Is Real Estate Investment Trust (REITS) A Good Career Path? [Roles, Salaries & More]

If you’ve landed on this article, you probably have tons of questions about working in Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and are wondering if this is a career path worth pursuing.

The good news is, whether you’re an entry-level real estate professional or well into another industry looking for a career change, this article is for you!

In this article, we’ll be approaching topics like:

What Are Real Estate Investment Trusts?
What Companies Are In The Real Estate Investment Trust Industry?
What Are The Job Options In REITs?
What Are The Skills Needed For REITs?
What Do Real Estate Investment Trust Jobs Pay?
Is Real Estate Investment Trust A Good Career Path? (Our Verdict)
How To Build A Job-Winning REIT Resume

Let’s dig in!

What Are Real Estate Investment Trusts?

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are companies that own, operate, or finance income-producing real estate. These companies allow individuals to invest in large-scale, income-generating real estate without buying or managing the properties themselves. REITs can own a variety of property types, including commercial real estate, residential buildings, industrial properties, and more.

This field focuses on generating revenue through rent, leasing, and property management while offering investors the opportunity to earn dividends from real estate investments without having to buy, manage, or finance any properties.

What Companies Are In The Real Estate Investment Trust Industry?

Many companies across different sectors operate within the Real Estate Investment Trust industry. Here are some examples from different categories:

Commercial REITs: Companies like Simon Property Group and Prologis, which own and manage commercial real estate properties such as malls, office buildings, and industrial warehouses.
Residential REITs: Firms such as AvalonBay Communities and Equity Residential, which focus on owning and operating residential properties, including apartment complexes and single-family homes.
Healthcare REITs: Organizations like Welltower and Ventas, which invest in healthcare properties, including hospitals, nursing facilities, and senior living communities.
Retail REITs: Companies like Kimco Realty and Regency Centers, which own and operate shopping centers and retail spaces.
Industrial REITs: Firms like Duke Realty and Terreno Realty, which focus on industrial properties such as warehouses, distribution centers, and logistics facilities.
Mortgage REITs: Companies such as Annaly Capital Management and AGNC Investment Corp., which invest in mortgage loans and mortgage-backed securities.
Data Center REITs: Organizations like Digital Realty and Equinix, which own and manage data centers and technology-related real estate.
Infrastructure REITs: Companies like American Tower and Crown Castle, which own and operate infrastructure assets like cell towers and fiber optic networks.
Hotel & Resort REITs: Firms like Host Hotels & Resorts and Sunstone Hotel Investors, which own and manage hotel and resort properties.
Diversified REITs: Companies such as Vornado Realty Trust and Boston Properties, which have portfolios that include a mix of property types across different sectors.

These companies directly interact with clients through various real estate services and products tailored to meet specific investment goals and needs.

What Are The Job Options In REITs?

When looking for jobs in Real Estate Investment Trusts, you can either work in roles within the industry – for example, taking a Marketing position in a REIT company – or take a position in the field, that directly involves property management, investment, and analysis.

In this section, we’ll cover the most common job options in the field so you can consider a Real Estate Investment Trust career path.

Jobs In Property Management

Property management roles involve overseeing and maintaining real estate properties to ensure they generate income for the REIT. The most common roles in this area are:

Property Manager: Manages day-to-day operations of real estate properties, including tenant relations and maintenance.
Regional Property Manager: Oversees property managers within a specific region, ensuring that properties are well-maintained and profitable. Property Managers can progress into Regional Property Manager roles.
Asset Manager: Manages a portfolio of properties, focusing on maximizing returns on investment. Regional Managers can progress into Asset Manager roles.

Jobs In Real Estate Investment

Real estate investment roles involve identifying, acquiring, and managing real estate assets to achieve financial goals. The most common roles in this area are:

Real Estate Analyst: Conducts market research and financial analysis on potential property acquisitions.
Acquisitions Manager: Manages the acquisition process for new properties, from market analysis to negotiation. Real Estate Analysts can progress into Acquisitions Manager roles.
Investment Manager: Oversees the investment strategy for a portfolio of real estate assets, ensuring optimal returns. Acquisitions Managers can progress into Investment Manager roles.

Jobs In REIT Finance

REIT finance roles involve managing the financial aspects of a REIT, including capital raising, financial reporting, and analysis. The most common roles in this area are:

Financial Analyst: Analyzes financial data and supports decision-making related to real estate investments.
Finance Manager: Oversees financial planning, analysis, and reporting for a REIT. Financial Analysts can progress into Finance Manager roles.
Chief Financial Officer: Manages the overall financial strategy of a REIT. Finance Managers can progress into Chief Financial Officer roles.

These roles directly involve real estate expertise and management, offering various career paths and opportunities for advancement within the REIT sector.

What Are The Skills Needed For REITs?

Choosing A Career Path For You

You don't necessarily need a degree or experience to pursue a Real Estate Investment Trust career path. However, learning the skills required for each position is very important. Not only because you might need to work on your skill gaps, but also because you might have well-developed skills you can leverage to take a new role.

Here are the required skills for the most common roles in REITs:

Entry-Level Roles:

Analytical Skills: The ability to analyze real estate data and market trends.
Excel Proficiency: Strong skills in using Excel for financial modeling and data analysis.
Attention to Detail: Accuracy in handling financial information and property transactions.
Communication: The ability to communicate financial and property-related information clearly both verbally and in writing.
Basic Real Estate Knowledge: Understanding of real estate principles and property management.
Problem-Solving: The ability to identify and solve issues related to property management and investments.

Mid-Level Roles:

Advanced Analytical Skills: Proficiency in real estate analysis and complex data interpretation.
Financial Modeling: Ability to build and analyze financial models to support investment decisions.
Client Relationship Management: Skills in managing tenant and investor relationships and providing tailored real estate advice.
Risk Assessment: Ability to identify and assess risks related to real estate investments.
Certifications: Relevant certifications such as CPM, CCIM, or CFA can be beneficial.
Project Management: Skills in managing real estate projects and coordinating with various stakeholders.

Mid-Senior Roles:

Leadership: The ability to lead, motivate, and manage a real estate team.
Strategic Thinking: The ability to develop and implement real estate strategies that align with the company's long-term goals.
Data Analysis: Advanced skills in analyzing real estate data and performance metrics to improve decision-making.
Communication: Strong verbal and written communication skills in presenting real estate reports and strategies.
Budgeting and Forecasting: Expertise in creating and managing budgets and financial forecasts for real estate investments.
Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding of real estate regulations and compliance requirements.

Companies also love candidates who are ethical, detail-oriented, and have strong interpersonal skills!

Finding Your Fit With REIT Roles

Want to find out if you have the right fit to follow a Real Estate Investment Trust career path?

We've got you covered.

Here's a simple, step-by-step guide to find out if you have the skills to take a new position in REITs!

Head over to LinkedIn and search for REIT roles
Copy the job description of that REIT role that sparked your interest
Head over to ResyMatch.io (or use our shortcut below)
Grab a copy of your most updated resume
Upload your resume on the left side
Paste the job description on the right side
Hit “Start Resume Scan”

Boom! ResyMatch will compare and score your resume versus the job's description and find missing skill gaps, like such:

ResyMatch will also check your resume for ATS, a software that recruiters use to track candidates through their hiring process, and provide best practices to improve your resume!

Use our shortcut below to get started:

What Do Real Estate Investment Trust Jobs Pay?

Now that we’ve covered the most common jobs in Real Estate Investment Trust, you might be asking yourself what the pay range is for these roles.

To answer this question, let’s head over to one of our favorite tools for salary research: Glassdoor.

Glassdoor is one of the world’s top job and recruiting websites, where users can anonymously provide information about their companies – including their current salary. Glassdoor provides an average salary range for various roles based on the information sent by its users.

According to Glassdoor, the base salary for the most common REIT jobs in 2024 are:

Property Manager: US$ 43K – US$ 68K/ year base pay, plus additional pay
Regional Property Manager: US$ 71K – US$ 112K/ year base pay, plus additional pay
Asset Manager: US$ 67K – US$ 117K/ year base pay, plus additional pay
Real Estate Analyst: US$ 71K – US$ 127K/ year base pay, plus additional pay
Acquisitions Manager: US$ 67K – US$ 122K/ year base pay, plus additional pay
Investment Manager: US$ 106K – US$ 199K/ year base pay, plus additional pay
Financial Analyst: US$ 63K – US$ 100K/ year base pay, plus additional pay
Finance Manager: US$ 96K – US$ 153K/ year base pay, plus additional pay
Chief Financial Officer (CFO): US$ 144K – US$ 266K/ year base pay, plus additional pay

Best Paying Jobs In REITs Compared To The Average U.S. Salary In 2024

Now, let’s check what that looks like compared to the average U.S. salary.

According to the Social Security Administration, the average salary in the U.S. is US$ 63,795.

This is what the best-paying jobs in Real Estate Investment Trust look like when we put them in perspective:

Finance Manager, Investment Manager, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) are the highest-paying roles in REITs, with an earning potential of up to 317% higher than the U.S. average.

Now that we've got all of the most important information converted, it's time to answer the question that drove you to this article:

Is Real Estate Investment Trust A Good Career Path? (Our Verdict)

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are a good career path for people with an interest in real estate, investment, and property management.

REIT roles are focused on acquiring, managing, and optimizing real estate assets, meaning professionals in this field work hard to provide investors with sound real estate investment opportunities. Simon Property Group, AvalonBay Communities, and Welltower are some examples of companies in the REIT sector.

Companies in this field offer many entry-level positions that provide opportunities for growth and professional development. Additionally, REIT career paths often come with competitive salaries, with mid to senior roles potentially paying over $150,000 or more per year.

If you feel like this might be the career path for you, then pay close attention to this next section, because we'll be covering…

How To Build A Job-Winning REIT Resume

Here's a fact most people don't usually realize: you don't need traditional experience to take a REIT role.

You can leverage your unique background, experiences, and skills for nearly any position, as long as you sell it.

Think about your resume as an advertisement for yourself. Like any ad, you want it to be compelling and visually attractive, right?

That's what you'll do with your resume.

You will start by:

1. Leveraging The Best Keywords For Your Target Role

Remember ResyMatch.io, that resume and job description scanner tool we mentioned earlier in this article?

We first showed you how you can scan and compare your resume with your target job description to find out how your skills match the role.

But if you don't have a resume, you can find out the most required skills and keywords for your target role by running a job description scan.

Here's how: head over to ResyMatch.io and, in “Scan Type”, select “Job Description Scanner”. Then, copy the job description for your target role and paste it into the box on the left.

ResyMatch.io will provide a list of soft and hard skills most required for that role, which serve as keywords:

Skim through the list and check what keywords you could leverage in your resume.

For example, let's say you are a proactive and communicative individual. Are there any previous experiences, personal projects, or even academic achievements that you can showcase in your resume that prove this?

If the answer is “yes”, then hold on to these keywords and move to the next step, which is:

2. Writing Compelling Resume Bullets

This is where you'll start crafting a resume that sells!

You'll want your resume bullets to have just the right amount of hard and soft skills, action words, measurable results, and common words.

This means a compelling resume bullet for someone applying for a Real Estate Analyst role might look something like this:

“Real Estate Analyst with 5+ years in market research and financial analysis, driving a 15% increase in acquisition success rate.”

This bullet focuses on specific Real Estate Analyst hard and soft skills, while also showcasing measurable results!

To help you write the perfect resume bullet, we've created ResyBullet.io, a free resume bullet analyzer that helps you write your resume in a way that grabs attention and illustrates value. Simply copy and paste your resume bullet below to begin your analysis:

ResyBullet will analyze and score your resume bullet and give you actionable insights for improvement.

Here's how our resume bullet scored on ResyBullet:

If you're a visual learner, check out our video that walks you through the step-by-step of writing a crazy-effective resume bullet:

3. Turning Your Resume Visually Appealing

The last step is wrapping all that up into an awesome layout. Our advice is to use a resume template so you can spare the time you'd normally spend designing and diagramming your resume and allocate it to your job search.

You can use ResyBuild.io, a free AI resume builder, to easily build and customize your resume in no time. Just pick one of the templates below and get started:

Free Job-Winning Resume Templates, Build Yours In No Time.

Choose a resume template below to get started:

Choose from 8 proven templates and easily create, edit, and customize your resume. ResyBuild's AI assistant also helps you craft personalized, job-winning bullets in a single click. Simply add your experience, hit “Optimize”, and watch the magic happen.

Ready To Track A Real Estate Investment Trust Career Path?

Then check out our No Experience, No Problem course and access a proven framework for building the skills and results you need to break into a new industry (even if you have absolutely no relevant experience right now)!