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Real Estate Financial Modeling Accelerator (Updated April 2024)

Prior to launching the Accelerator program, Michael and I fielded email after email requesting a more structured real estate financial modeling training program on the site. Over the years, we've covered hundreds of real estate modeling…

Real Estate Financial Modeling, Tutorial, Equity Waterfall, A.CRE 101 - Basic Concepts in Commercial Real Estate, Watch Me Build

Watch Me Build – American-Style Real Estate Equity Waterfall (Updated Jun 2022)

A few years ago, I recorded my screen as I built a 3-tier real estate equity waterfall model. What I didn't mention in that Watch Me Build video, is that the kind of waterfall I built is colloquially called a European-style equity waterfall.…

Technology, Audio Series, Season 3

The Forefront of Climate Solutions for the Built Environment with Jacob Racusin | S3SP8

This episode of the A.CRE Audio Series features Jacob Deva Racusin, a real estate professional and co-founder of New Frameworks. New Frameworks is a worker-owned cooperative focused on climate solutions for the built environment, namely through…

General, RE Education, Careers

Important Considerations for International CRE Students

For you job candidates who are international CRE students and want to get a job in the U.S. in the industry, here are my three biggest tips to help you find success: Set Specific Goals for Yourself Network Persistently Don’t Lose…

General, RE Education, Careers

Marquette Real Estate Strategies Conference Takeaways

Marquette University recently held its 11th annual Real Estate Strategies Conference. Our Co-Founder, Spencer Burton, had the privilege of being the Keynote speaker so a few members of our team came up to support him. A quote from Jack…

a shopping center with robust sales and low occupancy cost

RE Education, Real Estate Financial Modeling, Excel Models, Tutorial, Modules, Investment Analysis, Special Topics, Deep Dive

Tenant Sales and Occupancy Cost in Retail Underwriting (UPDATED JUNE 2022)

When underwriting a retail investment, rollover risk is an incredibly important consideration. You, as a prospective debt or equity investor in the property, need to understand how secure the cash flows you're buying are; or in other words,…

RE Education, Real Estate Financial Modeling, Excel Models, Modules, Real Estate Taxes, Investment Analysis, Deep Dive, Acquisitions, Valuation, 1031 Exchange

Forecasting After-Tax Cash Flow in Real Estate Analysis (Updated May 2022)

When modeling real estate investments, industry practice is generally to stop at before-tax cash flow. And this makes sense in most instances. No two owners of real estate have the exact same tax situation and no two properties necessarily have…

Investment Analysis, Deep Dive, International CRE

Using Geometric Mean (or CAGR) as an Alternative to IRR

The internal rate of return (IRR) and compound annual growth rate (CAGR) are both metrics used to analyze investment returns. They're both commonly used in commercial real estate financial modeling, but what's the difference? When should you…

RE Education, University Real Estate Education, Masters in Real Estate Profiles

Graduate Real Estate Series: UC Berkeley’s Master of Real Estate Development and Design

Prior to the MRED+D program, I worked for a general contractor in San Francisco. I worked on the repositioning and adaptive reuse of the historic industrial buildings at Pier 70. Pier 70 is a 40-acre urban infill mixed-use development on…

RE Education, University Real Estate Education, Undergraduate Education

The University of Texas at Austin – Undergraduate Real Estate Profile

As a senior in high school awaiting acceptance offers from schools, I understood that finding my career passion was just as important as the school I attend. I was confident that the University of Texas at Austin would provide a path for…

General, RE Education, Real Estate Financial Modeling, Excel Models, Tutorial, Equity Waterfall, Modules, Excel Add-ins, Watch Me Build

4-Tier Equity Multiple Waterfall – Download and Watch Me Build (UPDATED APR 2022)

Here is a simple, yet very powerful, 4-tier equity multiple waterfall module. This post contains both a completed version of the module ready to plug into a real estate financial model as well as a 'Watch Me Build' template and companion video…

RE Education, Real Estate Financial Modeling, Excel Models, Hotel, Apartment, Office, Retail, Industrial, Modules, Land Development, Development, Condo

Development Draw Schedule – Visually Customize Each Line Item (UPDATED APR 2022)

Working a lot with development draw schedules, I have always been looking for a catch all solution as to how one could easily model all the unique ways cash actually flows over time during the process. The norm for many is to model cash flows…

RE Education, Real Estate Financial Modeling, Excel Models, Tutorial, Modules, Investment Analysis, Land Development, Development, Debt, Special Topics

Construction Draw Schedule: Accounting For True LTC (Updated Apr 2022)

When lenders provide debt for a development project, they lend based on a Loan-to-Cost ratio (LTC), which is simply the percent of the total budget the lender will agree to lend to the borrower. So, if a project costs $10MM, and a lender loans…

real estate professional using the income approach, a financial tool to value income producing property

RE Education, Real Estate Financial Modeling, Excel Models, Tutorial, Special Topics, A.CRE 101 - Basic Concepts in Commercial Real Estate

A.CRE 101: How to Use the Income Capitalization Approach to Value Income-Producing Property (Updated Apr 2022)

In commercial real estate, there are a few generally accepted methods for appraising (or valuing) real property. The three most common are the Cost Approach, the Sales Comparison Method, and the Income Approach. The Income Approach includes…

RE Education, Retail, Investment Analysis, Special Topics, Deep Dive, Valuation

Underwriting a Tenant with Private Credit

Recently, we had an Accelerator member ask a question about how to accurately determine a credit rating and spec income discount rate for a private tenant in a single tenant net lease deal. While the scenario specifically involved a medical…