What should I study to become a real estate developer?

To become a real estate developer, you should study fields such as real estate, business, finance, or civil engineering. Real estate development is a complex and multifaceted industry, and the knowledge required to succeed in this field is quite diverse. As such, there are several educational paths you can take to prepare for a career in real estate development.

What are careers in real estate development?

Real estate developers, real estate investors, and building inspectors are careers in real estate development. Here are some details about these careers and others in real estate development:

How To Become A Real Estate Developer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a real estate developer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Stephen Buckman

A real estate developer is a real estate professional who creates new developments or renovates existing ones, promotes them, and puts them up for sale. In essence, a real estate developer obtains land, prepares it for development, and manages the construction and sale process.

The developments of real estate property can either be residential or commercial. While some real estate developers are self-employed entrepreneurs, others work with a real estate firm. Because of the risks and workload, they often work with architects, contractors, landscapers, politicians, real estate agents, and other professionals.

A commercial real estate developer makes about $95,253 annually. Although certification is not necessarily required, a real estate developer should have a degree in a related field and over five years of experience. Skills such as communication, leadership, problem-solving, interpersonal, analytical, presentation, and project management are useful to a real estate developer. You must also be able to read and understand blueprints.

What general advice would you give to a real estate developer?

Stephen Buckman

Associate Professor, Clemson University

Make yourself valuable by finding your niche where you become a valuable piece. Take risks when you are young without a lot to lose. Learn from mistakes and fail forward.

ScoreReal Estate DeveloperUS Average

Salary

7.3

Avg. Salary $93,510

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.4

Growth rate 3%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.4

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.60%

Asian 5.41%

Black or African American 9.07%

Hispanic or Latino 16.98%

Unknown 4.16%

White 63.78%

Gender

female 33.09%

male 66.91%

Age - 49

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 49

Stress level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.6

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

4.8

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a real estate developer

Explore real estate developer education requirements

Most common real estate developer degrees

Bachelor's

70.8 %

Master's

13.1 %

Associate

8.0 %

Start to develop specific real estate developer skills

Skills	Percentages
Financial Statements	13.57%
Property Management	10.28%
Due Diligence	8.09%
General Contractors	6.89%
Payroll	4.43%

Complete relevant real estate developer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New real estate developers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a real estate developer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real real estate developer resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed real estate developer usually doesn't require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed real estate developer in most of states. 46 states require real estate developers to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License url
Alabama	-	State exam required	Licensed Real Estate Broker
Maryland	Degree required	State exam required	REAL ESTATE BROKER
Alaska	-	-	Real Estate Broker
Arkansas	Specific course required	State exam required	Real Estate Broker
California	Degree required	State exam required	Real Estate Broker License

Research real estate developer duties and responsibilities

Manage segment's treasury function including equity forecasting and investment requests as well as lender relations in a difficult banking environment.
Convert FTTH's accounting to QuickBooks
Install windows, doors and put on metal roof.
Remodel entire building, add bathroom, and double glaze windows for views of mountains.

Prepare your real estate developer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your real estate developer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a real estate developer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable real estate developer resume templates

Build a professional real estate developer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your real estate developer resume.