CRE Values Experience Over Education

NEWPORT BEACH, CA—The job candidate who graduates with an advanced degree from a prestigious university is not nearly as compelling to CRE firms as someone who has direct knowledge and talent in a particular area, real estate recruiting firm RETS Associates‘ principal Kent Elliott tells GlobeSt.com. The firm recently completed its fourth-annual financial-analysts survey, which surveyed more than 340 real estate financial analysts across the nation. While the survey found that a respondent that earns a master’s degree can earn between 5.6% and 9.5% higher compensation than a professional with a bachelor’s degree, the real estate industry still values experience over education. We spoke exclusively with Elliott about the survey results over time and how he interprets them.

GlobeSt.com: What are the differences between this year’s survey and last year’s?