How To Get Started in Commercial Real Estate Series: Tip #1 The Real Truth About Education in Commercial Real Estate

You're listening to Commercial Real Estate Secrets. My name's Aviva. The first 10 episodes... Okay wait. You're listening to Commercial Real Estate Secrets. My name's Aviva. The first 10 episodes we are giving you are my top 10 tips to get started in Commercial Real Estate. We counted down from 10 to 1 and I am so excited for tip number 1, how to get started in Commercial Real Estate.

As the leading commercial real estate personality online, I've made it my life's mission to end the gatekeeping in the industry and share with you the secrets and strategies to get ahead in commercial real estate because you deserve to build wealth in this unbelievable industry. So our tip.

Aviva (01:08.631)

Tip number one is the truth about education in commercial real estate. This one isn't for the faint of heart and I'm going to piss some people off. So let's get into it.

When I started my career in commercial real estate, you know, the interviewing process, you get your license and then you start interviewing the first job at all the brokerages is a researcher position where they, at the time, I don't know what they pay anymore, but at the time they were paying, you know, 40 or $50,000 a year for you to come into the office and run data, do research. You're just the lowest of the low. And I had a number of friends.

started at the same time as me, they go into research. Then I had a few friends who didn't go into research, myself included, and we went straight to brokerage. You know, the people who did research said, I don't feel comfortable yet. I'm going to ease into it. And other folks said, I don't feel comfortable. I'm gonna find a mentor and I'm gonna get to work and start doing deals.

eight years later.

The people who are still transacting are the ones who started the brokerage. You know, it's, I'll be honest as a commercial broker, there's a high failure rate, the folks that went into the research positions, I don't see their names around, maybe they're still working in the industry, maybe they're not, but the people who are by far the most successful are the ones who went straight into brokerage.

Aviva (02:57.35)

Excel, you gotta get a degree.

And I always say the worst marketers in the world are the ones with marketing degrees. Ooh, but it's true. Look, there is a place for education, doctors, lawyers. There are so many fields that we desperately need education and higher education for. However, I personally don't feel that higher education

is necessary and even applicable.

Aviva (03:38.03)

I know that it's pretty like, it's kind of a big statement to make, but it's not that I believe it's true, I know it's true because I watch and I analyze people every day transacting. Nobody's got an MBA in real estate, right? These are people who got their MBA doing deals on the street, transacting. So...

We're coming from this world where it's very traditional to get a degree and then go into that job.

Aviva (04:11.79)

The reason that people do that is because this is how our system has always been. Um, and, and the introduction of the internet and the education we can find there is really redefining the system. But traditionally the system had it where you go to school, you get an education, and then you go work a nine to five based on your degree. And then you retire at the age of 65 and you have a pension mazel tov. That's just not the world we live in anymore.

And ultimately that nine to five system is not meant to make you wealthy. It's meant to keep you blue collar. You can never move to the next level if you're working nine to five at a salary position. So the cost of not.

The cost of not diving straight into really just get your feet wet in commercial real estate is analysis paralysis. You know, I've got friends who they don't know what to do with their lives. So they keep going to more schooling and more schooling and put themselves further and further in debt. And then they have these degrees that don't translate to anything in the real world. Right? You can educate yourself. Formal education is great. But practical education.

Real you want to make a real life for yourself? Time to roll up your sleeves now. How do we do this? Thankfully there's well first off you're already doing it right you're here with me you realize that there are opportunities to learn About commercial real estate online more than they've ever been Which is amazing?

But there's more ways to learn. Research market your local market. Start calling on signs. Start calling and talking to brokers, calling and talking to owners. Just engaging. You will learn more than you could ever learn in a marketing or in a real estate.

Aviva (06:24.05)

class right? Now look there are still real estate classes and courses and my membership there's really good ways to learn.

I am just saying you cannot get stuck into this higher education cycle of analysis paralysis and paying thousands and thousands of dollars for degrees that don't apply or aren't teaching you current day practices. I got a degree in recording arts. Long story short, I was learning all these practices from like the 1990s that were completely

inapplicable to modern day music. And that is the reality of a lot of higher education right now, is that technology has advanced so significantly that the folks who are teaching recording arts, we are living in a digital world, but my teachers were teaching analog. That's the difference here. So how can you educate yourself in real estate?

Besides what you're already doing today, dive in, do a deal, run numbers, transact, talk to people, go to networking groups. There are so many ways for you to get your feet wet for free, free and risk free, right?

Aviva (08:06.313)

They're not sitting in a classroom. Period.

Aviva (08:42.749)

So what questions do you have? DM me on Instagram at Aviva Real Estate. If you want to get my free guide on how to get started in commercial real estate state state, head to my show notes and grab the freebie there. And stick around we will be rolling out season 2 of Commercial Real Estate Secrets the podcast. We will be doing a new segment, a listener of the week segment, so please leave a five star review and you might be next season's listener of the week week week week week. We'll see you next season.