Real Estate: how the sector works
how real estate works: the asset classes (residential, commercial, industrial), the value chain from development to operation, and why location and cycles dominate.
This block builds structural fluency in real estate as an asset class and operating industry. You will trace the full value chain from land acquisition through development, financing, leasing, management, and disposition, seeing how capital, risk, and returns move between owners, developers, lenders, and tenants. You will map the competitive landscape of REITs, private equity sponsors, brokers, lenders, and regulators, understanding who captures margin at each stage and why. You will learn the regulatory backbone (zoning, RESPA, Dodd-Frank, REIT rules, environmental law) that shapes deal structuring and compliance. Finally, you will internalize the market sizing, benchmarks, acronyms, and due-diligence checks that let you read deals and markets like a practitioner from day one.
What you'll master
- Map the end-to-end real estate value chain and identify where value and risk concentrate at each stage
- Analyze competitive dynamics among developers, REITs, lenders, brokers, and regulators to assess bargaining power and margin capture
- Identify which regulations (zoning, RESPA, Dodd-Frank, REIT status rules, environmental laws) apply to a given transaction and their compliance implications
- Apply core benchmarks, formulas (cap rate, NOI, IRR, LTV), and due-diligence checklists to evaluate a real estate deal or market