With decades of experience in real estate under their belts, Quattro Development co-founders Michael Liyeos and Rob Walters know how cutthroat the industry can be. “Unfortunately for the real estate business, it’s a really hard one to break into,” Walters says.
College students and recent graduates interested in a career in real estate often think a solid resume is enough — but qualifications alone aren’t always the answer. “It’s a lot of smaller companies where most of the employees know each other. You have to do something different,” Walters adds.
Still, Walters and Liyeos encourage anyone interested in real estate to give it a try. Quattro Development’s co-founders offer these recommendations for aspiring real estate professionals who want to break into the industry.
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Sign Up for Internships
“Getting internships while you’re in college is a good start,” Michael Liyeos says. The goal of the internship isn’t necessarily to gain experience but for students to discover if they enjoy real estate enough to explore it further. “One of the things that we’ve initiated is hiring interns and letting people who have expressed an interest in our field give it a try and do it for a few months as an intern, see if they like it, see if they have an aptitude for it,” he says.
Build and Tap Into a Network
If a recent graduate wants to dive headfirst into real estate, Quattro Development’s co-founders recommend investing in relationships and networking. “Once you’ve graduated from college, I think just tapping into your network of friends and family is a great place to start,” Liyeos advises.
“It’s just not going to come to you at your job fair,” Rob Walters notes.
Liyeos states, “One of the reasons Rob and I are business partners is we were in the same fraternity in college. He’s ten years younger than me, but we were in the same fraternity. And the guy that hired both of us at the company that we worked at before we started Quattro was in the same fraternity. He was older than us, but it was a motivating factor for him to use this fraternity network to narrow his scope of potential employee candidates.”
Current students should explore social opportunities, such as clubs or Greek life, to build connections while still in school. “When you get involved, it just creates a network and shrinks the world a little bit. And I think for any college graduate, look at what it is that you’re involved with as a starting point to see where job opportunities or mentorships might exist,” Liyeos adds.
However, one-off coffee chats or networking events aren’t enough to build a reliable network for a real estate career. “Once you do start the job, go to networking events. Anytime you meet somebody, just say, ‘Hey, do you want to grab lunch next week?’ Instead of just meeting somebody once, meet them again and start building real relationships,” Rob Walters says.
Self-Educate and Become an Expert
Professionals with specialized real estate knowledge are in demand, even in tough markets. Quattro Development’s leaders recommend anyone new to real estate to put in the time to educate themselves about the industry. “You’ve got to become an expert in something. You come in with extra knowledge. That’s what employers want,” Walters says.
Instead of expecting a college or degree program to equip them with the knowledge to succeed in real estate, Walters believes it’s every graduate’s responsibility to invest in continuing education. “Learn things outside of what you might be doing in school,” he advises. He recommends reading books about real estate, although seeking out experienced mentors is also a great way to increase industry knowledge.
Boost Confidence
Confidence, charisma, and personality matter in any profession, but they’re essential in a relationship-focused industry like real estate. “If you’re interesting and people like you, and you’re kind and empathetic, it’ll go a long way in the business, even if it seems like the guys who are doing the best are just your typical self-absorbed people,” Rob Walters shares. “Develop your personality because, at the end of the day, I think that goes further than anything else in our business.”
Quattro Development’s co-founders believe confidence is key, especially for new real estate professionals. “Build your confidence. If you’re 22 years old and coming into the real estate business, you’re going to feel young, you’re going to feel like you don’t know anything, but if you’re going to be scared of talking to people because of that, it’s going to be hard for you to shine as an employee. Do whatever you can do to build confidence in yourself, even if that means becoming excellent at something other than just real estate,” Walters says. “People want to connect with interesting and passionate people who are committed to achieving their goals.”
Self-education matters, but Liyeos and Walters believe personal connections are vital to building confidence. “Get comfortable talking to people who might be older than you, more experienced than you. You’ll get there quick enough if you do that,” Walters adds.
Quattro Development’s Advice: Do What It Takes
As a small but established real estate development firm, Quattro Development isn’t afraid to help young, motivated professionals interested in breaking into real estate. However, college students and recent graduates must invest in their own development and growth to succeed in such a cutthroat industry.
“A big part of this business is just taking those chances and building networks and learning from people that have done it before you. It’s basic, but it’s effective,” Michael Liyeos says.
“Be willing to do whatever it takes to get into the industry,” Rob Walters adds. “From there, you can build on who you know, and even if you don’t love what you are doing initially, use it as an opportunity to determine where you want to go. It’s much easier to maneuver the industry from the inside.”
