How valuable is ARGUS in CRE portfolio management.
My father got me in contact with a coworkers husband who works as a private equity CRE portfolio manager. I asked if there was any resume boosters that might open some extra doors for me when applying for jobs in the industry. He told me to go get my ARGUS certification so I did. Yet I haven’t came across any openings that list it as a requirement of a preferred skill. Did I waste my money? Am I looking at the wrong jobs (mostly analyst positions)?
[{"id": "es54xl8", "text": "Very important for investment oriented jobs that focus on office or multi tenant retail projects. You can use Argus for other things like development and other asset classes but excel is generally preferred. It\u2019s worth having but not a lot of small companies use it because those companies don\u2019t usually buy those types of investments.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "es550gq", "text": "Its pretty impressive that you got your Argus cert. It shows initiative and work ethic. While Argus can be learned on the job, you already having a cert- which essentially means you get the basics means that you can hit the ground running. I just clicked on a random posting on select leaders and the first one i clicked mentions Argus. However, it is more commonly used in institutional shops, as they need to pay for access to argus and many smaller shops will not pay for that. https://www.selectleaders.com/job/85266/acquisitions-analyst/?token=ON63RiLqWu. It is likely that you will use it especially if you work on multi tenant office and retail properties (the different lease structures will make you blow your brains out if you model in excel). It is rarely used for multi, industrial, hospitality.", "replies": [{"id": "es567o5", "text": "Thanks, that\u2019s definitely reassuring. Spent all my graduation money on this instead of a vacation.", "replies": [{"id": "es56zg6", "text": "Its worth it. Stick through it.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "es57ghb", "text": "It\u2019s huge, you didn\u2019t waste your time", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "es58si5", "text": "I'm looking to get certified soon. How long did it take you and how difficult was the exam? \n\nAlso, no you did not waste your money, it will help you get your foot in the door for sure.", "replies": [{"id": "es59v83", "text": "http://customer.argussoftware.com/s.nl/sc.39/category.14072/.f\nI took the classroom training, the teacher basically reads straight from the training Manuel but it helps to have a person there for the case studies. I took the certification exam a few days after and it was extremely easy. You won\u2019t have any issues as long as you review the manual and practice the given case studies. The most difficult part was making the time for the class. They only offer it in select cities and it\u2019s an all day class in the middle of the week.", "replies": [{"id": "es5bdkp", "text": "I\u2019m thinking of just doing the online class because middle of the week is rough", "replies": [{"id": "es5f4d3", "text": "Personally I feel like I\u2019d have a lot of trouble with the online class. It would\u2019ve taken me weeks to get through the training manual bc the material is mind numbingly boring.", "replies": [{"id": "es67fmz", "text": "Yeah I\u2019m worried about that too but it\u2019s really the only thing that works for my schedule. So I think I\u2019m just gonna try to tough it out", "replies": [], "depth": 5}], "depth": 4}], "depth": 3}, {"id": "es5mnlp", "text": "Nice, I'm going to go with the enterprise bundle and just try to bang it out myself. I'm pretty surprised you say it was extremely easy. I've heard it is kind of hard and there's a lot of trick questions.", "replies": [], "depth": 3}], "depth": 2}], "depth": 1}, {"id": "es5ctya", "text": "It\u2019s a worthwhile thing to have.\n\nI would add that knowing how to underwrite isn\u2019t just valuable for it\u2019s own sake but can teach you important dealmaking intuition and skills by seeing how your returns react to different inputs and decisions. (i.e. sometimes the costs of re-tenanting a space exceed the value added even if you\u2019re raising the rents, partnership structures can yield very different results depending on the business plan and hold period, etc.)\n\nThis will make you an effective investor and portfolio manager as you progress in your career.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "es5eikw", "text": "I use Argus every single day. You didn\u2019t waste your money. You may be looking at multifamily CRE jobs which tend to favor excel due to simplicity of the cash flows.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "es5g23l", "text": "You haven\u2019t but you will! \n\nAnalyst for local operator here. Came from a corporate finance background and found it hard to recruit because everyone asked about ARGUS. Luckily my current company paid for a two-day training before I started with them. \n\nWhile it\u2019s something you can totally pick up on the job, being able to put it on your resume speaks volumes.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}, {"id": "es9npmj", "text": "Work in retail asset management myself. Did office previously. Extremely important to know and set yourself apart from other candidates. Having Argus on your resum\u00e9 versus not having it can be the difference between you getting the job and not getting it. Worth every dollar you spent on the class. \n\nGood luck on your job search.", "replies": [], "depth": 1}]