Insights
Field notes on CRE hiring & leadership.
Lessons, frameworks, and conversations from the people building the best teams in commercial real estate.
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When to use freelancers vs. full-time employees
Based on our client's wins and losses, I've shared several best practices regarding how real estate teams use different types of people in their…
Guide to One on One Meetings
A regularly scheduled, one-on-one meeting is the best way to drive results in your business while keeping morale high.
What does it take to be an exceptional real estate developer?
Matthew Ticknor is a multifamily developer who started his real estate career in private equity before moving into development with Greystar.
How to sell an “A” player on joining your firm
If your goal is to assemble a team of real estate “A” players, you need to be able to sell them on joining your firm.
How to find top talent in your interview process
Is experience or skill set a better indicator of an “A” player waiting to happen?
Where to find “A” player commercial real estate talent
Of all the real estate bottlenecks, facing a talent shortage is one of the most troubling.
What your business needs to attract “A” players
If you want to improve the efficiency of your real estate organization, hire "A" players.
Remote work considerations for commercial real estate teams
Remote work might be the most common real estate subject in 2022, but we don’t hear as much about how real estate pros themselves are working remotely.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Bullpen recruits hard-to-find talent across commercial real estate and construction — what we do, what we charge, and how we work.
How Mason Fiascone built a brokerage machine in a tertiary market
One of the things that sets great brokers apart from okay ones is having a crystal clear focus.
How Saber Equity took advantage of the COVID-19 hospitality contraction
While COVID-19 left multifamily comparatively unscathed, it decimated the hospitality industry.
Multifamily investor CF Capital's blueprint for scaling success
Building a successful real estate investment business from the ground up is a true challenge.
Basics of Affordable Housing
Affordable housing might be the most critical property niche in the country.
From W2 to full-time freelancer
We’re excited to announce that we’re launching a new article interview series focusing on the experiences of the Bullpen community.
Tips for analyzing grocery-anchored retail properties
Grocery-anchored retail has weathered the e-commerce storm better than the greater retail sector.
What does a commercial real estate marketer do?
A real estate marketer can mean a lot of things, but at Bullpen, we use the term "marketer" to describe design professionals.
Tips for your talent interview
You've made it to the interview stage! At this point, our Talent team has already vetted your candidate for their background and soft skills.
What does an investor relations professional do?
Nearly all commercial real estate investment transactions are financed with some combination of debt and equity.
What does a corporate retail specialist do?
Corporations like WalMart and McDonalds are some of the largest real estate tenants and owners in the country.
What does a development manager do?
Developing a commercial real estate project from the ground up and/or performing a major renovation is an exercise in planning, logistics, and execution.
What does a lease analyst do?
Leases are the lifeblood of a commercial property. The income that they produce is used to pay for a property’s operating expenses/debt service and…
What does a market researcher do?
Commercial real estate is a business built on comparables. That is to say that the prices investors or tenants are willing to pay for a property are…
What does a property accountant do?
As commercial real estate firms continue to grow and scale, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep track of the money that flows through each property…
What does a commercial real estate analyst do?
In this article, I'm going to use the term analyst to represent underwriters, financial modeling professionals, and commercial real estate analysts.
What does an asset manager do?
As the name suggests, the job of an "Asset Manager" is to manage the performance of your commercial real estate asset.
Top 10 Commercial Real Estate Influencers on Youtube
Content is king. Commercial real estate gurus are embracing the new age of content marketing, creating impressive online followings.
Three Real Estate Markets That Will Benefit From The Electric Car Revolution
In 2008, Tesla released their first production electric car, the Roadster.
“My Boss Is a Jerk” - Why Real Estate Workers Are Leaving In Droves And What Can Be Done About It
It is not an understatement to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted just about every facet of our lives, perhaps none more so than the way we work.
Guide to the Low Income Housing Tax Credit
When Congress passed the Tax Reform Act of 1986, it was then-President Reagan's top domestic priority and it was a landmark piece of legislation.
Institutional vs. Non-Institutional Commercial Real Estate
More and more households are looking to support family income with passive investment into commercial real estate.
Investing in a Marina - Is it Worth It?
The basic premise of a commercial real estate investment is this: a property is purchased, the space within it is leased to rent paying tenants, rental…
Top Real Estate Markets for the Billionaire Space Race
On July 11th, 2021 UK entrepreneur, Virgin Galactic founder, and billionaire, Sir Richard Branson [successfully completed the first private space…
How to scale your investment business using Bullpen
If you’re like most commercial real estate investors, you struggle with too much to do and too little time.
Difference in Core, Core Plus, Value-Add, and Opportunistic Real Estate
However, these terms are used liberally. It often seems like nobody can agree on the exact definitions or boundaries between one category and another.
Everything you should know about the operating expense ratio in real estate
The operating expense ratio, or “OER”, is a simple formula that’s easy to calculate and reveals how efficiently a property runs on a day-to-day basis.
6 Steps to Scope Your Project and Win More Gigs
Lots of the work on Bullpen's is project-based. This means that there is a defined start and end to its lifecycle.
What is a Broker's Price Opinion (BPO)?
A broker's price opinion (BPO or sometimes referred to as a broker’s opinion of value, BOV) is an analysis performed by a commercial real estate broker…
Guide to New Markets Tax Credits
The New Markets Tax Credits program, or NMTC, is a component of the Community Renewal Tax Relief Act of 2000.
8 Ways to Level Up Your Multifamily Real Estate Modeling
Use the following 8 tips to level up your multifamily real estate modeling!
Ground Lease Basics for Commercial Real Estate Investors
Imagine this. You are a commercial real estate (CRE) investor and you discover the perfect parcel of land in New York.
How to lose a client in 10 days (freelancer etiquette)
Freelancer etiquette matters, and by avoiding a few common pitfalls, you'll be well on your way to building a successful, [freelance…
7 Creative Ways to Find Brokerage Clients
There are tried and true ways to find commercial brokerage clients and there are some creative strategies as well.
Can your commercial real estate analyst answer our hardest interview questions?
Commercial real estate analysts come with varying levels of expertise. How do you separate the fakers from the real experts?
Pros and Cons of Using Google Sheets for Real Estate Financial Models
I’m a big believer that Google Sheets will soon become the norm when analyzing commercial real estate. Why? Collaboration and version control.
Everything You Need to Know About CAM Charges
CAM charges describe the expenses a commercial property owner bills back to tenants in return for maintaining shared spaces.
An underwriting toolkit you should consider: Argus + Excel
Financial modeling is the most foundational skill in commercial real estate.
Hustle is Dead, Product-Market Fit is the Key to Brokerage Growth
Many new brokerage businesses are built on the fallacy that "hustle" is the key to success.
Everything You Need to Know About Buying REO Real Estate
It’s easy to find REO real estate for the residential market. Sites like homepath, HomeSteps, and Zillow contain listings from banks and agencies like…
Why I Started Break Into CRE, feat. Justin Kivel
Justin Kivel, Founder of Break Into CRE, has done what many entrepreneurs dream of doing, evolving an idea into a successful business (from [0 to…
6 Multifamily Underwriting Essentials That You Should Know
Many believe that multifamily is the easiest of all asset classes to underwrite.
Definitive Guide to Creating a Real Estate Investor Presentation
Investors often have very limited time and many investment opportunities seeking their attention.
Site Visits — 3 Hidden Things Can Kill Your Deal
You’ve found it: the perfect building to add value and diversity to your commercial real estate portfolio.
How to Create & Manage a Remote Team
Remote teams are on the rise as [talented workers move to smaller…
The Weakness in Opportunity Zones – What Say the Naysayers?
Opportunity zones are a hot topic in commercial real estate. Why? Investors receive big tax benefits when investing in these government-designated areas.
A Deep Dive on Data Center Investing with Lawrence Vo
A data center stores, manages, and disseminates data.
Top 10 Real Estate Modeling Videos on Youtube
Why pay for a degree in real estate when you can learn how to model commercial real estate from the best on Youtube?
The Art of Financial Engineering
As institutional investors continue to populate real estate investment, the pricing landscape continues to get more competitive.
Layman’s Guide to Federal Historic Tax Credits
In 1978, the government implemented the federal historic tax credit program in an attempt to curb the demolition of historic buildings.
Difference in American and European Equity Waterfalls
An equity waterfall, also known as a [distribution waterfall](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/distribution-waterfall.asp), maps cash flow between…
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