Real Estate

Amber Ortiz

Student

Project manager, CB Richard Ellis

"Real estate in New York is a sexy industry. Being in New York is invaluable."

I already had an undergraduate degree in urban studies as well as a master’s degree in architecture and five years' experience in urban planning and client representation for mixed-use and commercial owners. I wanted to fill some gaps in my skill set. I chose NYU-SCPS’s Real Estate program because of its great reputation, particularly the faculty. It also really helped that the classes were scheduled to accommodate working people. So far it’s been indispensable.

There is real money to be made in sales, leasing, and development, which all rely on putting deals together,and Real Estate Finance at NYU-SCPS has really increased my knowledge of this specific area. The program is also unique in that that most of its instructors are successful real estate professionals – there is no alternative to learning from real-life case studies, experiences, and deals. Our class included real estate lawyers, brokers, mortgage brokers, entrepreneurs, and public sector representatives, and I’ve networked with them all. What really struck me was that the classes started at 6 p.m. and some people even returned to their offices after. New Yorkers work hard. Being here is invaluable.