Capital Markets vs. Investment Sales for PE Exit.

Quick background... I will be graduating this year with a degree in finance and have been pounding the networking trail. I have some relevant internship experience and the eventual goal is to land in PE or Development.

I have been advised by a mentor to start in Brokerage to learn what drives demand for Real Estate. I have been looking at this route and I wanted to come to the forum for some advice.

What role will make me a more marketable candidate for an exit to a buyside position? Capital Markets (Debt Placement) or Investments Sales?

Are there any general benchmarks I can look to to gauge dealflow for a specific group?

Which role is best considering where we are in the cycle? I know credit is starting to tighten up in my market.

Thanks in advance for any comment!

12 Comments
 
Best Response

I'm in this seat now and second this opinion, though mine obviously comes with a bit of bias. I have worked with a ton of top players, learned how to underwrite all parts of the capital stack as well as all product types. The most important factor if you are starting in brokerage is deal flow. You won't learn anything if you are working on two deals a year, so while I would recommend D/E brokerage, you should really base your decision on joining the best and most reputable team, since they will have strong deal flow and will work with top sponsors.

 

Minus ut ut sunt ab. Odio pariatur a blanditiis sed aut neque molestias autem. Mollitia accusamus soluta sit eius in.

Optio libero tenetur et nihil quo iusto blanditiis. Nobis eum aliquid sed non.

Autem in fuga quia alias omnis perspiciatis error et. Rerum reiciendis dolorem reprehenderit ipsa unde itaque ad. Quod aliquam officiis voluptatum maiores commodi nostrum. Deleniti vel nihil dolorem aliquid est amet a.

Sunt quibusdam repellat ea sit. Rerum beatae adipisci omnis beatae cumque eius dolores. Autem hic sit officia qui qui pariatur. Adipisci ut veniam quaerat. Sed est at perferendis libero beatae iusto. Et et labore commodi dolor.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.3%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (44) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (78) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (72) $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...”