What Do Developers Do?

Developers can be individuals, small partnerships, or large companies. Some operate in a single market, such as Houston or Atlanta, while others focus on a larger region, such as the northeastern United States, or even on the entire country. A few U.S. developers operate globally. Some developers maintain a small staff and outsource many development functions, while others employ a large number of professionals and perform most development functions in-house.

Deciding What to Build and Financial Feasibility

After deciding where they might want to build, developers decide what they might want to build, and whether to go ahead with the project.

How Developers Get Started

Developers start with the land on which they will build. To decide where to acquire land in a market, they first conduct a market study.

Product Sectors

Developers engage in either for-sale residential development or commercial development, which includes income-producing rental apartments. The “Real Estate Developers and Product” chart shows the major products of residential and commercial developers, and the following sections provide further details.

For-Sale Residential Development

Mixed Use

Multifamily Rental Development Product

Multifamily Rental

Hotel Development Product

Hotel

Industrial Development Product

Office Development Product

Office

Retail Development Product

Real Estate Developers and Product

Retail

Commercial Development

You might also be interested in...

Interior Design Graduation Packet from ASID

Collect your tools and show the professional community who you are – explore the brand new Graduation Packet from ASID today.

Did you know that landscape architecture is a STEM profession? Landscape architects, as stewards of the natural and built environment, routinely apply STEM in the planning and design of sites where millions of people live, work, and play.

What it Takes to Become an Architect

October is #WorldArchitectureMonth! Learn about what it takes to become an architect here.

Raise Your Hand

"Do you want to advance in your career? Raise your hand. Raise it to volunteer. Raise it to take on a new assignment. Be open to the opportunities that come your way and let the experience take you to a broader understanding of your business and the people in it." Property manager Mayra Ramirez shares her professional journey in a new IREM Blog.

CoreNet Global and the CoreNet Global Learning Foundation Scholarship

Scholarship alert! CoreNet Global and the CoreNet Global Learning Foundation are pleased to announce new scholarships generously funded by Trascent, a global management consulting firm.

Construction Industry Faces Workforce Shortage of 650,000 in 2022

The construction industry will need to attract nearly 650,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2022 to meet the demand for labor, according to a model developed by Associated Builders and Contractors.