Just Starting In Commercial Real Estate / Development
[{"id": "cbuoog8", "text": "I am just starting out in development and leasing.  I am having a problem with the amount of finance I understand.  I have taken a course in college many years ago, but a lot of the real complex stuff is way over my head.  I am looking for a book or online course I can take to try and bring myself up to a basic working knowledge. I have my old finance book from school but it really does more for bond valuing then explaining debt/equity structure. \nThanks ", "replies": [{"id": "cbupdp1", "text": "Two sources for you:\n\n- Peter Linneman's book: http://www.linnemanassociates.com/real_estate_finance_textbook.php. It's not going too deep into any one part of the process, but it really helped me. It goes over things like pro-formas, costs, &amp;c. It also comes with some sort of Argus tutorial, but as I don't use Argus I've not used it yet.\n\n- CREFC E-Primer. It's a long explanation of all the various parts of the CMBS process. It's free, and on-line. It was published in 2006, and will occasionally say things like \"CMBS is going so well, I don't think it'll ever go bad!\" But aside from the benefits of 20/20 hindsight, it's actually a great help.\n\nI recently started in the financial side of leasing transactions. While knowledge of the development side isn't really that crucial for me, they wanted me to know about it and I knew NOTHING. If nothing else, these will help you with the basics, and you can go back and consult them if need be. Otherwise, ULI (Urban Land Institute) has some good books, but they can be pricey.\n\nIf you have any other questions, let me know through this or PM. I'd be happy to help.", "replies": [{"id": "cc7zphv", "text": "I can't seem to find a link to the CREFC E-Primer that is free.  It could also be just me that's struggling here.  Otherwise, great resources. Thanks.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}, {"id": "cbx33tu", "text": "The urban land institute has a certificate program in finance that you may want to check out. \n\nhttp://www.uli.org/event/basic-real-estate-finance/", "replies": [], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "cbux9o2", "text": "After you get a bit more educated on real estate finance, I highly recommend Real Estate Maverick.  I gives you an interesting pre-recession view of the industry.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]