Jobs in Commercial Real Estate | CAPITAL MARKETS

CRE Capital Markets Careers & Career Paths

The capital markets job category covers positions that deal with a firm’s cash flow in either debt placement or equity. This includes financial modeling, due diligence, underwriting, and other financial analysis tasks within a firm. What are some common capital markets job titles within CRE?

1. Investment banking associate
2. Acquisitions analyst
3. Real estate finance analyst
4. Asset management associate
5. Capital markets associate
6. Analyst
7. Developments associate
8. Chief financial officer

Commercial Real Estate Capital Markets Education

1. Bachelor's degree in real estate, finance, accounting, economics, or a related business field
2. Master's degree (MBA or MFin) preferred
3. Certifications: CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst), CCIM (Certified Commercial Investment Member), CMSA (Capital Markets & Securities Analyst)

Career Fields for Capital Markets

What fields do commercial real estate capital markets work in? What types of businesses hire capital markets CRE specialists besides CRE agencies? These are examples of companies that employ CRE capital markets:

1. Commercial real estate agencies
2. Investment firms
3. Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
4. Private equity firms
5. Real estate development companies
6. CRE brokerage firms
7. Hedge funds
8. Management services

Keywords That Employers Look For

To stand out among other CRE capital markets applicants, we recommend including keywords related to capital markets. Focus not only on hard skills, such as underwriting and due diligence, but also soft skills such as problem-solving, writing, and communication skills.

Hard skills for CRE capital markets:

1. Cash flow modeling: Proficiency in creating cash flow projections on a firm’s real estate portfolio.
2. Investment reporting: Compiling comprehensive reports for presentation to executives and stakeholders.
3. Credit expertise: Managing lines of credit and repayments for the firm.
4. Marketing: Experience contributing to outward-facing marketing materials.
5. Due diligence: Comprehensive due diligence on potential firm assets and investments.
6. Capital markets: Understanding of capital markets and investment strategies.
7. Portfolio management: Skills in managing and optimizing real estate investment portfolios.
8. Underwriting: Determining the risk and returns of a potential asset.

Soft skills for CRE capital markets:

1. Communication: Ability to effectively report and communicate firm finances to stakeholders.
2. Analytical thinking: Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to research and evaluate prospective investments.
3. Attention to detail: A detail-oriented mindset that focuses on cash flow.
4. Negotiation: Active negotiation skills that can adapt to changing circumstances.
5. Relationship building: Finding and supporting successful relationships with borrowers, lenders, and other CRE firms.
6. Research: A passion for exploring and researching investments to determine profitability.

Software tools and apps that CRE capital market

1. Financial modeling and analysis: Microsoft Excel, Argus Enterprise, Tableau, RGTS Software
2. Deal management and workflow: DealCloud, Intralinks, Ansarada, Midaxo
3. Data and market research: Biscred, CoStar, Real Capital Analytics, REIS, SNL Real Estate, Capital IQ, Orbis, Crunchbase, FactSet, Bloomberg Terminal
4. Financial reporting: Birlasoft, Cognizant, HCL Technologies
5. Presentation and visualization: Microsoft PowerPoint, ThinkCell, Tableau, Qlik
6. Document management and collaboration: Microsoft SharePoint, iDeals, Box, Dropbox, Google Drive
7. Investment management: Yardi Investment Manager, AppFolio Investment Manager, MRI Software, Intapp
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 capital markets: industry outlook

1. Median salary U.S.: Ranges between $48,610 and $185,230 per year or $23 to $89 per hour
2. Projected job growth: 9% per year through 2033
3. Employment 2023: 404,800
4. Employment projected 2032: 442,700
5. Top 5 states for CRE capital markets jobs (number of jobs, annual mean wage):
6. New York (49,220, $143,330)
7. California (35,660, $125,220)
8. Texas (25,100, $102,590)
9. Florida (18,070, $96,010)
10. Illinois (17,060, $120,390)
11. Top industries (percentage of industry employment):
12. Investment pools and funds (8.72%)
13. Securities, commodity contracts, financial investments (7.95%)
14. Monetary authorities (2.7%)
15. Management of companies and authorities (1.61%)
16. Non-depository credit intermediation (1.51%)

CRE capital markets' licensure, certification, and professional associations

1. CFA: Chartered Financial Analyst Institute
2. CCIM: Certified Commercial Investment Member Institute
3. CMSA Capital Markets & Securities Analyst
4. Capital Markets Professional Certificate
5. ICMA: Capital Markets Training

*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 Appfolio, How to choose the right software partner for commercial real estate investment managers, 2022-06-28, accessed 2024-12-06

² Ascendix, CRE Software: 18 Best Tools to Use in 2024, 2024-11-13, accessed, 2024-12-06

³ VentureRadar, Top Capital Markets Software Companies, accessed 2024-12-06

⁴ CIO Tech Outlook, 20 Most Promising Capital Market Solution Providers - 2020, accessed 2024-12-06

⁵ Capterra, Commercial Real Estate Software, accessed 2024-12-06

⁶ Glassdoor, How much does a Capital Markets Associate make? 2024-06-06, accessed 2024-12-06

⁷ ZipRecruiter, Real Estate Capital Markets Salary, accessed 2024-12-06

⁸ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, accessed 2024-12-06

⁹ The BLS doesn’t track data for “commercial real estate capital markets”. We used the broader category of securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents, which includes investment bankers. See U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents, accessed 2024-12-06

¹⁰ U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Geographic profile for Financial and Investment Analyst, 2023-May, accessed 2024-12-06