REPE/CRE Firms & Introductions

Hey all,

Just curious to know if anyone had any insights when it comes to contacting REPE/CRE firms for jobs/openings. I'm always down to take an employee (any level really) out for coffee or lunch to build that relationship, but are there steps before or after that will increase chances of landing a spot in the firm.

Also.... Just some background... I work in residential on the acquisition team as a manager... Have both my NJ and NY real estate license (whatever that is worth... easy to get) but I am thinking about getting my MSRE/MSRED or MBA.... Finance major with math and CS minor...

Cheers.

10 Comments
 

I just had a lunch with the VP of Acquisitions this week (luckily she's a client of mine) I, myself am trying to get my foot into the industry. She told me networking and who you know in this industry is probably the number one key in trying to get into a firm. You should try looking into some organizations in your area, maybe ULI? Getting your RE license might be helpful (which you have) and have familiarity with financial modeling. She also mentioned that starting out in retail leasing at a brokerage might be good experience.

And basically a lot of ass kissing.

 

seriously? come on, this should be very easy.

tell him exactly what you just said: you have no experience but you are learning the business on your own.

you can figure out what questions you should and shouldnt be asking, i will leave that part up to you.

above all else, be like-able and dont be dumb.

--- man made the money, money never made the man
 
tprb52

However, what about the Argus/Dyna stuff? It would help TREMENDOUSLY to know this program inside and out. You know any way to properly learn that stuff without purchasing their $800 training courses?

no, it wouldnt help much to know the program inside and out.

here's the deal with argus: repes look for analyst-candidates that have had at least 2 yrs exp analyzing deals via argus because they want analysts who are efficient at it, not analysts who know every feature. we only use a fraction of the features in argus, but the features we do use are robust and very useful.

personally, i think its stupid for repe employers to exclusively recruit candidates who have exp in argus. our generation picks up computer programs very fast, and argus is dead-simple. however, the generation above us - the guys in their 30's and 40's, the guys making the hiring decsions - are pretty ignorant when it comes to picking up new computer programs and foolishly assume that there is a steep learning curve. my boss told me it took him 6 months to get comfortable with argus...it took me about 2 weeks.

so basically, dont worry about argus.

--- man made the money, money never made the man
 

If you want to learn ARGUS I have posted several ARGUS tutorials (free for now)

Google ARGUS DCF Tutorial and you will see my blog "Learn To Analyze Commercial Real Estate Using ARGUS DCF"

The tutorial will go through how to down load the free version of ARGUS and guide you through building a basic model. I have worked in REPE for a couple years, and I have taught several ARGUS courses. This tutorial focuses on the practical applications of ARGUS. As you may have heard, a ton of the functionality within ARGUS isn't used in practice...

Hope this helps

My contact is on the blog if you have questions/comments

 
Best Response

I would do a few things:

-Read up, as you had said before; some good ones are Real Estate Finance and Investments - Peter Linnenman, The Real Estate Game by Bill Poorvu

-Know how to run through a basic real estate proforma - Potential Gross Income minus Vacancy down to Effective Gross Income....etc down to after tax cash flow

-Learn how to do simple, back of the envelope analysis as mentioned in the Real Estate game

P.M me with any other questions.

 

Magnam tempora quis nihil vel ea. Odio ut quaerat velit harum. Voluptatem maxime occaecati dolorum quis delectus quos. Voluptatum consequatur et delectus. Temporibus ducimus aut earum recusandae distinctio laboriosam et.

Fuga accusantium aut ipsum quia nam id exercitationem. Ipsum culpa magni architecto est asperiores nam. Corrupti veniam ab incidunt quae qui. Sit in vel similique aut facilis dolorem.

Aspernatur perferendis et quos et tenetur. Nobis ipsam voluptatem dolor autem corrupti ab magni.

Sequi sit eaque praesentium sit expedita. Officia voluptas distinctio tempore mollitia. Dolorum aspernatur id sunt. Possimus aut beatae reprehenderit. Ipsam voluptatem eveniet nihil mollitia consequuntur. Laudantium accusamus delectus officiis aut sunt.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (77) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (71) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”