The Georgetown University Real Estate Club hosted its first-ever Real Estate Week, featuring several events, seminars and panels that exposed students to different sides of the industry. Real Estate Club Co-President Aakash Bhatia (MSB ’16) discussed the importance of real estate in the daily lives of students, and he hopes that Real Estate Week will become a helpful and engaging tool to be continue in the coming years.

What makes you interested in real estate?

My interest in real estate was sparked by my parents, both of whom work in the industry. In addition, my brother works in the industry, having worked at Tishman Speyer for the past several years. He is now an MBA student at Columbia Business School. All three exposed me to various facets of the real estate world, from large-scale global projects to complex, local ones as well. While this initial interest was created by my family, these past few years at Georgetown have done much to propel it. Freshman year, Andrew [Nader (COL ’16)] and I, along with several other students, created the club. Through events such as financial modeling workshops, property tours and more, my interest in the field has been solidified and I am now pursuing real estate internships for the upcoming summer.

Why is it important to educate people on real estate investment?

Regardless of the career path one pursues, real estate is an asset that we interact with on a daily basis. Therefore, having knowledge on the basic components of the industry is extremely valuable. Even as students at Georgetown, we deal with a number of housing issues from picking out a house to negotiating a lease. This becomes even a more important skill to learn when one graduates from college.
From a business standpoint, real estate is the largest asset class in the world, comprising 42 percent of the total aggregate value of assets in the entire financial system. Therefore, it’s a field one should at least have a basic understanding of, if one wants to be a well-rounded and knowledgeable individual in the business world. Real estate investments also make for solid inflation hedges and add an additional level of diversity to one’s portfolio. Finally, as we saw from the most recent financial crisis, the housing market can have a dramatic effect on other components of the global economy. This makes it even more important to understand the industry.

What was the motivation for creating Real Estate Week?

Since its inception several years ago, our club has grown substantially in both our membership and our offerings. One goal that we had for our first semester as co-presidents was to expand our career development opportunities. Real Estate Week, therefore, was created in an attempt to provide our club members with these opportunities and help them connect with experienced individuals in the industry.
The event is also a great way for the club to gain exposure. Many kids at Georgetown come in interested in real estate but often do not hear about the club; hopefully this event can attract future members and further solidify our efforts to become a well-recognized organization on campus.

What do you hope people get out of Real Estate Week?

Through our events, we hope that kids can gain valuable insight into real estate, both from academic and career standpoints. Students pursuing a career in the industry have an opportunity to network with representatives from top firms while gaining tips on how to best prepare themselves for the internship/job process.

What would you say about Real Estate Week to people who aren’t currently interested in a career in real estate?

I would definitely encourage them to still attend. As I mentioned before, real estate is a universal field and is something everyone should take the time to gain a basic understanding of. In my opinion, college is a time for academic and personal development, and I’ve always found panel discussions and lectures great ways to accomplish this.

Anything else you would like to add?

If anyone is interested in attending our future events, feel free to reach out to us personally or at our club’s email: [email protected]. We also encourage you to check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/GeorgetownUniversityRealEstateClub and our event page for Real Estate Week.