By Alexia Finney | Staff Writer
After a year on campus, Baylor’s Real Estate Club has evolved from a casual gathering to a full-fledged networking organization for future realtors.
The club was founded last year by San Clemente, Calif., senior Alec Grace and his older brother, and is quickly gaining popularity among students pursuing commercial real estate.
The club’s mission, as stated on the Baylor website, is to “educate, inspire and advise Baylor students pursuing a career in the real estate industry.”
Grace said membership has been growing steadily since its founding, with 50 members last year and a predicted 10 more joining this fall.
“This is technically our third semester on campus,” Grace said. “We have about 70 [members], mostly business, but we have a handful in other majors too.”
Grace said one of the most rewarding aspects of the network is watching students learn the profession in real time.
“I think I’m leading them in the right direction by teaching them how to network correctly, making sure their resumes are on point, teaching technical skills … soft skills, but also the technical side,” Grace said.
Guest speakers play a big role in the preparation. Professionals travel from Dallas, Austin and Houston to meet with students, share experiences and even sometimes bring recruiters.
“A lot of them reach out to us,” Grace said. “It’s a very energetic community. Something we’re really trying to embrace is that everyone knows each other. Real estate is a relational business. We’re trying to make the club really relational, too.”
Frisco sophomore Franco Eichelmann said the club has given him clarity on his personal career goals. According to Eichelmann, the network has also provided connections in the real estate world.
“It’s hard to obtain connections usually, especially in real estate, but this club gave the opportunity to us and it’s very helpful,” Eichelmann said. “It gave me clarity on what I wanted to do, how the industry works, what a 9-to-5 looks like … and it’s helped me practice skills through mock interviews and technical training.”
Although the club has held successful meetings, Grace said starting the club was nerve-racking, especially with high-profile guest speakers involved.
“Doing a lot of marketing is probably the hardest part. You really don’t know if there are going to be students interested,” Grace said. “Seeing the students engage and grow has made the effort worthwhile.”
Grace said launching the first meeting was challenging, but the results solidified that his idea for the club was good.
“Our first ever meeting went really well. We probably had about 40 students there. From that point on, I knew we had a lot of potential,” Grace said.
With alumni connections, mock interviews, guest speakers and virtual internships, the network gives students a practical edge in the commercial real estate market.
“There’s an opportunity to learn through the real estate club. There’s a true opportunity to get something out of it beyond just showing up to meetings,” Grace said. “Everyone’s going to buy a home one day. That’s a real estate investment.”
Students can apply to be part of the Network through their online Google Form.
