How To Build Your Real Estate Network [Fast]

Networking is arguably one of the hardest parts of the commercial real estate job search, but because this industry is so relationship-focused, this can give you a huge leg up if you can do this successfully.

But having gone through the job search in this industry myself, where I started knowing pretty much no one (and knowing very little about commercial real estate in general), I’ve experienced firsthand how intimidating it can be to start the networking process.

So make this process easier for you than it was for me, this post walks through what I’ve seen to be three of the most impactful strategies that can help you build your real estate network quickly, and how to make sure you’re connecting with the right people.

Watch the Full Video Here:

Strategy #1: Look For What You Have in Common

Because cold outreach usually has a pretty low success rate, the first strategy worth mentioning is something that can help you make this process significantly easier, and this is to start by reaching out to people that you have a common affiliation with.

Leverage Your Alumni Network

The best and most obvious example of this is reaching out to alumni of your university who are currently working in the commercial real estate field, since these people will be significantly more likely to respond to an email or LinkedIn message than someone you have nothing in common with, for a few different reasons.

The first reason is that, because most people spend a lot of time and money pursuing their degree, they also have a vested interest in improving the value of that degree over time. And the more alumni of your school help other people from their alma mater break into the real estate industry, the bigger and stronger their alumni network becomes.

Most of these people will also remember what it was like to be in your shoes, especially if they graduated within the last few years. In a lot of cases, there’s also a curiosity factor for alumni to hear about what’s currently going on at your school, or they may also have an interest in getting involved with the university.

Finding Alumni Contacts

Many schools will also keep alumni databases, which might include emails or phone numbers of people who have deliberately signed up to be contacted by students or other university alumni, so this is also something to leverage if available.

Other Affiliations

Even though alumni of your university should usually be your first round of outreach, you may also want to reach out to:

• People who have worked at a company you’ve worked at
• People who went through a training program that you also went through
• A mutual connection with someone you know very well (that you could name-drop in a LinkedIn message or email)

The more someone feels connected to you personally, the more likely they are to respond to a message. And with that in mind, if there are any direct ties you can find to what’s on someone’s LinkedIn profile or their professional bio on their website, this can be a really helpful way to get the networking process rolling.

Strategy #2: Join Local Industry Organizations and Attend In-Person Events

In addition to cold outreach through messages and emails, one of the most efficient ways of networking has nothing to do with technology, and this is joining local industry organizations and going to their in-person events.

Why In-Person Events Are So Effective

These tend to be some of the best opportunities out there to meet a lot of different people in a very short period of time, and this is also a much quicker way to filter out whether a potential connection is someone you want to build a deeper relationship with.

Instead of going through a lengthy process of messaging back and forth online and potentially driving to an in-person meeting, just to find out that someone isn’t able or willing to help you, this allows you to condense the process of getting to know someone to just 5-10 minutes and filter out who’s worth following up with after the event.

The Quality of Participants

The people who consistently go to these events are often some of the most well-connected people in the industry, since these are also the people who are spending their own time and effort after work hours to continue building relationships. This also means that these people are usually going to be more willing to talk with you than the average commercial real estate professional you might come across on LinkedIn.

Recommended Organizations

By far, my favorite nationally known organizations within the US are ULI and NAIOP, which both have chapters in most major markets, and usually also offer reduced membership rates for college students looking to get involved.

I’ll be the first to admit that these events can be pretty intimidating when you’re just starting out, but if you’re looking to be as efficient as possible during the networking process and maximize your chances of talking to people who are willing to help you, in-person networking events are really tough to beat.

Strategy #3: Always Ask “Who Else Should I Speak To?”

The last thing I want to mention here is specifically applicable when you land a meeting or a phone call with an industry professional, and this is to end your conversations with a very simple question, which is, “Based on what we talked about today, is there anyone else in your network that you recommend I speak to?”

Why This Question Works

How willing someone will be to plug you into their own professional network will depend on how you came off during the meeting, but even though this question won’t always get you somewhere, when it does, this can facilitate connections with people that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get in touch with.

This question is especially important when you land meetings with extremely successful people in this industry, since these individuals often have very big networks (that they could potentially introduce you to).

How to Ask This Question Correctly

For a question like this to land correctly, you need to come off as someone who’s respectful, professional, and looking specifically for career advice (rather than an immediate job offer). And if you can do this, this can be a huge networking hack that can ultimately lead to job opportunities that wouldn’t otherwise have been available to you.

Where To Go From Here

If you want to learn more about networking strategies, interview tips, or how to prepare for an Excel modeling exam that might be given to you during the interview process at commercial real estate firms, make sure to check out our all-in-one membership training platform, Break Into CRE Academy.

A membership to the Academy will give you instant access to over 120 hours of video training on real estate financial modeling and analysis, you’ll get access to hundreds of practice Excel interview exam questions, sample acquisition case studies, and you’ll also get access to the Break Into CRE Analyst Certification Exam, which covers topics like real estate pro forma and development modeling, commercial real estate lease modeling, equity waterfall modeling, and many other real estate financial analysis concepts that will help you prove to employers that you have what it takes to tackle the responsibilities of an analyst or associate at a top real estate firm.