M&A Analyst Transition to Real Estate

Hi Guys,

I am hoping someone with a similar profile to me can help me out with my current predicament.

Currently I work as a first year analyst at a bulge bracket bank .

I have found I am not really interested in banking work; the hours are long and the role is not very entrepreneurial or interesting. With this in mind I have began considering a transition to other areas of finance, in particular Real Estate.

I just wanted to see if there were any others who had transitioned from Corp M&A to REPE or RE Development roles, and whether they regretted or were happy with this decisison.

Comp / Lifestyle comparison directly with M&A experience would be very helpful.

Thanks!

 

Although I did not personally make that transition, I know others who did. I can guarantee that your hours will be significantly shorter, more like 50- 60 a week vs. what I'm assuming you are working now (80-90?). Furthermore, Real Estate is an extremely entrepreneurial industry and even at the Analyst level, you will be asked to do various tasks at an independent level.

I think you will find the work very interesting and you will enjoy the work / life balance, compared to banking. Also, comp. varies a lot more in RE than banking so it is hard to say where that will land; however, it will be Salary plus a bonus based upon a percentage of your Salary. The Bonus will be linked to the volume of deals you get done throughout the year, so work like a rabid dog to get those things through closing!

Good luck with everything.

 
Best Response

@ziggyggiz123"

I worked in M&A at BASF in German. which is the largest chemical company in the world right after I graduated college in 2012. Spent about 11 months there before heading back to the US to work in REPE in Los Angeles. I recently joined a NY based REPE firm to help open the West Coast Office as an AVP about 6 months ago that has >$10B AUM.

Definitely happy with my decision from a lifestyle perspective but also in terms of my own personal interests. I would say I work 50-60 hours a week and I travel 2-4 times a month mostly 1-2 day trips. In terms of compensation I am all-in at $150k - $200k with the ability to invest within our fund as well. I would say this compensation is above average also taking into consideration my job is in Seattle vs New York or California. Seattle has no state tax and lower cost of living.

 

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