Corporate real estate job descriptions
If you are looking into corporate real estate jobs, you’ll note that there are a variety of job titles, daily duties, and license requirements. We’ve highlighted some of these below.
Corporate job titles
With most corporations, you can search for job titles on their website. Corporate real estate jobs have a variety of different job titles. Some job titles might have similar-sounding job descriptions so focus more on the duties of the job rather than the title itself.
Here are some that will be relevant to your job search:
- Facility manager
- Property manager
- Cost manager, corporate real estate
- Corporate real estate manager
- Global real estate strategic planning manager
- Real estate consultant
- Real estate analyst
- Construction project coordinator
- Real estate acquisitions manager
Daily duties at corporate real estate jobs
The duties for corporate real estate jobs will differ, depending on the company. For example, a facility or property manager’s day-to-day duties will involve maintaining the specific property they are assigned to, while a real estate acquisitions manager will focus on finding new properties for a business. These are two entirely different jobs.
That said, however, among job descriptions, we noted that the following popped up frequently:
- Develop and maintain strong communication across teams.
- Partner with site stakeholders and community members.
- Prepare marketing presentation materials.
- Review and draft legal real estate documents.
- Review new requests for available real estate and coordinate with landlords and brokers for property surveys and site visits.
- Work with outside vendors and providers to advance company goals.
It won’t hurt to have a strong knowledge of the legal aspects of real estate along with an ability to work well with others in and out of your department seems to be part of many duties in corporate real estate.
Requirements you’ll need for a job in corporate real estate
Many hiring managers for corporate real estate jobs are looking for the following skill set:
Some real estate experience
- Post-secondary education in real estate, business, finance, or business administration
- The ability to work well with finances and financial teams
- Organized and good with deadlines
- Strong interpersonal and collaboration skills
- Problem solver who can juggle priorities
Where to find corporate real estate jobs
Working in corporate real estate is a lot different than being a residential real estate broker. The biggest difference, of course, is that you will not have to find your own clients. In corporate real estate, you will more than likely work with a company to help it achieve its real estate goals.
Here are suggestions on where to look:
Job boards—You can find corporate real estate job listings by searching boards such as Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and Simply Hired. There are also a few job boards specific to corporate real estate: Adventures in CRE and Select Leaders. If you’re looking for insight into the commercial real estate job market, Select Leaders also publishes an annual barometer report detailing the state of the corporate real estate profession. You can access it here.
Networking—Good old-fashioned networking can be useful. Attend conferences and events in your local market where you will have the opportunity to meet corporate real estate professionals. Connecting with them might help you with your job search.
Attending conferences and events in your local market can help you meet corporate real estate professionals who might be able to assist you with your job search.
Try to connect with people online through sites like LinkedIn. Put in the job titles mentioned above and search through LinkedIn to find professionals working in corporate real estate.
Earning potential
Corporate real estate jobs can be lucrative depending on a number of factors, including the niche you find yourself in as well as the position itself. The more seniority you have, the bigger your paycheck will likely be. Commercial real estate is usually where workers earn the most.
Is a corporate real estate job right for you?
Your decision to work at a corporate real estate job ultimately depends on your skills and whether they will match up to the duties and requirements needed. If you enjoy working in an office and value a collaborative atmosphere, a corporate real estate job might be something to add to your career goals.
