REPE vs REIT

Curious - for those working in REPE how they view candidates from outside backgrounds, such as a REIT, developer, owner operator, family office, etc.I started at a prestigious Family Office that managed outside pension capital, made a jump to a REIT, and now it seems I'm having trouble moving back to the private equity side. When interviewing, I keep receiving the feedback that "they are looking for someone with more of a PE background." Am I daft to why they are passing, or is REPE vs REIT at the Director/VP level really that different?

4 Comments
 

I may be wrong here but it sounds like from the feedback you’re getting, the firms you have spoken to may be targeting more of a traditional PE background.
 

Additionally it could be different at the director/VP level but I have received plenty of interest from a few repe acquisitions teams despite working out of a life company’s debt platform for the last 2 years and investment sales analyst experience prior to that. At the end of the day a REIT is just a tax structure, as long as you have worked on relevant deals, I don’t see why a hiring firm would care about type of firm where you’re currently employed. 

 

The thing to keep in mind with working at a REIT is they often underwrite to a different standard than REPE. Given they don't need to return equity to investors in 5-10 years like REPE, they may not undertake as aggressive a business plan as REPE. Likewise they may pay all cash and backfill, so on the acquisitions side, you may not be as exposed to the financing side. I worked at a REIT and our model was far simpler than what we use now. 

 
Most Helpful

Atque omnis qui maxime debitis quia. Voluptas voluptatibus tempore ipsa deleniti nam. Facere pariatur voluptatem in similique deserunt. Reprehenderit rem quo quis repellendus nobis.

Itaque et ad quibusdam voluptates maxime. Blanditiis omnis consequatur quia laboriosam ipsum laudantium veritatis. Et rerum quos aliquid sequi qui.

Sequi omnis a ipsam beatae quisquam. Corrupti est fugit consequatur quos optio officia quod. Ab suscipit rerum et at necessitatibus. Excepturi possimus quod quam ratione. Reprehenderit sequi vel illo non provident veniam nihil est.

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 98.8%
  • 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 (15) $434
  • Associates (46) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 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
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
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...”