Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing

Looking at a couple opportunities at Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing Group. Can anyone provide any insight into the culture? Also entering as an analyst or associate in investment management do you work both on acquisitions and Asset Management or do they split the groups?

Thanks in advance!

34 Comments
 

They are a household name in real estate investing (and more-so in the 90's early 00's), in fact I believe they just closed their largest raise since the downturn (1.8 bil?) and will use the funds for opportunistic investments. Its a great time to be with the group. I believe its structured similar to JPM Real Assets. Others can shed a better light on how the work/life is etc.

 

Thanks for the insight. Any other info on how the teams are structured? As a investment management Analyst/Associate do you work both on the AM & Acquisitions? I know some groups like Deutsche you specifically only work on one side or the other.

 

As an Analyst on the Real Estate team at Morgan Stanley's Direct Investing Platform (in house p/e), you are strictly working on underwriting / acquisitions. Within this capacity, an Analyst does not perform Asset Management duties. Though you may find Analysts performing responsibilities commensurate with both underwriting and asset management, such is likely the case at smaller real estate owners and developers. As for the manner in which you structured your question, however, MS' Asset Management business is an entirely different animal.

To the extent that you inquired into the culture, I would say better that you ask that question here and not in the interview. But to respond: it's a giant bank, with a reputable in house p/e shop, strong capital raising abilities, displays a successful evolution in the vintage of their funds, and shows up at the table with a bid for an asset to see BX, RXR, Related, and SL Green seated a few chairs down.

Further, are you still in college? The aforementioned team at MS and their corresponding hiring mandate manifests in their campus recruitment—hiring recent graduates—and precludes them from any lateral hiring at the Analyst level. I would encourage you to dig into exactly how the organization is structured and identify exactly under which function the opportunities you are screening are housed. I know there are several Analyst postings for a Real Estate Fund of Funds Analyst, which resides far from the business that's done in direct investing.

Good luck

 

Just to supplement @talkaboutit.

They were hot and heavy for value add deals slightly before the crash and were one of the worst performers post explosion. They got killed, but luckily, people easily forget in times like these..

They did just raise a recent fund, but I didn't think it was as large as their find raised in 06-07.

Regardless, they're legit and this would be a solid place to start.

 

That's Morgan Stanley Real Estate. Since 1969, the longest uninterrupted real estate industry presence of any Wall Street firm, Morgan Stanley has consistently supported our expansion from roots as a mortgage/asset brokerage business through the introduction of new products and services, such as public debt and equity capital raising, real estate investment management and mortgage lending.

 

A premier shop with great exit ops. OP you insult this forum and, by extension, all of us with such a novice question.

Fill the unforgiving minute with 60 seconds of run. - Kipling
 

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