7 Different Roles in Real Estate: Which Is Right for You?

Author Cheddar Tunney Read bio
Tags: roles in real estate
Date: May 7, 2024

Real estate is a market that offers a glimpse into a world of luxury, traveling, responsibilities, and financial success. If you want to be a part of it, you must be aware that there are challenges and rewards down the way. You may be drawn to the thrill of negotiation, or perhaps to the satisfaction of property development, or you may want to deal with legal documentation.

Whatever career path you choose, you must develop your skills and interests to be successful and stand out from the crowd. In this text, we outline seven roles in real estate to help you choose the one that best suits your personality and career desires.

Commercial Real Estate Broker

We are starting with a commercial real estate agent because it is one of the most familiar faces in the real estate world. Brokers are the people who guide prospective buyers or sellers through the complex process of dealing with properties. Among the responsibilities are creating listings, conducting property showings, negotiating deals, and developing a deep understanding of local market trends

Commercial real estate brokers specialize in various sectors, the most famous of which is focused on office spaces and retail buildings. To become a real estate broker, you must complete a pre-licensing course and pass an exam. Regarding soft skills, you need interpersonal skills and a neck for negotiation.

Real Estate Attorney

If you are more drawn to legal matters and have a keen eye for detail, your career path should be a real estate attorney. They are legal professionals who handle complex contracts and are responsible for resolving disputes to facilitate property transactions. They represent clients in negotiations, ensure the legal documents are reviewed and carefully drafted, and tackle challenges during the buying or selling process.

To become a real estate attorney, you must have a deep understanding of real estate law and strong advocacy skills. It might take several years to educate and train correctly, but becoming a real estate attorney, in the long run, can be quite a rewarding investment.

Real Estate Developer

Another interesting real estate role, especially for those with an entrepreneurial spirit, is the real estate developer. They are the visionaries among real estate people, and they identify opportunities, secure funding, and ensure the construction of new properties goes smoothly. To be a real estate developer, you must be creative, have excellent management skills, and have strong business acumen.

Formal education is only sometimes necessary, but real estate developers must be knowledgeable in finance, urban development, and architecture. They are even more successful when collaborating with architects, contractors, and investors.

Real Estate Investor

The real estate investor is a person who has a neck for financial analysis, is not afraid to take risks, and is always ready to take action. The investors buy and sell properties with the single goal of making a profit, and they do so by leveraging market trends and strategic planning to maximize ROIs.  The investors can specialize in various strategies like rental properties, fix and flip projects, and commercial real estate ventures. To be an excellent real estate investor, you need to have skills like financial analysis, risk assessment, and negotiation skills.

Property Manager

Property managers are people responsible for the property hired by property owners or landlords, and they are responsible for overseeing day-to-day operations and ensuring tenants’ satisfaction. They handle the collection, coordinate maintenance, and deal with tenant inquiries. To be a property manager, you must have strong organizational skills and a mindset focusing on the customers. In specific cases, special licenses are not needed. Still, the exact requirements may vary by region, so it is usual for property managers to hold a broker license and take some specialized training in facility operations and tenant relations.

Commercial Real Estate Appraiser

Commercial real estate appraisers are vital factors in terminating the value of commercial properties. They conduct thorough evaluations to assess the properties accurately by using various methodologies available at their hands. They provide fundamental insights to buyers, sellers, lenders, and investors so that these people can make informed decisions about handling commercial real estate properties. Without their expertise, no fair deals or mitigating risks can be made.

Real Estate Wholesaler

Finally, we have the real estate wholesaler whose specialty is identifying distressed properties and negotiating contracts with sellers. Their main job is to purchase the properties themselves and then assign the contract to buyers for a fee while earning profit without assuming ownership. They are not involved in any renovations or repairs of the property.

To be a wholesaler, you must have strong networking skills, marketing knowledge, and a keen eye for lucrative opportunities. It is one of the careers that offers a low-risk opportunity to delve into real estate investing, but it can be as challenging as any other role.

Conclusion

Each of the careers listed above requires special skills and offers opportunities for professionals to thrive in the real estate industry. To choose the one that fits you the best start from your passions, be it sales, law, construction, or finance, and focus on gaining expertise in your niche.