BREC Activities

Training Sessions

In addition to having access to classes at Berkeley Haas, Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, Berkeley Law, and the Goldman School of Public Policy, BREC members have access to training sessions which impart practical real estate skills. Recent trainings include crash courses in acquisition pro formas, interview preparation, and Argus software.

Career Preparation

BREC helps to prepare members to obtain summer internships and full-time positions. Job postings are distributed to members weekly and career coaches are available to students through each program office.

Site VISITS

With strong ties to industry leaders in the Bay Area, BREC has access to the most newsworthy developments and the most in-demand employers for site treks. Multiple treks are organized each Fall and Spring. Recent outings include a tour of the Salesforce tower, a meet and greet at a leading real estate PE firm, and a hard-hat tour of a leading co-living development.

Berkeley Partnerships

BREC maintains strong partnerships with other groups at UC Berkeley including the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, the Berkeley Real Estate Alumni Association (BREAA) and faculty to ensure that members take full advantage of the full spectrum of real estate and land-use opportunities at UC Berkeley.

On-Campus Speakers

Each Fall, BREC brings speakers to campus who discuss their careers, businesses, and provide advice to students as they consider summer internships and post-graduation plans. Notable recent speakers include Ann Silverberg, CEO of Related California Affordable Housing, Trey Clark, CIO of Vanke US, and Marshall Boyd, the Co-President and CIO of Interstate Equities.

MENTORING & Networking

BREC hosts a number of formal and informal networking events through the year during which members can grow their professional networks to include both fellow students and industry veterans. BREC members are also connected with an mentor from the industry through the BREAA-Buddy program.

2025

Leadership Team

Case Competitions

Bank of America Low-Income Housing Challenge

Sponsored by Bank of America, the BofA Low-Income Housing Challenge is a competition among several West Coast graduate schools where teams must create a low income housing proposal. Each team must identify a viable site and then develop a proposal that includes design, finance, market and community support elements while working with developer and community partners. The project proposals are judged by a panel of local professionals.

The Challenge has taken place since 1992. Of these 28 years, UC Berkeley has placed first 17 times, most recently in 2018 and 2019.

UT Austin National Real Estate Challenge

The National Real Estate Challenge is a case-based real estate competition hosted by the University of Texas at Austin between top 20 graduate schools. The event takes place in Austin during the Fall and is meant to give graduate students a taste of the challenges that face real estate professionals after graduation. The competition is judged by real estate professionals from Goldman Sachs, Wells Fargo, and JP Morgan Chase.

The Challenge has taken place since 2002. Of these 28 years, UC Berkeley has placed first twice, most recently in 2019.

Kellogg Real Estate Venture Competition

The Venture Competition showcases graduate students, who have the opportunity to pitch to a high-profile panel of judges. The winning team not only receives $100,000 in cash and prizes, but also the opportunity to secure as much as $10,000,000 in equity funding. The primary purpose of the competition is to encourage entrepreneurial real estate ventures. The event also serves as an opportunity to promote top student talent before prominent industry professionals.

UC Berkeley placed first in 2019.

HUD Innovation in Affordable Housing

The Innovation in Affordable Housing competition has been designed to replicate a real-life approach. 40+ multi-disciplinary teams comprised of graduate students in architecture, planning and policy, finance and other areas will be asked to address social, economic, and environmental issues in responding to a specific housing problem developed by an actual public housing agency (PHA).

UC Berkeley placed second in 2019.

Employers