New course enables CRE professionals to sharpen or modernize their financial skill set.
Rising interest rates, tighter lending standards, increased scrutiny of underwriting assumptions and changing tax policies have made financial expertise more important than ever. Commercial real estate professionals who understand how to evaluate risk, structure capital stacks and assess investment performance are better positioned to navigate uncertainty and identify opportunities.
To meet that need, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association has released a newly updated version of its popular Advanced Real Estate Finance course, designed for intermediate- to advanced-level professionals including developers, owners, asset managers, financial managers, investors and brokers.
Unlike introductory finance programs, the course focuses on real-world investment analysis and decision-making, helping participants connect financial theory to the practical challenges of acquisitions, development and asset management.
The course is available online and on demand through the CREDA Center for Education and delivered via eight in-depth modules developed with the help of four distinguished subject matter experts: Cory Bultinck, CPA, partner at Wipfli Advisory LLC; Robert “Dink” Dinkelspiel, founder and managing director of Goose Mountain Real Estate; C. Kat Grimsley, Ph.D., clinical professor of real estate finance at the University of Illinois, UrbanaChampaign; and Dustin Read, Ph.D., J.D., department head and Bates Family Professor of Real Estate at Virginia Tech.
“In order to thrive in competitive markets, real estate investors must have a comprehensive understanding of how deal structures and capitalization strategies affect financial performance,” Read said. “The Advanced Real Estate Finance course is designed to provide such an understanding.”
The first module revisits core real estate finance concepts, capital markets and property valuation; learners already comfortable with these fundamentals can advance directly to more specialized content beginning in the second module.
Subsequent modules examine market dynamics like supply, demand and lease concessions. Learners will build discounted cash flow models, assess risk using scenario and sensitivity analysis, and explore debt and private equity financing. The course also addresses tax impacts, value-add strategies and return optimization. It concludes with two case studies that provide learners with the opportunity to apply concepts covered throughout the course.
Advanced Real Estate Finance is one of four courses required to earn a CREDA Certificate of Advanced Study in Real Estate Finance, allowing participants to build toward a recognized credential that demonstrates advanced expertise in commercial real estate finance and investment analysis. Certificate recipients earn a digital badge that can be shared on social media, added to resumes and email signatures, and showcased across online professional profiles.
“The Advanced Real Estate Finance course provides industry-focused content that can familiarize the most seasoned professionals with the various assumptions, variables and evolving complexities of real estate development and investment,” Bultinck said.
Whether evaluating acquisitions, pursuing development opportunities or managing existing assets, a deeper understanding of real estate finance can help professionals make better-informed decisions in an increasingly complex market.
Explore the resources available to professionals at every career stage in the CREDA Center for Education at learn.credaglobal.org.
Brielle Scott is director of marketing and communications at the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
After taking Advanced Real Estate Finance, learners will be able to:
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