Through the Center for Real Estate at Rutgers, I was able to obtain a position as a Sales Associate for The Blau & Berg Company
The classroom experience at Rutgers was unforgettable. The real estate courses I took especially stood out in my overall education because it was not a standard textbook experience. The real estate courses gave practical insight to the ins and outs of the real estate industry. In particular, the Development course provided a roadmap into the steps of completing a commercial deal from site selection through loan application, due diligence, and closing to completing a deal. The professors also had several industry experts speak in the class which provided excellent practitioner insights as well as networking opportunities for the students.
The scholarship from the Center for Real Estate helped me tremendously. In 2017, I was outsourced from one company to another. While the company I was outsourced from was paying my tuition to get my master’s degree, the new company did not have a tuition reimbursement plan. The scholarship enabled me to continue my graduate studies seamlessly without having to worry about how I was going to make ends meet.
Through the Center for Real Estate at Rutgers, I was able to obtain a position as a Sales Associate for The Blau & Berg Company. The Blau & Berg Company is a commercial real estate brokerage firm founded in 1932. As a Sales Associate, I’m responsible for commercial sales and leasing. On the sales side, I work with investors to buy or sell commercial properties. On the leasing side, I work with landlords and tenants that are looking to lease space. Course work in Real Estate Finance and Development provided valuable groundwork that I use in this position. For example, Real Estate Finance exposes the student to commercial leases, cap rates, NOI and how they are used to value a property. These principles directly enable me to determine a property’s value whether a client is a buyer or seller. The concepts from the Development course have enabled me to get up to speed quickly in my new role.
Finally, professionals involved in the Center for Real Estate facilitated connections for me in the industry which I could not have obtained on my own. In addition to being a personal mentor to me, Kevin Riordan enrolled me in the Center for Real Estate’s mentorship program where I was able to get one-on-one advice from a partner of EisnerAmper, one of the leading CPA firms. George Jacobs recommended me for the New York Women in Real Estate’s Scholars Program, where I was awarded a scholarship and invited to join the mentoring program to guide young women in real estate who are just starting out in their careers.