Upcoming Course: Introduction to Real Estate Development

Source, underwrite, finance & design a local real estate project

On December 2nd we’re launching Thesis Driven’s newest online course, “Introduction to Real Estate Development”.  

It 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. 

You can go here to sign up and learn more about the course. 

The Case Study: 100 Berrett Street

Dana is stuck. She’s sunk two years into law school (and student loans). And while she’s made Law Review and has two six-figure job offers, she wants to quit and become a developer. 

Every morning she drives to school down Berrett Street, the main retail strip in a gentrifying neighborhood in Big Apple City. On one corner, a cafe & speakeasy has just opened in an old gas station. And across the street, a former church is being converted to loft-style condos. 

Dana wants to be part of this change.  She wants to be creative and in-charge.  She imagines spending her days on her feet–touring properties and meeting with retailers, architects and contractors.  Then spending her nights on the computer–underwriting projects, reviewing agreements and plowing through her inbox.  

But that dream feels impossible. 

She doesn’t have enough savings for a down payment on a 1-bedroom condo, let alone a commercial property. Plus, her family and friends would think she was insane to walk away from her law career at this point. And even if she did, how would she survive without a salary?

Enter Thesis Driven’s Introduction to Real Estate Development.

We’ll walk with Dana through every step of the deal–helping her put together her business plan, team, and investors to successfully close on her first property. 

Why do this and who is it for?

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.

The cost of the bootcamp is $999 and limited to 35 students. Sign up now.

—Paul Stanton