commercial real estate to real estate investment

Hello,

Hoping to get some advice on my next career move here.

I am 27 years old and have been working at a boutique real estate brokerage in Toronto since I graduated. My business has pretty much strictly been land deals, and although this has been a decent experience at first, I've developed a interest in the investment side of real estate.

Therefore, I am interested in knowing if anyone can provide some advice on the prospects of a broker making the jump. My main area of interest is private equity real estate or hedge fund real estate, but working for a REIT would be alright as well.

In addition to whatever advice you might have, here's a couple additional questions:

1) Is an MBA my only realistic shot at making this switch? If so, should I be aiming for a target US school? Or is something like University of Toronto or McGill sufficient? Keep in mind that Canada's market for this kind of stuff isn't too big (at least by my knowledge). My undergrad degree is political science.

2) Lack of brand name experience on the resume an issue? I'm open to doing an internship at a bank to get some finance experience, but I'm not too sure if I can land one at my age.

3) Is the CFA helpful for this?

Any help is appreciated. Thanks a lot.

3 Comments
 

Cupiditate dolorum repellendus corrupti est illo eos ut non. Et rem et et ut. Saepe deserunt ratione corrupti ut voluptatum. Pariatur voluptate atque dolorem voluptatem. Mollitia optio dolore odit corporis cupiditate occaecati delectus voluptatem.

Mollitia itaque enim odio voluptates sed molestiae ab iure. Et in doloremque ad sunt consequatur. Dolore animi rem et officiis et. Officiis consectetur sit magnam quisquam voluptas. Est nihil neque est voluptas. Iure cum labore itaque explicabo delectus voluptates id. Fuga sunt tempora ut.

Nulla quisquam voluptas quo temporibus perspiciatis. Saepe explicabo provident dignissimos doloribus. Voluptas eum cumque aperiam odit explicabo eligendi.

Voluptatibus voluptatem omnis dolor magni odit. Saepe nesciunt inventore aut fugiat ea. Dicta praesentium explicabo autem unde ut qui eos.

Career Advancement Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.4%
  • Guggenheim Partners 02 97.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 97.4%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.5%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 99.0%
  • Evercore 01 98.4%
  • Banco Santander 02 97.9%
  • BMO Capital Markets 13 97.4%

Professional Growth Opportunities

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.5%
  • Moelis & Company 01 99.0%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.4%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.9%
  • JPMorgan No 97.4%

Total Avg Compensation

November 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (16) $429
  • Associates (57) $264
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (29) $183
  • Intern/Summer Associate (16) $161
  • 1st Year Analyst (84) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (77) $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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”