INTRODUCTION
In real estate, you have to be a jack of all trades. Because of the many leases, purchase agreements, zoning plans, etc., legal insight is paramount. It is about a building, so you have to be able to deal with the technical side: installations that need replacement, roofs that leak, long-term maintenance budgets, sustainability items, etc. Of course, it’s also about investing and returns, so financial insight is important: cash flow forecasts for the bank, return calculations for an investment and hold-sell analyses to keep the portfolio up to date. In addition, interpersonal skills play an important role: you must be able to negotiate, convince and empathise with others. Over the past 12 years in real estate, I have worked hard on these skills and still enjoy the profession every day.