Finnegan Syrie is a current MSRE student at UW Runstad Department of Real Estate and the 2024 recipient of the Foster Pepper Fellowship. He graduated from Eastern Washington University last spring with a degree in Business Administration and Finance, during which he interned at Greystar and started his own company, Uplift Referrals, which connects home sellers and buyers with top-performing agents in their area. He is now a Communications Officer for the UW Real Estate Club and an intern at Timberlane Partners, a Seattle-based real estate investment, development, and asset management company.
Tell me about your professional journey leading up to attending the MSRE program at UW.
I went straight from undergraduate to graduate but did an internship when I was at Eastern Washington University. I did a leasing and property management internship in the summer with Greystar in Spokane, Washington where I learned a lot about running a property at the ground level, sales skills, and leasing. I also got my real estate license in my senior year of college, and with that, I started a little entrepreneurial venture, Uplift Referrals, where I connect people who want to buy or sell a house with the best agents in their area.
Tell me about the scholarship you received.
I received the Foster Pepper Fellowship which I believe was based on my academic merit. I graduated from Eastern Washington University with a 3.99 GPA. I’m super glad I received that scholarship and that my hard work paid off.
Tell me about your current internship at Timberlane Partners.
I am currently a Development and Acquisitions intern at Timberlane Partners. I work directly under PJ Santos, who has been a developer in Seattle for the last 30 years and a great mentor to learn from. I’m mostly doing development in the multifamily area, market research, underwriting, communicating with investors, preparing presentations about deals, and sometimes property tours. The work is very dynamic and comprehensive, and Timberlane is a great company to intern at. It complements my school experience just perfectly.
What do you like most about this internship at Timberlane?
I like how I have direct access to decision-makers and company leaders. It’s a relatively small company with 15 to 20 employees, and I’m working in the same room as our Senior Managing Director of Development. Interning at a small company also allows me to explore more facets of the business.
How is the MSRE program helping with the internship?
I’ve noticed many real-world connections between the courses and my experience outside the classroom. For example, my manager was negotiating a deal, and since I’m taking a negotiations course this quarter, we discussed his approach. It was fascinating to see the concepts I’m studying in action. Similarly, we analyzed an office contract in my real estate law class, and a similar contract came up the next day at my internship. My advanced real estate finance courses also appear in the underwriting work I’m doing for Timberlane. These are just a few examples of how the coursework is helping me at my current internship.
Key takeaways from the internship.
When I first applied for the internship, I thought I was more into the acquisitions aspect. Since I got more involved in the development side now, I’ve completely shifted my goal to be a developer. I’m grateful that I got the chance to see what being a developer looked like both day-to-day and in the long term. There’s something incredibly rewarding about organizing and managing the construction of an actual building. It’s exciting to have a permanent impact on the built environment, something you can’t get with capital markets or acquisitions, for example.
Current position at RE Club.
I’m a Communications Manager for the UW RE Club. I oversee our LinkedIn and Instagram pages, but my primary responsibility is managing the club’s website. My main contribution was overhauling the website and updating everything, as it’s our primary tool for attracting new members. I enjoy creating websites since I have previously designed one for my small entrepreneurial venture in real estate.
What excites you most about MSRE?
I’m excited to be entering the industry at such a young age with a breadth of knowledge. It’s been great to expand on my financial modeling skills and have a wide range of knowledge about real estate, especially as I want to be a developer. The breadth of courses prepared me better than I could have been prepared doing anything else. I feel more confident in my knowledge of real estate, and it pushed me ahead of where I would have been otherwise. Also, the connections are amazing. I’m confident that I’ll stay connected with people I met here for years to come. My internship alone is a huge benefit too. I wouldn’t have heard about it if I wasn’t in the program. Lastly, it is a great way to be integrated into the Seattle real estate market and network for someone coming from elsewhere.
Advice for current and future students in real estate.
Take advantage of the opportunities you have as a student. Once you enter the industry and start your career, you become a bit more siloed. Fewer people are as eager to help professionals as they are with current students. Don’t hesitate to use the “I’m a student in real estate” card when reaching out to professionals. Professionals are willing to help students because they want to pass on the knowledge.
Network as much as you possibly can with your classmates and professionals because you’re spending most of the days with people who are as interested in real estate as you are. Build those connections through classmates.