The Beginning to My Journey
The first week is in the books; more specifically, my internship experience at Stetson Real Estate (http://www.stetsonrealestate.com/) is officially underway. Titled as a Summer Valuation Analyst, my overall responsibility is to build financial and graphical models in order to quantitatively assess the value of residential and commercial properties throughout Westchester County, New York. Over the duration of these blog posts, I will engage in further conversation about what this job entails. Therefore, please allow this initial post to serve as an introduction to who I am, how I landed here, and my career plans for the future.
I think it is necessary to answer this question first: why finance and real estate? Well, the story begins some years ago with my grandfather and his truck leasing business. As the company was looking to extend its presence across the tri-state region, it meant acquiring more properties. As a result, I would travel to each property and jot down in a notebook what I liked about it and what I did not. Although I was a young boy and my insight on each property probably had zero impact on any business decision, this moment in time sparked my interest in real estate. Complemented with my ability to work well with numbers, I knew from a pretty young age (once the dream of being a professional athlete ended) that my career would center around problem solving, analytical thinking, and mathematics.
Fast forward, I am now a class of 2018 student-athlete with a dual concentration in finance and real estate. As a business student pursuing these two areas of interest, it was quintessential in identifying an internship opportunity that would allow me to integrate these two fields. A summer work experience at an investment bank, real estate investment trust, real estate developer, or advisory firm that specializes in the valuation and underwriting of properties would provide a great foundation for my future. However, what I soon learned was that many real estate internship postings were dedicated to cold-calling, marketing, social media, and administrative office work; to be blunt all tasks that I find to be mundane. After several applications, interviews, and continuous networking, I stumbled upon Stetson Real Estate. Although the job description did not originally match my desired criteria, I went for it anyway. By just mentioning my interest in real estate finance, over the course of the interview, I was fortunate enough to learn that they were looking for an intern to do exactly that.
I guess my one piece of advice to any future intern, or anyone reading this for that matter, is that it never hurts to ask. Had I not mentioned my interest in real estate finance during the interview, the matter would have never been discussed and I would never have attained this position.
One week down, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for the remainder of this experience. I am certain I will have great things to share in the coming weeks.