12 Best Paying Jobs in Real Estate Investment Trusts

If you’re familiar with the real estate industry, it’s understandable why you’re researching the best paying jobs in real estate investment trusts (REIT).

After all, REITs are publicly-traded companies that own, operate, finance, and manage income-generating commercial real estates, such as apartment complexes, office buildings, shopping centers, warehouses, hospitals, motels, hotels, condominiums, and even commercial forests.

REIT jobs focus heavily on real estate investing, which means these professions are highly-skilled and trained in commercial real estate and high-value investing.

What Can You Expect from the Best Paying Jobs in Real Estate Investment Trusts? 

People who work for a real estate investment trust (REIT) are going to be managing rental properties or be involved in real estate investing without using their own money.

As a worker for REITs, you will be involved in: 

• Analyzing investment opportunities
• Overseeing the development of commercial real estate projects from start to finish
• Managing rental properties on behalf of multiple owners/investors

REIT jobs require applicants to have a bachelor’s degree and work experience in finance, accounting, or real estate with extensive corporate real estate knowledge and corporate finance expertise.

12 Best paying Jobs in Real Estate Investment Trusts

The following jobs in REIT are just some of the highest-paid jobs in real estate investment trusts and do not include ALL possible jobs within the industry.

1. REIT Analyst

• Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, real estate, or related field
• Salary: $80,000 to $92,000 per year

REIT analysts work under the finance department. They’re responsible for researching, analyzing, and monitoring real estate market trends.

They also produce reports and help companies make informed property acquisition decisions, and use tools to continuously assess existing assets and acquisitions of the company.

2. Property Developer

• Requirements: A master’s degree in real estate or an MBA with a real estate concentration, or a bachelor’s degree in management, business or engineering with comprehensive real estate background.
• Salary: $85,000 to $94,000

Property developers have a crucial role in any commercial real estate project.

They are responsible for managing contractors from start to finish and collaborating with the planning and inspecting with all subcontractors involved in the project.

3. Real Estate Property Appraiser

• Requirements: A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in any field of study is also required.
• Salary: $60,000 to $80,000

As an appraiser in the real estate sector, you have to calculate the market values of assets.

Depending on the REIT the real estate property appraiser is employed with, a background in the medical field, hospitality, warehousing, and other industries could be necessary.

4. Property Manager

• Requirements: high school diploma or a GED with extensive real estate experience, or a bachelor’s degree in real estate, business administration, public administration, accounting or finance.
• Salary: $80,000 to $124,000

One of the best paying jobs in real estate investment trusts, becoming a property manager for REITs means overseeing the daily operations of REIT-owned properties and assets.

Depending on how big the REIT is, a property manager may handle just one asset, or oversee an entire portfolio with numerous properties.

The REIT property manager job involves everything from collecting rent, enforcing lease paperwork, ensuring property maintenance, dealing with evictions and security, and a whole lot more.

5. Real Estate Investor

• Requirements: A bachelor’s degree in finance, economics, business administration, computer science, statistics, mathematics, or a similar field.
• Salary: $124,000 to $150,000

Real estate investors are the go-to person who does the actual purchasing of assets.

They weigh the pros and cons of whether a particular property is worthy of development or not. Real estate investors also decide if an asset is ready for resale and dictate pricing based on existing market values and other factors.

Some investors work for REITs, while those with their own funding work for their own portfolios instead.

6. Investment Analysts

• Requirements: A bachelor’s degree in real estate, accounting, business management, finance, statistics, or a related field.
• Salary: $100,000 to $120,000

Investment analysts work in the finance department of REITs and work with financial analysts in maximizing property and asset acquisitions into income-generating real estate assets.

They weigh financial factors, conduct a cost-benefit analysis and prepare market reports to help in deciding if an asset is prime for development, improvement, leasing or resale.

7. Foreclosure Specialists

• Requirements: Associate degree in legal studies, finance, or a real estate-related subject
• Salary: $65,000 to $90,000

Foreclosure specialists are experts in the process of foreclosure. Either they lead a team in all the foreclosure stages or they are responsible for acquiring or selling foreclosed properties.

Sometimes, these specialists may also be assigned to help clients in avoiding foreclosure, find potential buyers for a foreclosed property, or assist in loan modifications for both buyer or seller sides.

8. Real Estate Attorney

• Requirements: A bachelor’s and Juris Doctor degree, plus a license to practice in your state.
• Salary: $119,000 to $125,000

This kind of attorney is one of the best paying jobs in real estate investment trusts.

As a real estate attorney for REITs, you handle million-dollar property ownership, transfers, foreclosure, and a plethora of paperwork that involves documentation, title issuance, transfers, and other real estate legal issues.

REIT attorneys serve as the mediator between the company, buyers, and sellers with the goal of coming up with the most lucrative ending for all parties.

9. Asset Manager

• Requirements: A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, real estate, business management, or a similar field
• Salary: $84,000 to $124,000

Jobs in REIT asset management deal with the financial and operational performance of all properties and assets of the REIT.

As an asset manager, you’ll be collaborating with other department heads such as accounting, finance, acquisitions, and real estate development.

Many REIT asset managers begin in the industry as a member of the acquisitions department or property management associates until they get promoted to this leadership role.

10. Real Estate Acquirer

• Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in economics, finance, capital markets, real estate, or related field
• Salary: $120,000 to $200,000

REITs trust your judgment as a real estate acquirer that you source new investment opportunities and decide which of them have the most potential.

As such, this position is rightfully one of the best paying jobs in real estate investment trusts.

11. Leasing Consultant

• Requirements: a Bachelor’s Degree in real estate, business, communications, psychology, or a similar field
• Salary: $96,000 to $147,000

Leasing consultants employed with REITs help clients or the company find properties for leasing that fit their budgets and preferences.

Because you will know the market values of a given city or state, real estate trends, legalities involved in leasing, and fair pricing for a particular type of asset, the REITs will seek your judgment for such assets.

12. Investor Relations Manager

• Requirements: Bachelor’s degree in communications, marketing, law, accounting, business management and other similar fields with a comprehensive real estate background
• Salary: $86,000 to $115,000

Investor relations managers are great communicators.

They have one of the best paying jobs in real estate investment trusts because they handle the communication of the REIT firm on their behalf.

You can be their spokesperson in front of all the investors and portfolio owners under the company.

The role isn’t just a communication role. Investor relations managers should also be well-trained in executive management, accounting, real estate law, and marketing.

You are the go-to person for shareholders and investors under your REIT company.

Not Looking for Best paying Jobs in Real Estate Investment Trusts?

Interested in the real estate sector, but not a fan of stocks, bonds, and investment trusts?

You can still join the real estate industry with these professions:

• Become a loan signing agent
• How to open your own home staging business
• Renting your house out to AirBnb

Starting a real estate firm is doable from home. I covered it as part of the many ways you can start a business and operate it completely from home.