Commercial Investment Real Estate July/August 2018 | Page 23

and marketing analysis. Development, however, demands differ-
ent knowledge and skill sets.
“My motivation was to expand my knowledge of different facets
of development,” says George Schmidt, CCIM, owner of Afford-
able Housing Analysts in Austin, Texas. He expects to take the
new construction courses and the low-income housing tax credit
financing course. Although Schmidt’s expertise is in low-income
housing, he is eager to hear the thoughts of other experts and learn
from their experiences.
Skip Duemeland, CCIM, an experienced land developer, has
learned from the instructors, course content, and other students.
“The people in the class are the best because they tell the horror
stories of development, and how they recovered,” says Duemeland,
owner of Duemelands Commercial LLP in Bismarck, N.D. “Our
multigenerational firm lost land twice and bought it back twice
after we recovered financially. The history of developers is the
history of hard knocks. But I am learning how to improve what
we do through these courses.”
On the other hand, Christopher Aldridge, CCIM, and his
partner, Harry Gibbs, CCIM, sought a good base of knowledge
to embark on development projects.
“These courses helped me see under the surface of development,
especially the permits and environmental aspects,” says Aldridge,
broker at Keller Williams in Georgetown, Texas. “I learned the
Popular Development Elective Courses
• Construction: Cost Estimating and Scheduling
• Construction: Introduction to Building Information Modeling
• Construction: Management and Project Delivery Methods
• Financial Modeling for Real Estate Development
stages from land banking to land packaging, with a basic blueprint
for how to get started as a developer. I can apply this knowledge
right away.”
Other organizations offer development courses that might be
a good fit for some students. However, the CCIM Development
Specialty Track program provides more in-depth discussions and
applications to the real world of commercial property from land to
mixed-use development, according to several students and CCIM
instructors.
And the learning extends beyond students. “Teaching the
development courses keeps me up to date on what’s happening in
commercial real estate,” Van Ark says. “It gives me a competitive
advantage in the brokerage world. Teaching development is fresh
territory, and it’s great being part of its creation.”
Sara S. Patterson is former executive editor of Commercial
Investment Real Estate.
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CHECKLIST
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Wear your CCIM pin every day
Use the CCIM logo on all marketing collateral
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Visit CCIM.com to share content, download logos, and
find links.
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