Best Real Estate Financial Modeling Courses

It can be hard to find the proper education when wanting to learn a new skill or refresh your knowledge. Also, finding one that is worth your time, money and effort can be difficult when there are so many choices.

Real Estate Financial Modeling is an in-demand skill for anyone looking to be in private equity. If you are a student looking to learn about financial modeling and want to break into the commercial real estate industry, this is the right place for you. We have gathered some of the top online training platforms in the industry to help you make the best decision. If you are looking to learn about the fundamentals of Real Estate Finance, brush up on your Excel skills, or looking for more advanced knowledge of specific types of private equity real estate, this guide will help you find the right course for your needs.

This list of courses will help you choose where to get your education for students and professionals wanting to pursue a career in asset management, brokerage, lending, private equity, acquisitions, development, finance, and many more.

When learning about real estate finance, it is important to learn all the key fundamentals of the industry. Here are the TOP 5 BEST Real Estate Finance and Real Estate Financial Modeling courses on the market.

1. Top Shelf Academy

Background:

“This platform was founded by Eric Bergin who wanted to create an academy of classes to help students break into the commercial real estate industry. The courses include examples of how to apply that knowledge to underwriting models, so students are prepared to use their newly learned knowledge to advance in their careers.

All of Top Shelf Academy’s real estate financial modeling courses are created by industry experts who underwrite deals every day to teach you about private equity real estate and underwriting from a real-world perspective.

Top Shelf Academy’s industry experts have over 200 clients with $26 billion of underwriting experience in the last 18 months.”

Features:

The course is designed by industry experts
You get easy access to industry experts to ask questions
There are multiple courses from student/entry-level to advanced topics
You’ll be added to the resume book, connecting you to top financial companies across the country
One-time fee, affordable, student/military discount, best overall value

Although it is a newer company compared to some of the competitors, founder Eric Bergin has over 20+ years in the industry. The courses are designed by industry experts who have firsthand knowledge of all the relevant topics and you will be added to a resume book, which is very valuable compared to other courses.

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2. Corporate Financial Institute - CFI - Real Estate Financial Modeling Course

Background:

“Founded in 2016, CFI is the largest and most recognized finance training, certification, and skill development platform in the world. Powered by leading instructors, innovative curriculum designers, and proprietary technology, CFI provides the leading resource for finance professionals globally, including productivity tools, certification, and online training for financial modeling, valuation, lending, securities, capital markets, data science, business intelligence, cryptocurrencies, and more.”

Features:

There are 120+ courses
Offer multiple finance certifications
Used by multiple Fortune 500 companies
Self-Study and Full-Immersion Subscription options
Become a Certified Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst with the FMVA® Program

Corporate Financial Institute (CFI) offers multiple courses for a subscription plan. Their real estate financial modeling course is designed for people who have a basic understanding of how to build a financial model and business valuation modeling. If you do not know about these topics, you need to take their prerequisite courses.

Their advertised monthly subscription plan is actually billed annually, adding up to the full course price. With the Full-Immersion Subscription, you will pay more for added benefits such as premium email support, model review & feedback, and resume & cover letter review.

CFI is a quality platform, but you cannot buy individual courses, must commit for a full year, and pay extra for additional benefits. If you are a student or someone who cannot afford to continually pay for their platform, you may want to look elsewhere. Although they offer a financial aid program that low-income students can apply for, the process takes 2-3 weeks for a decision and you must qualify. The financial aid application is also not advertised and is at the very bottom of their website, making it easy to miss. Additionally, their subscription auto-renews by default if you do not manually turn off this setting.

3. Real Estate Financial Modeling – REFM

Background:

“REFM is the premier financial modeling solutions provider for Excel-based financial spreadsheet models, finance and financial modeling training, and financial modeling consulting for real estate transactions of all types. REFM is also the creator of Valuate®, the next-generation commercial real estate financial analysis and marketing platform.”

Features:

Free intro lesson & pre-test to evaluate your previous knowledge
Fortune 500 clients
REFAI® Certification from Linneman Associates and Real Estate Financial Modeling ($1,499)
Multiple courses & course bundles are available
Student/military discounts

Real Estate Financial Modeling (REFM) has been around since 2009 and offers a variety of quality courses. They are highly regarded in the industry with lots of experience and were founded by Bruce Kirsch, an expert in the real estate finance field. Even though the course is online and available 24/7, you will only receive a hard copy of the textbook in the mail. This can be an inconvenience if you want to get started as soon as possible. On the other hand, course platforms like TSA offer more value with quick and easy access to industry experts and instructors. Additionally, REFM’s Real Estate Finance and Investments Certification (REFAI®) certification is great to have in the industry, but it's expensive ($1499). Unless you qualify for the student/military discount, the retail price might be too high for some.

4. Wall Street Prep - Real Estate Financial Modeling Course

Background:

“Wall Street Prep was established in 2004 by investment bankers to train the financial services industry. Used by thousands of students and finance professionals, our instructor-led and online training programs bridge the gap between academia and the real world by teaching the practical skills needed to succeed on the job. Our Client List includes top investment banks, private equity firms, investment funds, and business schools.”

Features:

25+ self-study courses covering accounting and finance.
1-on-1 coaching sessions with financial professionals
Boot camps (live virtual trainings)
Corporate/campus training

Wall Street Prep (WSP) is a recognized training provider in the real estate financial modeling & CRE space. It is used by Fortune 1000 companies and various universities. You must pay extra to access private tutoring with real estate professionals. Also, you may need to take their prerequisite courses if you lack a fundamental understanding of Excel or Accounting. Even though you get lifetime access to the course, you only have 24 months from the date of enrollment to take the WSP Real Estate Financial Modeling Certification Exam.

WSP offers a great overview of their course with a free preview and breakdown of their 9 modules. They advertise that their course has “everything you need to build and interpret real estate finance models [with] all major real estate ‘food groups’ covered, including multifamily, office, retail, and industrial” (wallstreetprep.com). This is very important to note since when looking for a course, you want to learn about each stage of the real estate model building process. This course is ranked fourth on this list because it is very similar to the Top Shelf Academy Real Estate Finance Course which includes access to instructors and experts for no extra fees and for much less.

5. Adventures in CRE – A.CRE - Accelerator Course

Background:

“In 2019, Michael and Spencer co-created the A.CRE real estate financial modeling Accelerator program. The Accelerator has since grown to become the most comprehensive real estate financial modeling training program of its kind. The rigorous program graduates dozens of individuals every month, many of whom go on to work at some of the top real estate firms in the world.”

Features:

Free study materials & podcast
Access to job board
Course made by industry professionals
Student-instructor Q&A

The Accelerator course by A.CRE is created by real industry professionals and is a solid real estate financial modeling course. They offer a lot of free content on their website and host an industry-related podcast. However, they don’t offer any student or military pricing and you must pay for the higher tiers if you would like additional training in specific areas and access to a library of financial models. Also, you only have access to the course for one year and must pay a fee if you wish to revisit the course for only an additional six months of access. Top Shelf Academy offers stand-alone advanced courses, student/military discounts, and you build your own real estate financial model in the Real Estate Finance Course.

There are a variety of courses to choose from when looking at the Real Estate Financial Modeling space. This also includes private equity, commercial real estate, and more. Choosing the right course for your needs is very important when spending the kind of money some of these courses cost.

Therefore, at Top Shelf Academy, we created the right courses for your needs. Our courses offer valuable knowledge to get your career started in the real estate finance industry. Our industry experts have experience with over 200 clients totaling $26 billion of deal transactions in the last 18 months. With no time limit, no extra fees, and the freedom to choose what course you need, Top Shelf Academy is for you.