Pricing projects, finding land, and putting together the money and approvals to build.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Real Estate Developer: Buys land, raises money, and leads the team that turns an empty lot into apartments, offices, or stores. Typical pay $150k.
Director of Preconstruction: Leads the team that prices, plans, and wins big construction projects before they start. Typical pay $140k.
Land Acquisition Manager: Finds and buys land where a homebuilder or developer can build. Typical pay $115k.
Site Selection Consultant: Helps companies decide which city or state to build a new factory, warehouse, or data center in. Typical pay $125k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Construction Cost Estimator: Figures out how much a building will cost by counting materials, labor, and time. Typical pay $77k.
Electrical / Mechanical Estimator: Prices the electrical, plumbing, or HVAC part of construction projects for a trade contractor. Typical pay $88k.
Quantity Surveyor: Tracks and controls construction costs for owners from design to final bill. Typical pay $82k.
Development Project Manager: Manages a real estate project for the developer from approvals through opening day. Typical pay $100k.
Affordable Housing Developer: Builds apartments that working families can afford by stacking tax credits, grants, and loans. Typical pay $102k.
Entitlement Manager: Gets the government approvals a developer needs before anything can be built. Typical pay $100k.
Real Estate Appraiser: Figures out what a property is worth for buyers, banks, and new construction loans. Typical pay $66k.
Property & Real Estate Manager: Runs apartment buildings or office towers after they are built: tenants, repairs, and budgets. Typical pay $66k.
Construction Draw Inspector: Visits job sites for banks to confirm how much work is done before the next loan payment is released. Typical pay $60k.
Reserve Study Specialist: Inspects condo and HOA buildings and predicts how much money owners must save for roofs, pools and elevators that will wear out. Typical pay $75k.
Property Condition Assessor: Inspects apartment buildings, malls and offices before they are bought or financed, and estimates what repairs they will need. Typical pay $78k.
Construction Auditor: Checks a building project’s costs for the owner, making sure the contractor charged only what the contract allows. Typical pay $95k.
Insurance Restoration Estimator: Prices the repair of homes and businesses damaged by fire, floods and storms, using the same software insurance adjusters use. Typical pay $65k.
Starter: fastest way in
Takeoff Technician: Measures and counts materials from construction plans so estimators can price the job. Typical pay $50k.
Bid Coordinator: Organizes bid packages and collects prices from subcontractors before deadlines. Typical pay $50k.
Leasing Consultant: Fills newly built apartment buildings by giving tours and signing up renters. Typical pay $40k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.