Real Estate Management and Maintenance

How did you get your internship and why did you choose it?

I secured my internship by searching for opportunities in my area of Seattle that aligned with my desired field, which was commercial real estate. I applied for many different positions and companies. After this company responded to my application, I went through their interview process. I liked the supervisors who I met during my interviews and thought I would be a good fit in the company.

I chose this internship because I wanted to gain experience in commercial real estate. Even though property maintenance isn’t exactly what I see myself doing long term, I’m more interested in brokering deals, I saw this as a way to get my foot in the door and start learning the industry. I believe that the management side is a slightly overlooked aspect of commercial real estate, yet it is vital to its success.

What is unique about your situation that influenced your internship experience?

One unique aspect was that I was attending school in Arizona and making contacts there, but I wanted to work in Washington, where I am from. I also think that my dad's background in real estate makes me want to work in that field even more. Additionally, I believe that my degree in the Applied Humanities enables me to pursue opportunities that may fall outside the scope of more specialized degrees. I also love the idea of owning my properties and this drives me to want to learn about business.

What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience? 

I had a lot of property maintenance responsibilities, including tasks such as pressure washing, painting, caulking, landscaping, and more. I found that while it wasn’t glamorous or exciting work, it was necessary and had an impact on the company's profitability. I also learned the value of high-quality work and how it can save time and yield better results.

What was your favorite part of your internship?

I think the most satisfying part was completing work orders. Every morning, we would be assigned work orders, and some were easy and could be completed in one day, but others were much harder and took much longer. Working on a project for days and feeling like it would never end, only to finally finish it and be able to look at it and say, “I did that,” is a very satisfying feeling.

What did you find challenging about your internship? 

I think the most challenging part was how different each work day was. I am a very structured person, and I like to know what I am doing and when. But with this job, each day’s responsibilities were different from the next, and being able to pivot everyday took some getting used to. I learned that work isn’t as structured as I wish it were, but that’s what makes it interesting and exciting.

What new knowledge and skills did you learn and develop in this internship?

I learned how to complete a work order on AppFolio, which is a fairly complex process. I learned about being independent and working through the issues that arise throughout the day. I also learned how to properly do a 'turn', which is moving one tenant out and another one in. I also learned the time and money it takes to run a management company, which is something I would like to do someday.