Urban Planning Background Transitioning to CRE Research Analyst Role
Hi Everyone,

I am a recent graduate of a urban planning bachelors degree, with work experience in research. I recently landed a research analyst role at a big CRE company in Canada. I havent worked in this field, or studied too much about it. I was wondering if anyone has any information on any resources i could use to learn more about the language used in CRE. Apart from general research and data support, I will be working with brokers, so i feel like i should be aware of their language and jargon. If you have any websites or anything let me know!
[{"id": "hutflbr", "text": "https://www.naiop.org/en/Research-and-Publications/Reports/Terms-and-Definitions", "replies": [{"id": "hutftla", "text": "amazing! thank you so much. Gonna study over the next two weeks before i start :)", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hutgaog", "text": "Congrats on the job! I would start with getting a good working understanding of the [transaction process](https://fnrpusa.com/blog/overview-of-the-commercial-real-estate-transaction-lifecycle/) I think this will help with talking with brokers, this article gives a good overview. Look into debt and capital sources, [Adventures in CRE](https://www.adventuresincre.com/deep-dive-real-estate-private-equity/) is a great resource in general, this article covers the role of private equity in CRE. Aside from these two, Investopedia has most real estate terms with good definitions/explanations. Off the top of my head, here are some good ones to start with: NOI, cap rates, IRR, absorption. Write down every word you don\u2019t know when you first start and don\u2019t be afraid to ask stupid questions most people are happy to teach.", "replies": [{"id": "hutgr8o", "text": "thank you ! i'm very excited, the job hunt has been tough since i graduated during covid. Yea i'll be supporting brokers in some scenarios so it will be great to understand their language. I think just contextualizing myself with the processes they're undertaking will be super beneficial. I'll definitely take a look!", "replies": [], "depth": 2}, {"id": "hutmta5", "text": "This is really good advice, though I don\u2019t think you\u2019ll need to know much more than NOI, cap and absorption rates. Your job will mostly consist of pulling data for market reports, tracking tenancies for brokers, etc. \n\nIMO, It\u2019s a fine place to start your career. You\u2019ll  have to hustle, but if you\u2019re good, you can easily transition into leasing/sales (I went the capital markets route in Toronto with a planning background, but spent tons of time teaching myself modeling). Principal side is going to be an uphill battle without actual deal experience though. Best of luck with everything!\n\nAlso, feel free to PM me with any questions about learning the ropes of real estate finance from planning. Obviously biased, but the backgrounds are complimentary, especially for development.", "replies": [{"id": "huw0fwk", "text": "yes, it'll be lots of pulling data, creating reports and supporting the research and broker team. I have a background in research so i'm excited to apply it to real estate. The company i'll be working for is C&amp;W. \n\nI'll definitely PM you if i have any questions, thanks again for your help.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hutgwab", "text": "Create an account on Udemy and take Justin Kivel's Break Into CRE \"Real Estate Financial Modeling Bootcamp.\" It'll teach you a lot of the jargon, investment analysis metrics, and how to do cash flow modeling in Excel. You probably won't need to do any cash flow modeling as a research analyst, but it's still good to have an understanding of that stuff.", "replies": [{"id": "huth0ac", "text": "yea thats what i was thinking! i wont be doing it but being familiar will help forsure. Thanks!", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "hutmy5l", "text": "Hey,\n\nThanks for the amazing information.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "huv5z5i", "text": "Review your teamw offering packs and take note of any term you dont know and look it up.\n\nAsk if you dont understand something.  They dont expect new grads to know it all.  If you will be working market reports review the last versions as well.", "replies": [{"id": "huw0i1n", "text": "thanks! good idea on reviewing past versions.", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}]