Jobs in Commercial Real Estate | Accounting & Controller

CRE Accounting and Controller Careers & Career Paths

Commercial real estate accountants are responsible for planning budgets, handling accounts receivable/payable, bank reconciliations, and any other tasks related to company finances. Controllers are similar to accountants, with the main difference being direct responsibility: Controllers set a firm’s overall accounting policies and direct the accounting team. What are other job titles and related positions that commercial real estate accountants & controllers might hold?

1. CRE accountant
2. Accounting associate
3. Accounting analyst
4. Accounting manager
5. Construction controller
6. Financial controller
7. Junior controller
8. Property controller
9. Operational controller
10. Assistant controller

Commercial Real Estate Accountant and Controller Education

1. Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, real estate, or business
2. Master's degree (MBA or accounting specialty) preferred
3. Certifications: CFP (chartered financial planner), CPA (certified public accountants), CIA (certified internal auditor), CMA (certified management accountant)

Career Fields for Accountants & Controllers

What fields do commercial real estate accountants & controllers work in? What types of businesses hire commercial real estate controllers besides developers and construction firms? Every business needs someone who handles accounting and controls financial operations. These are examples of companies that employ CRE accountants & controllers:

1. Commercial real estate firms
2. Real estate developers
3. Property management companies
4. Private equity firms
5. Investment firms
6. Construction companies

Keywords That Employers Look For

Your resume and profile will stand out among applicants when you use the language that hiring firms look for in CRE accountants and controllers. Focus not only on hard skills, such as proficiency in accounting software and knowledge of federal, state, and local tax regulations, but also soft skills such as time management, integrity, and strong analytical skills.

Hard skills for CRE accountants and controllers:

1. Financial reporting: Preparing financial statements for review by stakeholders
2. Financial analysis: Provide insights on company finances to inform investment strategy, acquisitions, and other operations
3. Tax coordination: Ability to review and coordinate tax payments
4. Payroll: Experience with processing employee payroll
5. Account reconciliation: Expertise in accounts payable and receivable reconciliation using accounting software
6. Budgeting: Building budget forecasts, and maintaining/reviewing budgets using financial models
7. Subcontractor/supplier compliance: Processing subcontractor invoices and receiving their documents

Soft skills for CRE accountants and controllers:

1. Communication: Ability to effectively act as a financial expert in the team and communicate subjects to your clients
2. Leadership: Especially with controllers, proven leadership ability in an accounting setting
3. Time management: Skills in prioritizing tasks, meeting deadlines, and meeting important submission deadlines
4. Client and customer service: Experience in prioritizing the client and acting as an advisor for a firm
5. Analytical skills: Proven expertise in analyzing financial documents to optimize cash flow and propose potential solutions
6. Detail-oriented thinking: Ensuring accuracy of forms, accounts, and other bookkeeping tasks

Software tools and apps that CRE accountants use

1. Accounting software: Intuit Quickbooks, Freshbooks, NetSuite ERP, XERO
2. Financial modeling and analysis: Microsoft Excel, Argus Enterprise, Tableau
3. Customer relationship management (CRM): Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Affinity, Pipedrive
4. Data and market research: Biscred, CoStar, Real Capital Analytics, REIS, SNL Real Estate, Capital IQ, Orbis, Crunchbase, FactSet, Bloomberg Terminal
5. Presentation and visualization: Microsoft PowerPoint, ThinkCell, Tableau, Qlik
6. Document management and collaboration: Microsoft SharePoint, iDeals, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive
7. Risk management and compliance: Intapp Conflicts, Intapp Employee Compliance, Compliance.ai, ComplySci
8. Startup and private company data: Biscred, Crunchbase, Tracxn, Preqin
9. Project management: Asana, Trello, Monday, Wrike, Zoho Projects, Teamwork, Jira, Basecamp, Clarizen

Commercial real estate accountant and controller: Industry outlook

1. Median salary U.S.: Ranges between $70,000 and $101,000 per year or $33.65 to $48.56 per hour
2. Projected job growth: 6% per year through 2033
3. Employment 2023: 1,562,000
4. Employment projected 2032: 1,653,400
5. Top 5 states for accounting and controller jobs (number of jobs, annual mean wage):
6. California (166,020, $100,560)
7. New York (119,150, $113,310)
8. Texas (111,160, $88,820)
9. Florida (89,350, $83,430)
10. Pennsylvania (54,540, $83,760)

CRE accounting and controller licensure, certification, and professional associations

1. CFP: Certified Financial Planner
2. CPA: Certified Public Accountant
3. CIA: Certified Internal Auditor
4. CMA: Certified Management Accountant
5. CPB: Certified Professional Biller
6. ABV: Accredited in Business Valuation

*Industry outlook is based on a variety of factors and could change any time. We pull our data from a variety of sources to give a general idea of employment and salary. It should also be noted that job titles and job descriptions vary, based on company, industry and geography, and much of our data is pulled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To understand how the BLS codifies jobs and updates its Occupational Outlook Handbook, read their FAQs.

¹ Hubspot Blog, 22 Accounting & Bookkeeping Software Tools Loved by Small Businesses, 2024-08-16, accessed 2024-11-21

² Indeed, 21 Accounting Software Programs To Fit Your Business Needs, 2024-08-15, accessed 2024-11-21

³ TrustRadius, Best Accounting Software, accessed 2024-11-21

⁴ Glassdoor, How much does a Property Accountant make? 2024-06-06, accessed 2024-11-21

⁵ Ziprecruiter, Commercial Property Accountant Salary, accessed 2024-11-21

⁶ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Accountants and Auditors, accessed 2024-11-21

⁷ The BLS doesn’t track data for “commercial real estate accountant”. We used the broader category of accountants and auditors, which includes CRE controllers and accountants. Also see Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks

⁸U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment of accountants and auditors by state May 2023, accessed 2024-11-21