Published Feb 20, 2020
Nash Williams is the President of The UCF Real Estate Club, which maintains an average weekly attendance of 50 members and supplies its members with access to internships, mentorships and a weekly speaker series at its meetings. Nash is also an associate at GroceryAnchored.com, a third-party technology and consulting service providing data and analytics to landlords of Grocery-Anchored shopping centers. He plans to graduate in Fall 2020 with his Bachelor’s degree in real estate.
“There is a role for every skillset in the industry, if you’re highly analytical and enjoy working with and manipulating numbers, you can thrive in real estate. If you are outgoing and enjoy managing expectations and negotiation, you can thrive in real estate,” Williams said.
Get to Know Nash Williams and the UCF Real Estate Club
What inspired you to major in Real Estate?
I was inspired to major in Real Estate during my internship with GroceryAnchored.com which opened my eyes to just how many different opportunities lie within the industry. The internship also helped me understand my skills and learn how I can apply them to the world of real estate.
What has been the best or most impactful part of being in the program?
The great faculty like Bill Moss, Professor Potts and Professor Botts, just to name a few. They are so experienced and work tirelessly to help Real Estate students accomplish their goals. That means so much to me.
You are President of the UCF Real Estate Club. What would you want students to know about the club? And what has been your biggest challenge and biggest achievement as president so far?
I want students to know that every Tuesday night from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m. there is a job interview waiting for them whether they know it or not. We bring in between 2-4 speakers a week for the club’s meetings where members can hear about a different sector of real estate from someone who is in the business day-in-and-day-out. Dressing the part, asking good questions and networking with our guests will get you on the right path to your next opportunity. For me, the biggest challenge has been dispelling student’s notion that real estate is just selling houses. However, I consider our biggest achievement the fact that we’ve been able to average attendance of 50 people a week at our meetings and that’s incredible to me. I’m very proud of that.
How did you land your internship at GroceryAnchored.com? What is your role with the company now that you’re an associate?
I landed the internship at GroceryAnchored.com thanks to one of UCF’s great internship fairs in the spring of 2018, where I met the GroceryAnchored.com team. I did the internship during the summer and asked them to extend the internship for the following fall semester. This year, the organization promoted me into the role of an associate. With my role, I’m responsible for calling owners of grocery-anchored shopping centers throughout the country and educating them on the current state of the market. I also help them understand their goals and provide them with consultation based on the trends and data our company has researched.
What is your dream job when you graduate?
My dream job is to work in an acquisitions role for a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) or Institution.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
Ten years from now I hope I’m just a small part of the Orlando real estate community. I aspire to make as much of an impact as the professionals I’ve met and interacted with over my first couple of years in the industry. Orlando’s rapid rate of progress is incredible and I’m excited to be here for it.
What advice do you have for students considering majoring in real estate?
It’s more than selling houses. There is a role for every skillset in the industry, if you’re highly analytical and enjoy manipulating and working with numbers, you can thrive in real estate. If you are outgoing and enjoy managing expectations and negotiation, you can thrive in real estate. Come visit us at the Real Estate Club and we can show you how!
Connect with the UCF Real Estate Club
Instagram: @ucfrealestate
Facebook: Real Estate Club at UCF
Twitter: @UCF_REclub
To view a full list of all UCF College of Business Registered Student Organizations, click here.