CRE Company Database and Career Tool (Updated July 2026)
The Commercial Real Estate Company Database, the tool Tucker Wells built to help people break into CRE, has a new home. It’s now a free web app you open right in your browser.
Our team rebuilt it as a full web app. The company list, the recruiter database, and the trade associations and publications all live on one page, and you filter them live as you click. Open the link, narrow the list, and start building your shortlist in minutes.
Here’s what the app does and how to get the most out of it, whether you’re looking for your next job in CRE or mapping the companies in your market.
A note from Spencer and Michael. This CRE Company Database Tool was created by Tucker Wells, our esteemed expert in all things real estate careers. He specifically developed this company database tool to help CRE job seekers find the right company for their next (or first) job in the industry. A huge thanks to Tucker for sharing this invaluable tool with the A.CRE community!
- Just getting started? Read our deep dive on careers in commercial real estate.
From a Spreadsheet to a Web App
For years the database lived in an Excel workbook, and it served that job well. The web app takes the same information and puts it online, so everything sits in one place and updates on its own. If you prefer to work offline, the Excel workbook is still available to download further down this page.
The company database, the recruiter list, and the trade associations and publications all share a single page. Filtering happens live as you click, there’s nothing to download or keep in sync, and it works the same whether you’re on a laptop or your phone.
How the Commercial Real Estate Company Database Works Now
Open the Commercial Real Estate Company Database and you get the full list of U.S. commercial real estate companies, filterable in real time by:
- Location: the market you want to work in
- Company type: GP, LP, Institutional, Principal, or Services/Advisory
- Job function: acquisitions, asset management, development, brokerage, and more
- Property type: multifamily, industrial, office, retail, and others
- Company size: new in this version, from small firms up to enterprise employers
Company size is the filter I wish the spreadsheet had. If you’d rather cut your teeth at a lean shop than a global platform, or the other way around, you can now sort for it directly.
Here’s a quick example. Say you want acquisitions roles at multifamily firms in Chicago:
- Filter for location. Set Location (City) to Chicago.
- Filter for job function. Add acquisitions.
- Filter for property type. Add multifamily. The list now shows only Chicago firms active in multifamily acquisitions.
- Build your target list. Click Add to list on each company that fits, then export your list to CSV to run your outreach in whatever tool you already use.
The recruiter database and the associations and publications lists are one tab over.
It Stays Current on Its Own
The part I care about most as an operator sits behind the screen. Every quarter, an automated agent checks the database against current public information and applies verified updates on a schedule. It uses AI to surface what’s changed, confirms it, then writes the updates straight to the live list.
That means the web app always reflects the latest verified data when you open it, with no action needed on your part. The Excel download gives you a snapshot you can keep and work with offline.
- Want to see how we wire up workflows like this? We break down the tools behind them inside AI.Edge.
Prefer to Work Offline? Use the Excel Version
The tool is also available as the original downloadable Excel workbook. Here’s how to get started with it.
- Download the Excel version of the tool below.
- Open the workbook and note the tabs along the bottom. The main ones are:
- Version: shows which update you’re on.
- Company Database: the full list of U.S. CRE companies.
- Target Company List: where you build your customized outreach list.
- Contact Tracker: for logging who you’ve reached out to and when.
The workbook also includes separate tabs for recruiters, trade associations, and publications.
- Use the filter fields on the Company Database tab to narrow the list by Location (City, State, or Zip Code), Company Type, Job Function, and Property Type.
1. Filter for Location
Identify the market you want to be in. For this example, I’ll use Chicago. On the Company Database tab, click the drop-down arrow under City, uncheck (Select All), type Chicago into the search box, check the box next to Chicago, and click OK. Companies with offices in Chicago will populate.
2. Filter for Job Function
Next, choose the job function you’re after. To find acquisitions roles, click the drop-down under the Job Function column, uncheck (Select All), and check the flag for acquisitions. Chicago companies with an acquisitions focus will populate.
3. Filter for Property Type
Go to the Property Type header and filter for a specific type. For this example, use Multifamily. Following the same steps as above, filter for multifamily only, and Chicago companies focused on multifamily acquisitions will appear.
4. Create Your Target List
Now pull the companies that are a fit. Select the company and office details in columns B through H (Company Name/Office, Address, City, State/Province, Zip Code, Country, Website), copy them, and open the Target Company List tab. Paste into the next blank row starting in column B, and repeat for each company of interest. Add contact names and emails in columns J and K, and use the Rank column (L) to track where to focus your attention. With your list built, it’s your job to start reaching out and networking with people who may have connections at those firms. Need help with that? See our posts on finding a job in commercial real estate.
Video Walkthrough of the Original Commercial Real Estate Company Database – Excel Tool
As a companion to the original excel tool, below watch a walkthrough video of the CRE Company Database tool. 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.
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 Excel Version
To make this tool accessible to everyone, it’s 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). Questions about the “Pay What You’re Able” program, or why we offer our models this way? Reach out to either Mike or Spencer.
Who This Is For, and a Thank You
This tool started with Tucker Wells, who built the original database to give people trying to break into CRE a real place to start. That goal hasn’t changed. Whether you’re chasing your first job, mapping competitors in your market, building a business-development list, or just seeing who’s out there, the list is yours to use for free.
If you’re pairing a job search with sharpening your modeling skills, the A.CRE Accelerator is built for exactly that.
