What are prerequisites for working for a REIT?

Hi all,

Just wondering if someone could tell me what the prerequisites are for working at a REIT? I understand that it is an old boys club so i wonder if leveraging the right contacts could soften the blow from having to start at the complete bottom of the pile.

Thanks!

7 Comments
 

There are none. The only universal difference between REITs and any other real estate company is that REITs pay no corporate taxes as a result of paying a high percentage of all taxable income as dividends to investors.

You get a job at a REIT like a job anywhere else. Get your foot in the door, show up smiling, don't say anything too stupid, and get a little lucky.

 
ms87There are none. The only universal difference between REITs and any other real estate company is that REITs pay no corporate taxes as a result of paying a high percentage of all taxable income as dividends to investors.
I recall an alum telling me that there does exist a certain type of person who tends to work for one REIT, then maybe another, then maybe another, because all REITs follow the same rules/structure. I'm not so sure how true this is, though. For CFO or compliance types I would understand, but otherwise I would tend to agree that a REIT is just another real estate company.
 
Best Response
atwoodtProspie...not sure I understand your point. I know a lot of REITs that have different strategies. Some focus on existing assets in primary markets, others development deals in secondary markets, etc.
It's not my point, it was someone else's point, and I don't understand it either. But the guy is a partner at a respected firm here and has developed a bunch of complex deals, so I'm not going to say he doesn't know what he's talking about. Maybe he means that if you've worked in corpfin, whether at a prison REIT or at a cell tower REIT, you will understand AFFO and NAV and can take those skills to, say, a storage REIT. Who knows? I have no idea; like I said in my original post, I don't really agree with his point anyway.
 

Nobis voluptates optio ex qui explicabo excepturi. Occaecati molestias nulla dignissimos ducimus. Aut maxime eos tenetur sint dignissimos mollitia.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $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...”