Looking to Transition from Oil &amp; Gas to Commercial Real Estate
I'm posting to seek advice on a career change from oil and gas land work, to commercial real estate; namely the best approach to job searching, where to find firms in my area, salary expectations and how to best utilize my current experience.


I live in Houston, and have been doing oil and gas land work for about 7 years now. I am currently working inhouse for a small operator, analyzing leasehold and production data, assisting in the planning process for future acquisition and development. I have considerable experience negotiating the purchase of leases and mineral acreage in competitive areas, as well as a strong handle on property title work (although I don't expect that the title work to be very relevant). I do have a Texas Real Estate License.


I have an interest in retail tenant rep. and development, and was hoping somebody here could give me an idea of what the career path might look like for the two, and shed some light on where I could best use my current experience. I recently moved to Houston from Denver, and don't know anybody in real estate, what are some good ways to network in the field? 


Thanks in advance. Any input is greatly appreciated!
[{"id": "dey0smo", "text": "I'd give 7-11 a call. Sounds like you have a lot of specialized experience that they would look for. ", "replies": [{"id": "deyi0fr", "text": "Thanks for the reply! I will definitely look into this.\n\nJust to be clear, you're advising contacting individual companies as opposed to a brokerage. What kind of position would you advise someone like myself pursue in this setting? ", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "df0i357", "text": "Retail Tenant Rep in Houston is not as big as say Office or Industrial. There are really only one or two shops that focus on it, whereas most other retail firms handle both Landlord and Tenant Rep. My suggestion to you is to get on board with a firm that does primarily Landlord rep, so that you can learn the ropes then transition later. Retail brokers have signs all over the properties they represent. As far as getting your foot in the door, drive around town writing down names of firms you see, then cold call the principals of those firms. This accomplishes two things: 1) You get an overview of the players in the market; 2) It demonstrates to the owners of those firms that you're not afraid to chase after what you want.", "replies": [{"id": "dfbn847", "text": "This is great advice and is basically how I got in. PM me. We're looking for brokers. ", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]