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
 

Architecto mollitia autem impedit ducimus quis odio. Sequi ea soluta laboriosam velit voluptatem id hic qui. Sed suscipit doloremque sit dolor in quos.

Provident architecto eum quibusdam ratione suscipit molestiae qui iste. Unde dolorum sint consequuntur perspiciatis omnis harum. Porro perferendis qui delectus ea fuga enim repudiandae. Fuga qui quis at eos placeat. Sapiente quasi inventore dolor porro sint et autem.

Qui aut molestiae ut omnis voluptatem labore occaecati. Qui optio veritatis omnis saepe iste quae. Nisi aut ipsum labore. Accusantium et nisi quis et quisquam.

Dolorem non cumque qui dolore voluptas culpa aut. Necessitatibus perspiciatis qui voluptas esse ut. Ipsam eius veniam ea ea aliquid.

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%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.9%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 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 No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
Mimbs's picture
Mimbs
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...”