CRE Company Database and Career Tool (Updated Jan 2024)

So, why did we put together this comprehensive list of commercial real estate companies? Well, from my time spent in real estate executive recruiting space, I learned that we couldn’t help everyone. Candidates needed a very specific background from a specific company, and they needed to be there for a specific amount of time. That frustrated me because I believe in giving people a chance.

For the folks out there, who haven’t been given a chance yet to work in their desired field of commercial real estate, we’ve made it a whole lot easier for you with this tool!

I should mention that I regularly update this tool. Since the tool’s initial launch, I’ve updated the company database numerous times, added a list of commercial real estate recruiting firms, and added a list of CRE trade associations.

In January 2023, with the addition of a list of CRE publications that professionals read, we also renamed the tool ‘CRE Company Database and Career Tool’ to reflect that it is much more than just a list of CRE companys. I hope these additions are valuable!

What is the Commercial Real Estate Company Database and Career Tool?

The CRE Company Database tool is a file you can share with a friend looking to get started in CRE, a tool you can personally use to see what other companies exist in your market, a tool you can use to call on other real estate companies to do business with, a tool you can use if you need to promote an event to other CRE companies, and a tool you can use if you are looking for a job yourself.

When you download the CRE Company Database, you will find a list of thousands of Commercial Real Estate companies. Our team has broken it down into sections that might make the vast world of commercial real estate seem a lot smaller and more attainable.

The tool also includes a list of various resources to help CRE professionals advance their careers. For instance, the tool includes a list of the publications that many CRE professionals read, the trade organizations that CRE professionals join, and a database of CRE recruiters that professionals lean on to find their jobs.

Navigating the Commercial Real Estate Company Database

Our goal at Adventures in CRE is to add value to the commercial real estate space, and this tool is another example of that. So, allow me to walk through how to get started using this tool to enhance your career.

1. Click here to download the Microsoft Excel version of this tool.
2. Note the 3 tabs on the bottom.
   • The Version Tab shows which update we are on. Our intention is to keep adding to this list every month. If you want us to add your company, update information on your company, or have general feedback, please email us here.
   • The Database Tab displays the thousands of CRE companies that exist in the United States.
   • The Target List creates a customized list of CRE companies that you will use for targeted contact efforts.
3. Use the fields on the Database Tab to narrow down companies into a targeted list based on your search criteria.
   • Location (City, State or Zip Code) is our first header. This is what I’d recommend sorting by in the beginning.
   • Company Type is our second header. This is very incomplete, so it may not add a lot of value to you right now. Again, this tool will constantly be improved, so as time goes on, we plan on making this header more useful to you.
   • Job Function is our third header. This is the type of work you want to do (asset management, development, brokerage, etc…).
   • Property Type is our fourth header. Maybe you’d prefer to work in a specific property type (multifamily, industrial, etc…).

How to Use the Commercial Real Estate Company Database Tool

If I were a user, here is a quick example of how you might use this CRE Company Database tool to find the company for you.

1. Filter for Location

First, identify the market you want to be in. For this example, I’ll say Chicago.

Next, go to the Location section of the Database tab. Click the drop-down arrow where it says city, and uncheck the (select all) box.

Then, type in Chicago in the search box and check the box next to Chicago. Hit OK, and a list of companies that have offices in Chicago will populate.

2. Filter for Job Function

Secondly, choose the Job Function of interest. For instance, you might filter for companies that have acquisition roles.

Next, click the drop-down arrow next to acquisitions. Uncheck the (select all) box then check the box next to 1 to filter for only acquisitions.

Offices/companies in Chicago that have a focus on Acquisitions will now populate.

3. Filter for Property Type

Finally, go to the Property Type header where you can filter for companies that work with a specific property type. For this example, let’s assume Multifamily.

Using the process in step two, filter for multifamily only and companies in Chicago that have a focus on Multifamily Acquisitions will appear.

4. Create Your Target List

Of course, you are not finished yet. Many of you will get excited, but now comes the hard part (which will mostly be on you)! Pull out the offices/companies from the database that you believe area  fit.

Select the cells in columns B:H (i.e. Company/office information) for each company that is of interest. Copy those cells (i.e. Company Name/Office, Address, City, State/Province, Zip Code, Country, Website) and open the ‘Target List’ tab.

Select the next blank cell in column B and paste the copied cells from the Database tab. Do this with each office/company of interest, until you have a Target List built out.

Then do your own independent search for individuals you’d like to contact at each firm, and add their information in columsn J:K. You can also add a rank for each company  in column L to help you track which companies to focus your attention on.

With the company target list created, it’s now your job is now to start reaching out to those companies and networking with individuals that may have connections there. Need help with that effort? Check out my other blog posts on finding a job in commercial real estate.

Video Walkthrough of the Commercial Real Estate Company Database Tool

As a companion to my written tutorial above, below watch a walkthrough video of my CRE Company Database tool. As updates and features are added to the tool, I’ll create follow up videos. Note that when this video was released the tool was in a beta form and did not include the publications, trade associations, and recruiter resources included.

And while the tool has gone through numerous updates since its initial launch and continues to be regularly updated, it still likely contains errors. So, if you spot an error, or have a feature, company/office, trade association, CRE publication, or recruiting firm you’d like added, please send us a message; we’ll include it in an upcoming version of this tool.

Download the Commercial Real Estate Company Database and Career Tool

To make this tool accessible to everyone, it is offered on a “Pay What You’re Able” basis with no minimum (enter $0 if you’d like) or maximum (your support helps keep the content coming). If you have any questions about our “Pay What You’re Able” program or why we offer our models on this basis, please reach out to either Mike or Spencer.

We regularly update the tool (see version notes). Paid contributors to the tool receive a new download link each time the model is updated.

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Frequently Asked Questions about the CRE Company Database and Career Tool

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Version Notes

v1.41

• Minor updates to Version, Company Database, and Contact Tracker tabs
• Added placeholder values to Contact Tracker sheet

v1.4

• Added new tab Contact Tracker

v1.3

• Updated Company Database list as of 3.30.23
• Fixed #REF errors in Address row for certain companies

v1.21

• Fixed filter feature on Database tab

v1.2

• Updated Company Database list as of 2.19.23

v1.1

• Updated Company Database list as of 1.27.23
• Added new section: CRE Publications (what CRE professionals read)
• Renamed this tool to include ‘CRE CAREER RESOURCE’ to acknowledge the additional lists added since original launch

v1.0

• Updated Company Database list as of 12.22.22

v0.9

• Updated Company Database list as of 8.18.22

v0.8

• Removed beta tag as the tool has been sufficiently vetted
• Updated Company Database list as of 8.18.22
• Updated CRE Recruiter Database list as of 8.18.22
• Fixed link to A.CRE Careers section; updated formatting of links

beta v0.7

• Updated Company Database list as of 7.7.2022
• Updated CRE Recruiter Database list as of 7.7.2022
• Updated CRE Associations list as of 7.7.2022

beta v0.6

• Updated Company Database as of 3.9.2022
• Added CRE Associations Database
• Updated heading of CRE Recruiter Database

beta v0.5

• Updated Company Database as of 2.17.2022

beta v0.41

• Updated CRE Recruiter Database

beta v0.4

• Added ‘Send us feedback on this tool’ link
• Added ‘Career Website’ column to the Company Database
• Update to Database information
• Renamed ‘Database’ worksheet to ‘Company Database’
• Renamed ‘Target List’ worksheet to ‘Target Company List’
• Added ‘Recruiter Database’ list for candidates interesting in engaging with a CRE recruiting firm
• Misc. formatting improvements

beta v0.3

• Updated company database list
  • Added missing Company Type information
  • Added missing Property Type information
  • Added missing Job Function information
  • Cleaned duplicate offices
• Misc. formatting improvements

beta v0.2

• Added ‘Job Function’ title in Database tab
• Cleaned up Latitude and Longitude columns in Database tab’
• Fixed ‘Contact Tucker Wells’ link

beta v0.1

• Initial release of this tool

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