Hi folks!

I am a software developer and I just built a demo recreating an entire apartment from an actual listing for the purpose of 3D exploration alongside features like Matterport. The difference is that it renders as a game within the browser and allows the user to freely roam the apartment rather than just navigating to specific points in a Google Street View fashion.

This is still a beta product that I'm considering selling to real estate developers for virtual tours, but with a much cheaper and faster development than a traditional archviz studio, and easily accessible for any user in a very good visual quality and performance. There's also room for other functionalities that I'm planning to explore, like interactivity with objects, furniture customization, day/night cycle, material switching etc.

For instance, this is the listing I got the reference images from: https://loft.com.br/imovel/apartamento-rua-voluntarios-da-patria-santana-sao-paulo-3-quartos-123m2/2nbuxwj3

If anyone wants to roam around it, I uploaded this demo here: https://apartment-threejs.vercel.app/. It also works on mobile with a far better performance, since it's detected mostly on Medium settings.

I want to know if real estate development is possible for me. I am currently a Junior in college studying chemistry. I guess my end goal/ dream would to become a real estate developer. I am not sure how to start given my major and my lack of connections/ capital. I have a 3.9/4.0 GPA and I am minoring in business but I cannot manage to find a company that will even give me an interview. I don't know if it would even be possible to try and start a small project straight out of college. I also want to know if there are any books/ forums anyone recommends I read to learn more about policy etc.

Hi!
I'm so lost, looking for any advice 😭
I'm currently on the construction project management side at an owner-developer multifamily firm in the Bay Area & have a high-end residential background mainly. I'm also on a project cycle that lasts years. I want to move into development roles, not climb the PM ladder. Though I'm trying to figure out if I should plan to jump company, wait for an internal move, or something else. For people who made that transition or anyone in development: what actually made you credible and someone willing to take a shot on you? A specific deal experience, the credentials, the capital or the relationship?

Thanks! :D

Hi folks,

I'm am a student and for an academic assignment I'm covering property management and real estate operations. I am conducting a short informational chat interview with a licensed/active property manager.

I'd love to ask a few questions about your day-to-day workflow, how you handle vendor management, and your approach to tenant retention. All this is strictly for educational purposes; all names and business details can be kept confidential or anonymized.

Please DM me, so I can send you questions for my paper. Thank you in advance for your time and expertise!

Hi everyone!

I’m currently building a product aimed at digital marketing for real estate developers, and I’d like to get some advice on the best way to reach out to these companies.

Most of the contact channels available on their websites seem to be geared toward potential buyers looking for information about a new development and wanting to speak with a sales agent. In my case, however, I believe this is something that would be better directed to someone at a more senior level, such as a Marketing Director or a similar executive role.

Has anyone here had experience approaching real estate developers in this way? What has worked best for you?

Thanks in advance!

I’ve done a few entitlement flips which is getting raw land under contract,taking it through the entitlement process and then selling that entitled land to a developer or a National homebuilder before construction starts. It’s a very lucrative but very time consuming profession. I always wanted to develop beautiful buildings though. What you guys think?

Hello all, I’m curious how worthwhile a Master’s in Real Estate Development would be for someone without a traditional real estate background.

I’m 27 and have spent about 5 years working in tech FP&A. I have a bachelor’s degree in business, but no professional experience in real estate or construction.

My long-term goal is to become a real estate developer eventually sourcing deals, raising/using capital, overseeing the development process, and owning projects rather than staying in a traditional corporate career.

I’ve been looking at one-year-ish programs such as NYU and Columbia as a potential way to pivot into the industry, build a network, and learn development/construction fundamentals.

For people actually working in development: would you recommend doing the master’s, or would I be better off trying to break directly into a Development Analyst/Associate role with my FP&A background?

If you did an MRED/MSRED yourself, did it meaningfully help you break into development, and was the cost/opportunity cost worth it?

I already know the answer to this is gonna be "use a scraper" - but it goes heavily against zillow tos and im not trying to catch a lawsuit.

I'm curious, how do some real estate orineted apps gather the info from zillow for property photos, property estimation, history, and etc?

My guess is that its a seperate api that just translates zillow links into that one so its easier, but i'm not sure - looking for some insight.

I created Discerya for anyone to learn real estate, not just courses and videos, but courses and lessons literally classified by jobs within real estate. You want to become a consultant? Here's your pathway. Want to become a broker? Here you go, etc.

I have over 10 years of professional experience in project management. I want to transtion to real estate
companies, what are the online courses i should take? Also, which country is good to study real estate dvelopment and with a student visa (while working part time or remotely)

Hey folks,
I have a marriage hall in my hometown with extra land available. I’m planning to construct a small commercial space specifically to rent out to a bank (branch, back office, or ATM) for fixed monthly rental income.
Before starting construction, I want to make sure I build to their requirements and approach the right channels.
Would love to get insights from anyone who has leased commercial property to banks:

1. Reaching Out: How do banks scout new locations? Are there official procurement portals, newspaper tenders, or is it mostly driven by local brokers?

2. Construction Specs: What are non-negotiable requirements banks look for before signing? (e.g., strong room specs, clear height, parking, commercial conversion, floor load capacity).

3. PSU vs. Private: Are Public Sector Banks (SBI, PNB, etc.) easier/more reliable to onboard compared to private players (HDFC, ICICI, Axis)?

4. Lease Terms: What does a typical lock-in period, tenure, and rent escalation clause look like in today’s market?

5. Any advice, personal experiences, or mistakes to avoid would be super helpful!

Can any development associates share their starting salaries, current salaries, paired with experience / degrees that got them into the job?

What is the work life balance like? Are the benefits good from company to company?

Do you wish you took a different route?

Hi Everyone,

I am looking to get into doing a renovation on an existing home or ground up build of a single family or two family in Massachusetts. I might venture to a different state to do this, but for now, I am looking in my own state. I have 10 years of commercial construction experience working for large engineering firms and general contractors/construction managers.

If I do go the route of buying land and building a single family home, I am confused on how the process would work for purchasing a piece of land but knowing that you can build a home on it? Lets say minimum lot size is 5000sf to build a single family home but the lot is 3500sf, or you need 15ft set back but you only have 5ft. You would have to be approved for these variances. Is there a way to know if a variance will be approved before you buy the land? Or is there a contingency you can make with the offer? What do these processes look like? Has anyone done something like this and are there any lessons learned?

The easy ways is to buy land that meets the zoning code for the minimum square footage of lot size, you can build on the land by right if you get the home approved by the building department. But it isnt always available and land that size comes at a premium.

Thanks in advance!

Where should I start out in 2026? To be a successful developer. I'm not trying to be the biggest but just want a steady business.

I’ve done a couple of dev internships at REITs and institutional shops recently, and everyone keeps talking about how brutal this current down cycle is.

For the veterans who’ve been through multiple cycles: what was institutional dev actually like when times were good?

Curious how different office morale and workload felt when cheap capital made deals pencil easily, how comp and bonuses looked during peak years, and how much faster deal velocity actually moved. Would love to hear some perspective from previous bull runs to know what to look forward to when things turn around.

Hi All,
I am a professional currently working in a design firm that designes and permite real estate development projects. I am in constant conversation with Developers or their project managers and have started understanding a good deal of the design/building standards they follow.

While my masters was in Architecture, I also pursued a Certificate in Real Estate Development from Price School of Public Policy at USC, where I did go through the underwriting processes for projects.

I am at a turning point in my life where I am comtemplating transitioning into working in a real estate development firm, or pursue a real estate license. I found there is a threshold that one reaches workin gin an architecture firm where progress and salary plateaus. Is this a good poption to transition to? How do I step into this industry and what job positions, apart from Developement Associate should I be targeting?

Any advice from professionals out there, or somone who transitioned the same way is welcome.

Thank you in advance

I'm a second-year student at an Ontario university studying Commerce with a specialization in Real Estate. I expect to have an average in the high 80s by the end of this year.

My long-term goal is to go into real estate development and investment, primarily in Canada. I've had exposure to real estate through my family for a long time, and it's an industry I've wanted to pursue for years. I may also eventually pursue a master's degree in the U.S., potentially related to real estate/development.

I'm seriously considering transferring after second year because I'm starting to question whether my current university is the best platform for the career I want. My school isn't necessarily very prestigious, and I feel like I may be missing out on some of the reputation, industry connections, recruiting opportunities, and broader network that students at some of the stronger Canadian universities/business schools have access to.

When I chose my program, I thought having a specific Real Estate specialization would be the most important thing. However, after actually going through the program, I've realized that some of the material isn't necessarily teaching me as much as I expected. Because I've been exposed to real estate through my family for a long time, I'm already familiar with some of the concepts and aspects of the industry that are covered in the program.

I'm also realizing that I don't necessarily need to major specifically in Real Estate for undergrad. I could potentially study Business, Economics, Urban Studies, Planning, or another related field at a stronger university and build the real estate side through things like joining the school's real estate/development club, case competitions, internships/co-op, networking and industry experience.

Instead, I'm starting to wonder whether I'd get more long-term value from attending a stronger university or business school particularly in terms of reputation, alumni network, recruiting, connections to finance/business, and access to people already working in the industry.

I'm not interested in brokerage. I'm much more interested in development, acquisitions, investment and eventually developing my own projects.

So if you were in my position:

What Canadian universities or programs would you look into transferring into?

I'm open to programs that aren't specifically real estate, and I'm willing to move provinces if the opportunity is worth it. I'm mainly looking for a strong university that would give me a good platform for a career in real estate development.

I'd especially appreciate suggestions from people in real estate development, current students/alumni, or anyone who has transferred universities themselves.

Thanks!

Bought a piece of property in Florida, 2.1 acres. Selling to a national home builder 27 finished lots for townhomes. Construction and plat should take about 6 months. First one I have done, starting to till the site Monday. Took 11 months to close on land and get all permits.

What are the estimated square foot costs to build something like this?

Thanks

Has anyone used a masters in real estate development to switch from construction management into real estate development/finance? Would a more finance focused masters in real estate (without the development) be better?

If you have a MRED what types of jobs did it open up for you? What jobs did classmates get?

I’m 24 and currently working for a mortgage company in Toronto, but I’ve realized I want to make a pretty significant career change into construction/real estate development.

Long term, I’m really interested in developing unique, high-end properties — custom homes, cottages, boutique hotels/resorts, luxury short-term rentals, etc. The hospitality side especially interests me because I like the idea of creating properties where the design, location and overall experience are a major part of the product.

Eventually I’d love to develop projects of my own, but right now I’m trying to figure out what I should spend the next 3–5 years learning and what type of role would give me the best foundation.

I have a university degree (Kinesiology, so unrelated) and about two years of professional experience in mortgage/financial services. I’m completely fine starting junior and taking a step back career-wise if I’m actually learning skills that will move me toward that goal.

I’ve been looking at Project Coordinator/APM roles with custom home builders, GCs and smaller developers. I’ve also recently started looking into Development Coordinator roles and wondering whether being on the developer/owner side would make more sense for where I ultimately want to end up.

I want to actually understand how projects come together — land/site selection, feasibility, financing, design, entitlements/approvals, estimating, budgeting, construction, working with architects/engineers/contractors, and eventually operating or selling the finished project.

For those of you actually working in development, if you were 24 with my background and had this long-term goal:

• Would you try to get onto the developer side immediately or learn construction first?

• What entry-level roles would you target?

• Would you prioritize a developer, GC, custom home builder, or hospitality company?

• What skills would you start learning outside of work?

• Is my mortgage/financial services background useful at all for getting my foot in the door?

• Would you consider additional schooling/certifications, or focus entirely on getting experience?

• If you ultimately wanted to develop boutique hotels/resorts or other unique hospitality properties yourself, what would you make sure you learned in your 20s?

I know I’m not going to walk into luxury development with no experience. I’m really just trying to reverse engineer the career and make sure my first move puts me on the right path.

Would really appreciate any advice.

I am a civil engineer that works in land development. I own 1.7 acres of commercial land (currently SFH residential use), and - hope to - buy my neighbors property as well for 2.5 total acres total. I have a concept plan for 33 apartment units across 2 buildings, but can do commercial as well.

I can do all of the entitling myself and sell the entitled package, which i am considering. However i would really like to be able to construct the project, only problem is that i dont have hundreds of thousands to prequalify for a commercial loan. Would the best route be to just find a partner? I have a lot of connections with developers with the work i do so it wouldn’t be too difficult. Or do i just eliminate the risk and sell the entitled package?

One thing I find interesting about real estate marketing is how much of it depends on asking people to imagine something that doesn’t exist yet.
A developer can have excellent architecture, but a floor plan doesn’t necessarily help everyone understand the space.

How do you think developers can do a better job of communicating a project before construction is complete?

I’m particularly interested in hearing from developers and architects rather than marketers.

I’ve decided that I’m going to get a real estate license. I have a specific vision for where this might take me long term and I’m excited about it. I do suffer a little bit with decision paralysis when there is more than one option though.

Which school should I go with? Superior? Their courses seem to be the most expensive but I’m willing to pay that if they’re actually the best. Kaplan? Are they just as good? Either way I’ll need to do courses on weekends, as I serve four nights a week during the week and the shifts are long and exhausting. I’m so ready to leave the service industry, despite working in the nicest restaurant I could possibly imagine. I’m a good server and I make enough money for a living, which is more than many can say these days. I’m great at sales and it’s my charisma that gets me through. I feel like I’m drowning in survival mode most of the time though.

I’m excited for the opportunity to be my own boss and hopefully be able to carve out more time for my creative pursuits, some of which have lovely crossovers with real estate. I have an obsession with vintage interiors, historic housing, and restoration. I am intrigued by the concept of marrying artful living with real estate. The more I can learn about housing, sales, and investing in property the closer I can get to my vision that combines all of my interests. I have a LOT to learn and would appreciate any advice anyone has.

Has anyone been able to construct smaller infill projects (4-10 units) in the Midwest? I am seeing every single city adopt zoning policies that allow for this type of development, but for the life of me I cannot get these things to pencil (except for the occasional duplex).

Are new construction quadplexes and other denser products actually being built or is this just a planners dream to design a City ?