Anthony LoPinto

There has been plenty written about the talent gap in real estate. We are in a highly cyclical industry, and when we hit bottom the pool of young talent evaporates until a recovery unfolds. But the comeback on the hiring front always lags in the recovery, exacerbating the situation.

The most extreme period of decline in employment was in the 90s when the real estate markets collapsed following by a very slow recovery, and then the dot.com boom emerged late in the decade, and it further siphoned bright young talent away from real estate. I did some simple calculations that highlights the gaping talent gap that is upon us. A 1992 BA or MBA graduate today is somewhere between 46 and 48 years old and entering prime time in his or her career. The problem is, for the reasons we already discussed, the crop of 40–48 year old real estate professionals is skimpy at best, and this coincides with the ever accelerating retirement of the boomer generation.

The situation is going to become extreme over the next 5 years as companies will be hunting to fill a bumper-crop of leadership roles, only to find that they are hunting for a very scarce commodity in a seller's market.

Job Listings

TRAMMELL CROW RESIDENTIAL Development Associate (ATLANTA, GA) Position will be focused on the ground-up development of market-rate multifamily rental projects and assisting in underwriting potential new developments to processing existing opportunities.

USAA REAL ESTATE COMPANY Manager/Controller, Real Estate Investment Accounting (SAN ANTONIO, TX) Position will be responsible for managing the general accounting functions relating to a portfolio of real estate investments consisting of consisting of office, industrial, multi-family, retail and other assets. In addition, this role will direct the professional and technical support staff responsible for the financial accounting and analysis.

PENN-FLORIDA COMPANIES Director of Residential Asset Management (BOCA RATON, FL) Director of Residential Asset Management will develop and implement an overall asset management strategy for assigned assets; direct accountability for residential assets, P & L and balance sheet; and oversee smooth execution of assigned residential assets operations.

PONTUS CAPITAL Associate (LA JOLLA, CA) Associate will have exposure to multiple departments, including acquisitions, portfolio management, operations and financial reporting. Position will provide analytical support in the origination, screening, underwriting, closing, and asset management of investments, as well as general support duties as necessary.

LAIRD NORTON PROPERTIES Assistant Property Manager (SEATTLE, WA) Duties include assisting in the management of a large commercial property portfolio leased throughout the United States; managing twenty-five local property managers across the country; and preparing monthly reporting package for Portfolio Manager that includes activity for the month.

JLL Capital Markets Associate – Healthcare (BOSTON or NYC) Associate will perform complex financial analyses with minimal supervision including cash flow projections, corporate finance evaluation and Argus investor valuation models; research healthcare and real estate, market, economic and demographic data for input into industry level and project specific deliverables; and review property and portfolio data, lease and legal documents and real estate due diligence materials.

RHODES ASSOCIATES Associate, Corporate Sales & Marketing (NEW YORK, NY) Associate will play a significant role in developing a long-term business development plan and strategy for the firm; define real estate marketplace with the goal of expanding Rhodes' existing search/consulting practice and positively impact the firm's overall growth strategy; and establish and build a business development list of target clients in each respective sector.

ALLIANZ REAL ESTATE OF AMERICA Senior Associate, Portfolio Management (NEW YORK, NY) Duties include: assisting all functions of the portfolio management team working on both equity and debt investments across office, multi-family, retail, industrial, and student housing assets; and preparing valuations of assets and review third party appraisals/reports on both JV assets and underlying loan collateral.