Use the resources at your fingertips to transition into commercial real estate
Knowing when鈥攁nd how鈥攖o make a career pivot can be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.
Toni Williams has shaped a successful career in the real estate industry by aligning her own passions and goals in a way that inspires her clients to dream and achieve.
Williams, a real estate agent in Atlanta, Georgia, knows how to creatively strategize with her clients to move toward successful outcomes because that鈥檚 the approach she uses with her own education and career. She began her education in public health and informatics, earning a Master of Public Health in Informatics from Emory University, and she takes a multidisciplinary approach to adding to her skills and knowledge as a licensed real estate professional now. Williams is a shining example of how to transition into real estate with a science background through curiosity and continued learning.
Exploring real estate finance
Last fall, Williams took the real estate finance fundamentals course offered by the Leeds School of Business. The online real estate course is crafted specifically to explore finance for non-finance professionals.
鈥淚 love being able to connect with local businesses to create success stories on the properties I serve,鈥� Williams says. 鈥淢y educational background is centered around science and healthcare informatics. As a result, when I pivoted my career to commercial real estate, most of my exposure to the field was based on retail leasing. The finance course provided by Leeds gave me an opportunity to learn more about financial principles that are applicable to my current role in real estate.鈥�
Williams is a alumna who was able to sign up for the program thanks to the commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in real estate cemented through the partnership between Leeds and Project REAP.
After taking the Leeds finance real estate course, Williams recommends the class to those wanting additional financial acumen in their knowledge base. She shares these insights from her experience with CU executive education:
- Leeds partners with Project REAP to offer real estate finance education.
鈥淧roject REAP has been an amazing source of knowledge for growth in my real estate career. The robust curriculum provided by Project REAP also exposed me to other areas of interest within commercial real estate. Project REAP providing the finance course from Leeds is an example of the continued knowledge that is provided for REAP alumni that is so invaluable. I joined Project REAP because the mission of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion with the commercial real estate industry aligns with my commitment to serving within the real estate field. In addition, the access to educational and networking opportunities was appealing and held its merit of value thorough out the program and beyond.鈥�
- Apply for Continuing Education credits.
鈥淚 applied for 12 hours of CE credits that I received for completing the finance course from the Georgia Real Estate Commission. I also appreciated the support from Leeds and Project REAP during the process.鈥�
- Enjoy your learning process and adding new skills.
鈥淚 enjoyed gaining new knowledge from the course materials that were applicable to my role and expanding my network amongst my cohort and instructors. I gained a better understanding of the NER (net effective rent) and how to express trends quantitatively within the CRE market.鈥�
Expanding your real estate knowledge
The Leeds School of Business is committed to training tomorrow鈥檚 industry leaders on navigating and building a successful career in real estate. Providing education at the undergraduate level and through the MS in real estate, MBA coursework and executive education programs ensures the university can reach all levels of experience to advance real estate education. The executive education commercial real estate certificate offers flexible courses that can be taken independently or combined to earn a certificate and continuing education credits for those in the state of Colorado. For continuing education hours outside the state, please contact us for more details. The finance course is with the course beginning on September 13.
Curious? Contact LeedsExecEd@colorado.edu.