2025 Women in CRE: Margaret Ling, Amtrust Title Insurance Company

What skill or quality do you believe is essential for success in your field today?

I have been a real estate attorney since 1986. Specifically since 1995 to date, I have been a title underwriter counsel in the title insurance industry. I have weathered every real estate boom and economic recession since 1986. To be successful in the good times and the stormy times, it is essential to be relevant, contemporaneous and engaged with the real estate market. Things can change rapidly and it is pivotal to know when the market warrants the right investments and development for your clients. It is important to always be willing to learn and do your homework about what is happening.

What advice would you give to a woman considering a career in commercial real estate?

I would advise women who are considering a career in commercial real estate to learn as much as you can. Get educated with the proper foundations whether it be in law; real estate brokerage; finance and investment. Once you solidify the basis of your education, apply your knowledge to experience. Get mentors and focus on what is the right way to practice your skills in commercial real estate. The NYC CRE community is small and always willing to help those who are engaged and involved. As Ruth Bader Ginsberg stressed: “I’d be a strong believer in listening and learning from others”

What has been the most rewarding project or deal you’ve worked on in your career, and why?

In my career, I go back to the beginning of my title career when I worked on most of the real estate development in Battery Park City. What used to be the Washington Market and the Hudson River has become a beautiful residential condominium development with commercial complexes such as the World Financial Center and the World Trade Center. All those structures were built on landfill, and it was interesting to abstract title for all of the projects. Since 911, it was also an honor to work on the rebuilding of the World Trade Center complex and remember those that we lost in such an important way

If you could change one thing about the CRE industry, what would it be and why?

Over the decades, I have seen how the CRE industry has not been inclusive of women and the multicultural segments. These groups are underrepresented and It has been difficult to “be in the room where it happens”. Time has made it better but there can be greater inclusion and equity. My experience since 1986 is from both the NYC and NJ commercial real estate market where indicators show consistent strong levels of financial investment and real estate development from women and multicultural markets including Asian, Black and Hispanic real estate investors.