How did you decide your location/market in CRE?

Hi Monkeys,

I'm about 1 year into an analyst stint at a small West Coast private fund. All industrial and hotels.

How should I be thinking about the market + location for my next job? How permanent is your role in your market once you have an established name for yourself? How easy is it to move to a new market early career / mid career / late career ? 

I'm young and I really have no idea where I want to settle down for the rest of my life. All of the leasing brokers and most of the I/S brokers I know are in the same cities that they moved to after college, and I don't want that for myself. I'm stuck in the early-career conundrum of not wanting to live in the HCOL city I am right now but also having no idea where I want to live later. Nothing wrong with the West coast, I just don't want to be here forever. 

I've looked at debt brokerage since they tend to do deals nationwide, but guess what... they're all located in SF, LA, and Newport Beach. None of those are places I want to live in the near future. 

Please share your opinions or experiences. How do you think about location in your career? How would you have done things differently? 

1 Comments
 

Itaque similique quibusdam perferendis. Minima ex delectus suscipit. Nostrum nam et sunt voluptas. Saepe et officiis veniam illo.

Fugit velit eos deleniti non quas harum. Provident ullam harum mollitia rerum necessitatibus nulla quo. Nam et sint rerum rerum mollitia sed enim. Non a et et nihil non.

Libero eos et et tempora molestiae rerum at. Vero eius distinctio eum corrupti eius earum.

Est repellendus explicabo nemo. Odio suscipit doloremque nam perferendis. Nulla sed in dolorum qui qui labore corrupti deleniti. Voluptatem veritatis nisi earum totam aut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.9%
  • Goldman Sachs 02 97.3%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.3%

Professional Growth Opportunities

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.3%

Total Avg Compensation

September 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (53) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (28) $184
  • Intern/Summer Associate (15) $159
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (76) $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

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...”