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.
Read More
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.
Read More

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...

Landscape Architecture: A STEM Profession
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.
Jennifer Stolzenburg
“I have found a job that suits me, even if it means going outside the social norm,” said Jennifer Stolzenburg, a fourth-year electrical apprentice and female leader in construction. Watch her story.
This is Landscape Architecture
What is landscape architecture? It’s parks, campuses, memorials, reuse, residential design, urban revitalization and so much more.
ABC Announces Its 2022 Young Professional of the Year
Associated Builders and Contractors today announced Luke Perry, vice president at Perry Contracting, Cincinnati, received ABC’s 2022 Young Professional of the Year Award. Perry was honored at ABC Convention 2022 in San Antonio on March 15.
Linda Alvarado founded her construction company on a $2,500 loan from her parents and got busy building sidewalks
Linda Alvarado founded her construction company on a $2,500 loan from her parents and got busy building sidewalks—Alvarado Construction is now worth $41M, with schools, stadiums and aquariums in its portfolio.
Johnnie Sanchez
Johnnie Sanchez, a graduate of ABC’s New Mexico plumbing program, overcame a stint in prison and choose a career in construction as an instructor developing future craft professionals. Listen to his story.