Competing Job Offers

Received two job offers recently, and would appreciate everyone's thoughts (which would you take?)

Job A: Analyst at a mortgage bank (JLL/Northmarq) working for a veteran mortgage broker on multifamily/agency deals. I would be the only analyst as the previous went on to work for an operator I was told.

Job B: Analyst at a startup RE investment company. Newly founded shop roughly 1 year old looking to hire their first analyst. Founders broke off from a low income developer and are now doing their own LIHTC deals. Would be working on acquisitions/development underwriting. Sounds like they plan on doing a handful of deals a year. 

I would be excited to accept either option, although would like some guidance to help with my thought process. If Job B was at a large developer rather than a startup I would jump all over it, just unsure of joining a small shop as I am very early into my career (1 year as a credit analyst at a small bank). Comp is similar for both.

7 Comments
 

Very suprising the comp here is the same. I'd think the mortgage banking job would pay better of the rip. I'd probably take A rather than working for the start up but can't go wrong either way.

Array
 

Those are all career paths I would be super excited to pursue besides IS as I do not fancy myself a salesman... Yes, I know that is what mortgage bankers are and what most business careers end up being. I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it. I would be taking the banking job planning on exiting several years down the line to a lender/operator/developer or trying my hand at slinging debt if it feels right at the time.

If I had to choose, dream job would definitely be a dev analyst at a large developer which is why I even consider the startup. The guys I met there seem legit, offering a full corporate compensation package, just worried I may end up not having any work half a year from now wondering what could have been at the bank. I suppose I need to decide if I am willing to take that risk in order to pursue development.

 
Most Helpful
milkyway1420

Those are all career paths I would be super excited to pursue besides IS as I do not fancy myself a salesman... Yes, I know that is what mortgage bankers are and what most business careers end up being. I will have to cross that bridge when I get to it. I would be taking the banking job planning on exiting several years down the line to a lender/operator/developer or trying my hand at slinging debt if it feels right at the time.

If I had to choose, dream job would definitely be a dev analyst at a large developer which is why I even consider the startup. The guys I met there seem legit, offering a full corporate compensation package, just worried I may end up not having any work half a year from now wondering what could have been at the bank. I suppose I need to decide if I am willing to take that risk in order to pursue development.

Ozymandia would be better suited to provide feedback on LIHTC since that is his business, but from what I understand, LIHTC should be insulated from the current interest rate environment since it is basically funded by the government and not really market driven. I think what matters more is how experienced (see Ozy's response to my question in this thread: https://www.wallstreetoasis.com/forum/real-estate/has-anyone-made-it-bi…) are the founders in LIHTC. If they were spearheading the developments at their previous employer than they probably know what they are doing.

 Personally, I would lean more towards the mortgage bank if it is JLL/Northmarq or similar. Both are great positions that will move you closer to your goal of working for a large developer and you will learn a lot, but I think JLL/Northmarq has 2 major advantages 1.) The brand name and 2.) Optionality. Brand name matters less in real estate, but it still helps. Everyone in the industry knows JLL/Northmarq, so just that name will get you a first round at many places. As for optionality, I think JLL/Northmarq will not only open doors for you to developers, but will also open doors to REPE/Capital Markets/ other RE Finance roles. I know less about LIHTC, but it is a niche field within real estate and a lot of the red tape, financial modeling, and financing aren't applicable to other areas in real estate. The 2 advantages of the LIHTC shop are 1.) working on the actual development of the project, which is fully applicable to market rate development. However, you may need to stay for 3+ years to see a full cycle development. 2.) A lot of larger multifamily developers have a LIHTC team, so you would def have a leg up when recruiting for those roles.

 

I appreciate the insight. I would say the founders are extremely experienced in low income housing development as they both worked at the same large/highly respected LIHTC developer for their entire careers, roughly 30+ years between the two of them. Low income housing dev would honestly be one of my most preferable asset classes to work on being these deals seem to be the hairiest and, as Ozmandia makes is sound, one of the few places where it is more what you know not who you know.

That being said, was definitely leaning toward the mortgage shop and was hoping that would be the consensus of this thread as well. At the end of the day, what I look to gain most in my role is financial analysis/underwriting expertise, which I will certainly be able to get at the bank. As you pointed out, the banks brand name alone is a signal to future employers I've seen the guts of a deal.

 

Et corrupti aperiam quam praesentium vero est dolorem. Reiciendis eum consequatur mollitia non omnis architecto. Et cupiditate facilis et quidem ad. Tenetur et et numquam ea nesciunt laboriosam. Aut sit ad vel doloremque illum est explicabo. Eos explicabo iusto inventore ut suscipit.

Ea laboriosam animi vitae reprehenderit iste non modi. Cum nemo est fuga neque fuga harum ad. Aut tenetur reprehenderit est et voluptatum repellendus. Praesentium qui facilis enim est aperiam expedita. Incidunt facilis eos et natus. Neque sit libero quam laboriosam.

Dolore et ipsa quidem et qui cum sint. Officia sit quisquam ipsam. Quia sed totam molestias quis iste et cupiditate. Explicabo impedit molestiae ut. Voluptas necessitatibus suscipit a animi doloremque labore ea consequatur. Reprehenderit ab eos et in tempora exercitationem.

Quas dolores fugit et. Asperiores placeat et eaque eos voluptas.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (14) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (80) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
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...”