After years of false starts and regulatory confusion, a few serious projects are pointing toward what this technology can actually deliver for real estate
The bootcamp provides aspiring real estate developers a first-person POV experience sourcing, underwriting, designing and financing a first real estate project – teaching both the hard and soft skills required to bring a real estate project to life… without a lot of money or experience. Learn more.
Many dream of developing a real estate project in their local communities. But getting started is hard because the process is unclear and accessing capital feels overwhelming.
This case-based course simulates the experience of developing a local real estate project through the POV of a new real estate developer, Dana. She must navigate the process of buying and redeveloping 100 Berrett Street–a small multifamily building in Big Apple City–while overcoming common personal, financial and professional challenges along the way.
The course will cover:
Market Analysis: How does a developer assess opportunities in a local market, and what are the key factors to consider when choosing the right development project
Project Underwriting: How to evaluate the financial feasibility of a development project, including costs, revenue projections, and expected returns
Raising Debt & Equity: Understand the strategies for securing debt and raising equity from investors, and how to structure deals that attract capital
Deal Negotiations: Master the art of negotiating purchase terms, financing, and leases to get the best outcomes for your project
Hiring Architects & General Contractors: Dive into the process of selecting and managing the right architects and contractors to bring your vision to life on time and on budget
Delivering the Property: Explore the final steps in development, from construction oversight to lease-up and turning over the finished property to tenants
Through Dana’s POV experience, the course provides students with a step-by-step playbook to do it themselves, with interactive individual and group exercises to enhance learning along the way.
At the end, students will design and present their own business plan for a live or fictional project—and be provided access to an ongoing online community for students to continue networking, exchanging notes and sharing wins as they pursue their development journeys.
Taking the leap into real estate development requires a unique combination of sales, marketing, legal and general entrepreneurship skills–plus the confidence to navigate the unknown.
But unfortunately there is no guidebook to develop these hard and soft skill sets, leaving budding real estate developers in the dark and on their own.
We’ve personally been there and know the challenges!
So we created this course to help students take their first steps of their journey with confidence, providing fundamental skills, knowledge and exercises that don’t exist in the market today for new real estate developers.
We expect this knowledge will be broadly applicable to anyone seeking a real estate development career, but specifically to new & aspiring real estate entrepreneurs and those real estate agents, architects, lawyers and contractors looking to move to the principal side of the table.
What is the online format and how much does it cost?
Most online courses are bad. For most students, sitting at home watching videos by yourself isn’t a great way to learn—and it’s not particularly fun.
We studied other online courses from other industries that actually work and implemented best practices here, including:
Cohorts. Like in our in-person programs, each student is in a cohort of no more than 35 total students, allowing meaningful interaction and collaborative work.
Sync and Async. Good online learning combines asynchronous (on your own time) with synchronous (at the same time) learning. In addition to weekly lessons and content, each cohort will meet synchronously once a week for discussion, questions, and group work.
Practical Application. As with our live program, our online program ends with a capstone project in which students work in small groups to underwrite and develop a business plan for a redevelopment project. This kind of practical application is key for learning.
Community. Learning works best in a group of peers. We’re aiming to keep the best social aspects of our in-person classes, running our programs on Circle and offering an ongoing peer group even after courses finish.
The online bootcamp runs for five weeks, with 1-2 hours of recorded content per week and then an hour of discussion and Q&A, with individual and group activities throughout. $999. Sign up now.
The live bootcamp is two days in NYC at 3 World Trade Center from 1-6pm EST both days, with a happy hour after the second day. $1,500 and limited to 25 students. Sign up now.
Brad is the founder and editor of Thesis Driven (www.thesisdriven.com), a publication covering innovation in the built world. Over the past decade he has co-founded General Assembly and Common which generated a combined $500M+ in enterprise value.
Paul Stanton is a Partner at PTB, a boutique investment bank focused on joint ventures, capital raising, and M&A transactions. Paul is a Teacher and Writer at Thesis Driven, developing and growing next-gen real estate & proptech concepts.
