Q&A with our 2023 Summer Interns

Wondering what it’s like to intern at Madhouse? See what our 2023 Summer Interns have to say…

Hanna is currently pursuing master's in Construction Management from the University of Houston. She interned for our Construction team.

Samit is pursuing an undergraduate degree in Finance and a Minor in Accounting from The University of Texas at Austin. He assisted the Development, Accounting, and Asset Management teams.

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What Interested you in interning with Madhouse?

Hanna: I was drawn to this internship because the job description perfectly aligned with my interests and career goals. The fact that Madhouse deals with multifamily housing, I knew that it would allow me to get exposure to a specific aspect of real estate market as well which is a rare opportunity. The interview with Mike gave me a better understanding of the company's culture, values and the kind of projects I would be involved in, which helped me reinforce my choice.

Samit: While researching for places to intern at I knew I wanted to intern at a Real Estate company because that is the path I want to pursue after I graduate next year. What interested me in Madhouse itself was that it was a development company as well. The companies that I was looking at that said they were in the Real Estate field mostly outsourced their development and didn't handle the site searching and most of the stuff we handle at Madhouse. Madhouse was also a smaller company and I knew that working at a smaller company meant I would be given more tasks which also meant learning more and getting better connections than I would have gotten at a larger company.

What projects did you work on during your time here?

Hanna: I worked on most of the Avanti projects.

Samit: I worked on a few projects with the development team, my first project was to look at all the previous years pre and full applications for the 9% tax credit and find which location they were at and go on our map and pin each of those applications. I created Master Schedules for ALVH and Avanti West as well as Avanti Legacy Parkview. I also did some smaller projects such as circling protected and heritage trees at a site we were developing at and also some tasks for accounting like scanning draw request check stubs. Currently, I am working on 2 projects for Accounting and Development. For accounting, I am working on adding the receipts of expenses to the invoices for the month of July. The project I am working on for Development is Data Collection for future site searching.

What is your proudest achievement at Madhouse?

Hanna: I had to create a material list for 8 of the Avanti Projects, which initially seemed like a very long process. But I am proud that I will be able to complete that before I leave.

Samit: My proudest achievement at Madhouse was probably creating a Master Schedule Templete that could be used for other projects in the future and that would make it much easier to complete.

What was a challenge you faced during your internship?

Hanna: One of the main challenges was to get a response from the subcontractors and local vendors. At times they were unresponsive causing delays in my workflow.

Samit: One of the challenges I faced during my internship at Madhouse was creating the master schedule for Avanti Legacy Parkview because it wasn't in the same formats as the previous 2 master schedules I had completed, so it took me a while to complete that project.

What are some of the tools/resources you learned to use while at Madhouse?

Hanna: I was able to achieve a better understanding of submittal's, RFI's, and how to read construction drawings and specifications.

Samit: I learned to use MS Teams while I was at Madhouse, I also learned how to use Adobe Acrobat to a further degree than I knew before.

What is your favorite thing about Madhouse’s office culture?

Hanna: My favorite thing about Madhouse is it invests in growth, development and wellbeing of its employees. Friendly interactions and supportive environment helped me reduce my workplace stress.

Samit: Everyone is very inclusive, everyone asks how your day is and asks about future plans. It isn't like some offices where you just get in do your work until the end of the day and get out. Everyone here converses and laughs around which helps make coming to work more fun than an obligation.

What’s your biggest takeaway from your experience?

Hanna: My biggest takeaway from this internship is that I overcame my hesitation in approaching others. I initially had a hard time contacting subcontractors and local vendors multiple times over the same thing. But I realized how important it is to have that proper and continuous communication for a smooth workflow.

Samit: My biggest takeaway from this experience is that I definitely want to continue in the Real Estate path that I originally chose. I also learned a lot about development, site searching, and titles as well as construction thanks to Mike.

Do you have any words of wisdom for the next class of interns?

Hanna: Be clear, respectful and proactive in you communication with team members and supervisor. Keep track of your tasks, deadlines and priorities to stay on top of your work. Balancing work and personal life are essential. Make time for self-care and prioritize your well-being throughout the internship.

Samit: Just come in each day ready to learn and have a lot of fun, but also come in prepared to do some work. The work may seem redundant or repetitive, but it has its upsides, and you truly learn a lot from each and every project you will work on.

What’s next for you?

Hanna: I will be returning to school after this internship. I am expected to graduate in May 2024, and I am looking forward to work full time after that.

Samit: Hopefully what is next for me is that I finish college with my Finance degree and accounting minor. After that hopefully get a job somewhere in Real Estate where I can further enhance what I learned at Madhouse and school. And eventually hopefully create my own company for single family homes and get my real estate license along with my brokers license.

Anything else you would like to share?

Hanna: I am extremely gratefully that I got to know each and every one at Madhouse. Working under Mike was one the best things that happened to me in this initial phase of my career.

Samit: For future interns, trust me if you thought you have had fun at another job or internship, Madhouse might just prove you wrong.