How Many RE Investors are Engineers?

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How Many RE Investors are Engineers?

Adam Zach
Rental Property Investor · Fargo, ND · Member since 2016 · 136 posts · 112 votes

Is it just me or are about 25% of all real estate investors, also engineers? As an Engineer myself I could be biased but curious if anyone has insight. I know folks usually have professional background like IT, accounting, dr but would be going out on a limb to say engineers cover the majority of all real estate investors?

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Pat L.
Rental Property Investor · Upstate, NY · Member since 2012 · 3k+ posts · 3k+ votes
6y

I did the eng gig until REI proved to be way more profitable. It's paid off in so many ways allowing me to do 'permitted' electrical (took that minor in elect.), opening & replacing walls with LVL beams, HVAC installs, on-demand HW (elect & NG) etc etc. It's a discipline that opened so many cost saving opportunities & you don't get snowed by contractors, home or building inspectors. Biggest job 'permitted' by my town was the complete design, install & wiring/flow rate monitoring of complete fire sprinkler system for a 6 unit. They allowed me 6 months & did it all myself.

But then again I remember our final exams forbade the use of calculators, slide rules were the only device allowed as were card punched software solutions in our lab finals.

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  • David Baldwin
    New to Real Estate · 48446 · Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 3 votes
    5y

    Mechanical Engineer

    1Reply
  • Kristi Garcia
    Developer · Member since 2011 · 2 posts · 2 votes
    5y

    I'm an engineer as well! 

    2Reply
  • Jason Porto
    New to Real Estate · Oakland, CA · Member since 2014 · 19 posts · 18 votes
    5y

    Structural Engineer. Seeing as how so many people have the guts to jump into a rehab with very little knowledge of construction, I'm hoping I can put my background to good use once I find a good property. And the nerdiness with numbers never hurts when analyzing deals.

    1Reply
  • Anne C RamseyPro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Satellite Beach, FL · Member since 2020 · 2 posts · 5 votes
    5y

    Systems Engineer.

    2Reply
  • Alex Lemieux
    Beaverton, OR · Member since 2010 · 9 posts · 2 votes
    5y

    Industrial Engineer

    1Reply
  • Jim Froehlich
    Investor · NH · Member since 2016 · 134 posts · 61 votes
    5y

    Hah - this thread is too funny!  Is somebody on here adding up how many engineers invest in real estate and doing a statistical analysis on it, maybe with mean, average, median, standard deviations, a few transformations and differential equations and coming up with an answer on what percentage of RE Investors are engineers???!!!  

    RDRR, RDRR, for any of you nerds (like me) who were still in college when Season 1, Episode 2 of the Simpsons came out....

    1Reply
  • Luis Martinez
    Member since 2020 · 27 posts · 3 votes
    5y

    EE

    1Reply
  • Account Closed
    Gilbert, AZ · Member since 2014 · 21 posts · 8 votes
    5y

    Manufacturing Engineer. CAD work mostly. 

    1Reply
  • Craig Sochocki
    Member since 2020 · 1 post · 1 vote
    5y

    Industrial Engineer turned Data Scientist

    1Reply
  • Miller McSwainPro Member
    Investor · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2018 · 261 posts · 234 votes
    5y

    I am a Nuclear Engineering student currently interning at NASA. I've secured an internship for this summer in the financial analysis field. I haven't decided if I will take it, but I think being a professional analyst will lend more to real estate investing.

    1Reply
  • Amber Foley
    Rental Property Investor · Member since 2018 · 6 posts · 6 votes
    5y

    Professional Engineer right here. Mechanical and Plumbing

    1Reply
  • Daivis DeJesus
    Madison · Member since 2019 · 19 posts · 6 votes
    5y

    @Adam Zach

    I am (Industrial and Systems) and my husband is Quality Engineer. We love numbers lol

    2Reply
  • Sherry McQuageBusiness Member
    Real Estate Broker · Moore County, NC · Member since 2020 · 169 posts · 141 votes
    5y

    @Morgan Madill

    Time will tell... moving around now may be inconvenient for buying investment property. In a year or two, your situation will be different and you will see opportunities that others cannot. Every job you have teaches you something valuable. Just keep learning about real estate and you will find a way to make your current "roadblock" into a "stepping stone". Time will tell!

    Safe travels.

    1Reply
  • Mike Jordan
    Los Angeles, CA · Member since 2013 · 60 posts · 5 votes
    5y

    I am a civil engineer (structural and environmental), the good thing about my education and experience that i could get better prices and solutions for the construction cost. and I could know how much the construction cost in the real estate deals, which is a key point in the real estate investment.  

    N.B. anyone who has better practical experience could be better than any civil engineers on the aforementioned points

    1Reply
  • Katie Robillard
    Rental Property Investor · Tewksbury, MA · Member since 2020 · 7 posts · 6 votes
    5y

    @Adam Zach

    I’m a math teacher turned engineer ( for last 17 years)... and very beginner real estate investor. The analysis is fun and the numbers make sense... all on paper. The doing is scary! I have two rentals currently but looking to expand while continuing my full time job.

    2Reply
  • Raheem Penny
    Member since 2019 · 3 posts · 1 vote
    5y

    I am an new graduate Electrical Engineer. This is the beginning of my Engineering career and real estate investing career. 

    1Reply
  • Joe HammelBusiness Member
    Real Estate Agent · Metro Detroit, MI · Member since 2018 · 614 posts · 666 votes
    5y

    Lol, we work a lot of investors so its very fun to interact with all of the different personalities and see how they approach a deal. Yes, a large portion are engineers. Also, have a lot of physicians. After that seems to be corporate something...banking, marketing, accounting, etc. Then also, the contractor (often times a manager).

    It's quite interesting. The "numbers" is a huge skill in being able to unemotionally run the numbers and trust the numbers. However, I've noticed that arguably the most important Attribute is being able to  "pull the trigger". All deals have ups and downs. Perhaps, this is such a large segregator because of the current market we are in and the demand is so high it takes a decisive buyer to recognize a deal and simply pull the trigger where the numbers work (a few hundred and often times a few thousand dollars simply doesn't matter on a 30+ year buy and hold) and not look back (unless of course, we find notable issues largely changing the deal). 

    Investing in real estate and getting $100-$400/door isn't a get rich quick scheme. It's a buy, buy, buy, scale and compound game. Some investors never buy, while others pick up 10+ doors in their first year. Who has more cash flow at the end of the year?

    Buy smart, don't "wait" for unicorn deals, and let the magic of real estate wealth building do the work for you.

    [email protected]248-422-1685
    FIRE Realty Team - Keller Williams5379 Reviews
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    6Reply
  • Andrew Powers
    Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2018 · 304 posts · 185 votes
    5y

    I am a mechanical engineer. I find the skills from my engineering education and job experience directly relates to REI. Skills that carry over: deal analysis, physical property analysis, REI systems building, dealing with ambiguity, pugh matrix, decision-making abilities... just to name a few!

    An engineer, opposite of popular belief, needs to be a people person... in REI, having a great network, partners, etc is key to growth.

    3Reply
  • Andrew Powers
    Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2018 · 304 posts · 185 votes
    5y
    Originally posted by @Joe Hammel:

    Lol, we work a lot of investors so its very fun to interact with all of the different personalities and see how they approach a deal. Yes, a large portion are engineers. Also, have a lot of physicians. After that seems to be corporate something...banking, marketing, accounting, etc. Then also, the contractor (often times a manager).

    It's quite interesting. The "numbers" is a huge skill in being able to unemotionally run the numbers and trust the numbers. However, I've noticed that arguably the most important Attribute is being able to  "pull the trigger". All deals have ups and downs. Perhaps, this is such a large segregator because of the current market we are in and the demand is so high it takes a decisive buyer to recognize a deal and simply pull the trigger where the numbers work (a few hundred and often times a few thousand dollars simply doesn't matter on a 30+ year buy and hold) and not look back (unless of course, we find notable issues largely changing the deal). 

    Investing in real estate and getting $100-$400/door isn't a get rich quick scheme. It's a buy, buy, buy, scale and compound game. Some investors never buy, while others pick up 10+ doors in their first year. Who has more cash flow at the end of the year?

    Buy smart, don't "wait" for unicorn deals, and let the magic of real estate wealth building do the work for you.

     I agree, engineers often look at the numbers and sometimes struggle with pulling the trigger. I remember in college one of professors saying, "don't let great get in the way of good enough"... I agree, especially when "good enough" keeps the momentum moving forward instead of sitting on the sidelines waiting for the perfect deal!

    1Reply
  • Eddie Sumerlin
    Investor · Mobile, AL · Member since 2020 · 11 posts · 8 votes
    5y

    I actually dropped out of college from Engineering. I did 3 years of Computer engineering. Finished all the maths, one year left to go, etc. But I hated it. I loved the math but I didn't like programming and I was too far into the Computer Science classes to switch to electrical. I decided to take a year off to explore my options and figure out what I was going to do and fortunately, I discovered real estate. I don't really want to brag but I went all in and I'm absolutely killing it. I work for a Turn-Key Provider and my boss is mentoring me on real estate investing and I bought my first rental house a few months ago, and I'm already working on my second deal. Our company has done over 5 million in sales this year alone. The one skill that is really making all this easier for me is my skill in math. And the thing I love most about real estate is the people. 

    2Reply
  • Tim Oppelt
    Wholesaler · Newark, DE · Member since 2014 · 83 posts · 54 votes
    5y

    Wow i never thought there would be so many engineers. My ppc client Vance Courtney in GA is also an engineer by day!

    2Reply
  • Terrione Francis
    Flipper/Rehabber · Dallas, TX · Member since 2018 · 13 posts · 7 votes
    5y

    Hey everyone

    I graduated with my degree in computer engineering back in 2015. Since then I have been in management for distribution centers. Now I am in Human Resources. I never would have thought this is where I would end up.

    1Reply
  • Prince Dhillon
    Investor · Sacramento CA · Member since 2014 · 51 posts · 12 votes
    5y

    Software Engineer by education, business owner and Investor by profession.

    1Reply
  • Jimmy Suszynski
    Rental Property Investor · Pittsburgh · Member since 2018 · 69 posts · 28 votes
    5y

    Civil Engineer working in commercial construction management. Long hours and the pay per hour isn't what I thought it would be (salary -_-). At least the experience managing multi-million dollar projects and subcontractors is directly transferrable to REI :)

    2Reply
  • Zak Marinko
    Investor · Chicago, IL · Member since 2019 · 62 posts · 27 votes
    5y

    Mechanical Engineer here, graduating this December and have already dabbled in investments. Looking forward to working full time (have a job as a Project Engineer) and doing real estate on the side!

    2Reply
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