DST Fund Raising and Brokerage

Hi All,

I've transacted and consulted a few major PE shops that structure their acquisition process on a Cash on Cash basis because they don't care/need high exit caps due to their business model.

Summary of what they do: They come in...acquire an asset very low leveraged, get an amazing rate from an agency because of the LTV. Once the PSA is signed they then distribute their newly owned asset to their DST investors (Primarily composed of 1031 exchange folks I believe). So overall their exposure is only a couple of months.

With all that said, do you guys have experience within the realm? I talked to their fund manager and they are very interested in bringing me on board as an Acquisition Analyst I maybe II. Is there anything I should know more about it before I take the next steps in the process?

4 Comments
 

This is an incredibly lucrative niche if you find one of the few groups that does it right. Cantor, Inland, and Cottonwood are the biggest players here. Just keep in mind this is a tax loop hole investment strategy. In the same way that TIC's dried up during the last recession, this stream of capital could easily dry up as well. This is a fee driven business model so there is more risk here as you need constantly do deals to justify your existence.

 
Most Helpful

I looked at a deal for a DST syndicator a ways back. A primary concern of ours was 'what happens to 1031 exchanges in a recession?' Thinking they'd dry up because deal flow dried up etc. Well the IRS has data you can review showing the actual # of 1031 exchanges claimed in each tax year going back 20 something years or whenever Sec. 1031 was written. The surprising thing was 1031 exchanges actually increased during the 2008 recession. It was a noticeable YoY increase for multiple years if I recall.

... only problem is that 1031's aren't limited to real estate. One can claim 1031 exemption for commercial vehicles, land, improved property, even livestock, and the IRS data didn't categorize the types and quantity of 1031's were occurring.

that said I will echo what picklemonkey said - it will all depend on the group you are with. This is absolutely a fee driven production model and very very complicated legal structures. 1031's / DST's are fantastic income tax loopholes, but the deals you acquire still have to underwrite to make sense and those are getting harder and harder to find. I personally would lean towards a group that is very, very, very experienced in this space and run away from any group that was new to market. Should your clients feel like they were duped into a bad deal your pipeline could dry up pretty quick just from bad press.

$0.02

 

Thanks for the responses, I believe this is a pretty unique scenario where it's a massive privately backed acquisition process that could easily disregard the DST transition and hold long term. With that said, my job would most likely include trying to find equity partners in the deals so our original investors could remain somewhat liquid. Question #2, if I help run this sort of fund FKA "Tax Loophole" would I then be looked down upon at say a Landmark or Bain to become a senior associate for risk and or acquisitions?

 

Cupiditate reiciendis quia excepturi sunt. Sit fugiat cum ad voluptatibus. Eligendi iste fuga dolorem omnis vel. Pariatur dolores tempora possimus aspernatur ducimus. Et dolorem fugit quia omnis illo sint ad.

Nihil animi sit ipsa dicta et aliquam qui. Repellendus est ut et magni sed ut perferendis enim. Vel a reprehenderit eum labore dolorum dolores et. At nobis qui repellat omnis possimus laudantium.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • JPMorgan 01 97.7%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”