
Build a real estate financial model from scratch in Excel, covering the property cash flow statement, pro forma projections, debt modeling, and metrics like IRR, equity multiple, and cash-on-cash.
Targets two audiences: students and career-switchers seeking CRE analyst or associate roles, and aspiring CRE investors seeking technical skills. Learn to analyze investments and build financial models to accelerate careers.
Meet instructor Justin Kivel, who brings real estate finance and modeling expertise to teach core commercial real estate Excel concepts and build a dynamic pro forma cash flow model.
Explore the property cash flow statement as the backbone of real estate modeling, tracing cash inflows from operations and sale proceeds, and cash outflows from expenses and debt service.
Explore how cash flow from operations derives NOI by subtracting operating expenses from effective gross revenue, then subtracts capital expenses and debt service to yield cash flow after debt service.
Start with gross potential rent, deduct general vacancy loss, loss to lease, and credit loss, then subtract concessions and base rent abatement to reach net rental revenue and other income.
Discover how total other income combines with net base rent to produce effective gross revenue, including operating expense reimbursements, scheduled and miscellaneous income, and percentage rent.
Compute operating expenses for a commercial property, including property taxes, insurance, repairs and maintenance, and property management fees, then derive net operating income by subtracting expenses from effective gross revenue.
Explore below the line capital expenses, including tenant improvement allowances, leasing commissions, construction costs, and capital expense reserves, that reduce net operating income and yield cash flow before debt service.
Explore debt service, splitting mortgage payments into principal and interest, and calculate cash flow after debt service from cash flow before debt service, including net operating income and capital expenses.
Learn cash flow from purchase, sale, and debt financing by comparing unlevered and levered cash flows, including sale proceeds, loan proceeds, closing costs, fees, and penalties.
Calculate unlevered and levered cash flow for a ten-year real estate model by including purchase price, closing costs, sale proceeds, loan proceeds, fees, and debt service.
Explore why real estate cash flows are modeled on a pre-tax basis due to pass-through entities, with investors paying taxes on their pro rata shares, not at the entity level.
Learn real estate financial modeling fundamentals in Excel for Windows, with notes for Mac and Google Sheets, through a learn-practice-apply framework culminating in a sample modeling case study.
Master the real estate financial modeling framework by building dynamic inputs, formulas, and outputs that generate cash flow projections and investment returns in Excel.
Master absolute and mixed references in Excel, using F4 to lock column and row references, as you work with a rent roll in real estate financial modeling.
Learn how to use Excel custom formatting to display text, such as square footage, without impacting formulas, making real estate financial models clearer and more dynamic.
Create dynamic drop-down lists in Excel using data validation to restrict entries to a tenant list, updating when the list changes.
Turn off grid lines to clean up real estate financial models in Excel, then set calculation options to partial or automatic except for data tables and enable iterative calculation.
Learn color coding in real estate models: blue for manual inputs, green for cross sheet references, black for formulas, red for attention; save in the steak sauce cell A1.
Master real estate financial modeling shortcuts to navigate sheets and workbooks using Ctrl home, page up/down, and Ctrl arrow keys for faster data movement and selection.
Learn to control columns and rows in Excel for real estate financial modeling, including autofit column widths and row heights, highlighting rows and columns, and shortcuts for insertions and deletions.
Master Excel text formatting shortcuts for real estate modeling, converting values to currency, percentage, number, and date formats with Alt keys. Learn selecting cells, decimals, and thousands separators.
Learn to apply font style shortcuts in Excel, changing font type, size, fill color, and font color, and quickly bold, italicize, and underline text for clean real estate financial models.
Apply Excel alignment shortcuts to clean real estate financial models, including right, center, and left alignment; merge and center tradeoffs; center across selection; wrap text; and autofit column widths.
Master Excel border shortcuts to clean real estate financial models, using alt h b to add top, bottom, left, right, and outside borders for clear formatting.
Learn practical Excel function shortcuts for real estate modeling: edit cells with F2, autofill with the tab key, and autosum with Alt+Equals for contiguous ranges.
Master Excel paste special shortcuts to paste values, formulas, or formats, using alt e, s, v, f, or t, plus Ctrl R or Ctrl D to copy across or down.
Explore how to use if functions in Excel to build dynamic real estate financial models, combining and, or with sumifs, countifs, and averageifs criteria.
Apply Excel conditional functions such as IF, AND, OR, SUMIF/SUMIFS, COUNTIF/COUNTIFS, and AVERAGEIF/AVERAGEIFS to analyze a real estate rent roll with dynamic tenant data.
Explore sumif and sumifs to total values by criteria. Calculate square footage for one bedroom one bathroom units and rent for two bedroom one bathroom units on 18-month leases.
Master countif and countifs for real estate data, counting three-bedroom two-bath units. Determine one-bedroom one-bath units paying over $2,000 with 12-month leases.
Use averageifs and averageif to compute average lease term and base rent for two bedroom one bathroom units, with lease term greater than 11 months, in real estate financial modeling.
Master lookup functions for real estate financial modeling by retrieving exact values from tables using vlookup, hlookup, xlookup, or index and match, based on specified conditions.
Learn to use VLOOKUP and HLOOKUP to retrieve base rent values from a multi-year tenant table, with exact-match lookups and dynamic results for 2028 and 2029.
Explore using Xlookup to find the year when PGA pays $28 base rent in a real estate financial model, and compare with Vlookup, Hlookup, and Index Match.
Master index and match to dynamically retrieve rent values at the intersection of a tenant and year, using a lookup array and an exact match for estate financial modeling.
Explore essential real estate modeling excel functions, including sumproduct, rate, round, date diff, yearfrac, eomonth, abs, max, and min, for accurate forecasting and calculations.
Use the sumproduct function to compute the weighted average rent by multiplying unit counts by rents and summing, then divide by total units for accuracy.
Use the rate function to calculate the compound annual growth rate for raw land from 2020 to 2026, from $200 to $230 per square foot.
Apply round, round up, and round down to compute total rent by year. Round to the nearest $100, $10, and $1,000 to illustrate real estate modeling conclusions.
Leverage datediff, year frac, and eo month to calculate lease terms, renewal dates, and renewal notices from a rent roll.
Compute the absolute NOI variance for Aspen Park Residences as a percentage of budgeted net operating income using the absolute value function, then apply max and min to NOI.
Explore time value of money functions in Excel to compute present value, future value, compound annual growth rate, and monthly investments needed to hit targets, with inflows and outflows clarified.
Compute present value and future value for real estate using PV and FV functions, with seven-year land value growth at 4% and five-year market rent growth at 3%.
Use nper, rate, and pmt to model time value of money in real estate. Calculate periods, growth rates, and required end-of-year equity investments.
Model rental revenue by calculating gross potential rent from market rent per square foot or unit, then adjust for vacancy, loss to lease, concessions, and credit loss to net revenue.
Learn how to model other income in real estate deals by calculating operating expense reimbursements using tenant pro rata share of net leasable area, including examples and common areas.
learn how triple net leases require tenants to reimburse pro rata share of operating expenses, with a step-by-step CVS example calculating $43,478 on $100,000 expenses, then compare to full-service gross.
Full service gross structures place the tenant’s operating expense reimbursement at zero based on pro rata share, as shown by Chipotle’s 1,500 sq ft (13.04% of 11,500 NLA).
Learn how modified gross leases allocate only certain operating expenses to tenants, calculating pro rata reimbursements of property taxes and insurance with practical Apple Store examples in real estate modeling.
Master base year stop operating expense reimbursement structures by calculating the overage above the base year amount and allocating it to tenants by pro rata share.
Percentage rent for retail tenants adds sales-based payments beyond a break point, using fixed or natural breakpoint, and calculating (annual sales − break point) × break point percentage, with max(…,0).
Model operating expense ratio and break even occupancy ratio in real estate modeling, using effective gross revenue, vacancy loss, other income, operating expenses, and debt service in Excel.
Model renewal probability to forecast five-year cash flows for commercial leases by weighting base rent, leasing commissions, and downtime across renewal and new-lease scenarios.
Apply renewal probability and weighted averages to project commercial lease cash flows by calculating base rent, downtime, leasing commissions, and tenant allowances to derive net tenant cash flow.
Explore leasing commissions and tenant improvement allowances. See how upfront net base rent percentages and year-by-year abatements are modeled in a real estate financial model.
Explain tenant improvement allowances, their upfront per-square-foot calculation, and compute total TI costs for a 3,000 sq ft space at $20 per sq ft, for real estate financial modeling.
Model construction costs as capital improvements not tied to a lease, using a straight-line monthly flow from month 3 to month 8 for six months in cash flow projections.
Explore real estate debt modeling by examining loan terms, debt service components, principal and interest, amortization versus term, balloon payments, and key Excel functions and ratios used by lenders.
Apply pmt, ipmt, and cumulative interest and principal functions to compute monthly debt service for a real estate loan, isolate interest and principal portions, and track balance.
Calculate monthly loan payments on a commercial real estate loan using PMT and IPMT, converting a 5% annual rate to monthly over 30 years, tracking cumulative interest and principal.
Calculate monthly interest and principal on a 30-year loan using ipmt and pmt by adjusting rate, periods, and present value to identify the month 72 interest and month 42 principal.
Learn to calculate total interest in the first three years with cumipmt and determine the remaining loan balance with cumprinc, then build a month-by-month amortization schedule for real estate financing.
Build a dynamic loan amortization schedule in Excel that tracks beginning balance, principal and interest payments, ending balance, and balloon payment while accommodating an interest-only period.
Explore key loan metrics—LTV, LTC, DSR, debt yield, and loan constant—that assess loan risk and determine maximum proceeds, including a practical LTV calculation.
Learn how the loan to cost ratio (LTC) compares loan amount to total project cost—purchase price, closing costs, loan fees, and construction costs—in ground up development with an Excel example.
Explore the debt service coverage ratio (DSCR), comparing annual net operating income to debt service to gauge risk, with an Excel example calculating NOI divided by debt service.
Determine debt yield by dividing annual net operating income by the loan amount to assess lender and borrower risk and potential foreclosure scenarios.
Compute the loan constant as annual debt service divided by the loan amount, showing how interest and principal affect cash flow and how amortization and rate changes alter the constant.
Lenders size loans by applying LTV, LTC, DSR, and debt yield constraints to determine the maximum loan amount; an example shows 7.0m via LTV and 7.54m via LTC.
Calculate the maximum loan amount under dscr and debt yield constraints using pv and pmt, linking year one noi to the 1.3x dscr and debt yield.
Dynamically size the loan by balancing ltv, ltc, dsr, and debt yield to identify the controlling constraint. Use index and match and vlookup to return the corresponding loan amount.
Explore cap rate, going-in and exit cap rates, DCF analysis, NPV, IRR, equity multiple, and cash-on-cash return to evaluate real estate deals and leverage effects.
Explore discounted cash flow analysis for real estate, applying a discount rate to projected unlevered and levered cash flows to determine present value and required investor returns.
Apply net present value analysis to real estate projects by incorporating an initial investment into a discounted cash flow model, comparing unlevered and levered NPV using Excel.
Compute the internal rate of return, the discount rate that zeroes the net present value of cash flows, showing unlevered and levered equity returns over the hold period.
learn how equity multiple measures total cash inflows divided by total cash outflows, noting it's not a time value of money metric, and compares unlevered and levered scenarios with IRR.
Explore cash on cash return, an annual metric of cash distributions relative to invested equity, excluding refinance and sale proceeds. Calculate unlevered and levered cash on cash returns in Excel.
Examine positive and negative leverage in real estate finance, showing how debt alters cash on cash return when comparing levered to unlevered performance and the loan constant.
Compare irr and npv with xirr and xnpv to account for exact cash flow dates, handling irregular distributions in real estate financial modeling.
Create monthly real estate pro forma models to project cash flows from purchase financing, operations, and sale assumptions, with dynamic growth and xirr-based returns, plus timing triggers.
Develop a dynamic pro forma cash flow model using operating, sale, and loan assumptions to project net operating income, reserves, and equity returns, including levered NPV, IRR, and equity multiple.
Calculates and formats net operating income (NOI) using going-in NOI, cap rate, and growth assumptions in Excel; applies monthly or annual NOI growth, with year-two initiation and dynamic formulas.
Model capital expense reserves and cash flow before debt service with monthly or annual growth, NOI relationships, and Excel formulas that track hold periods, sale months, and reserves after sale.
Calculate monthly debt service by using PMT and IPMT to derive principal and interest payments, project cash flow after debt service through hold period, and ensure zero after sale month.
Learn to model purchase price, closing costs, sale proceeds, cost of sale, and total unlevered cash flow using forward 12 months of NOI and the exit cap rate.
Model loan proceeds and loan payoffs in a dynamic real estate pro forma, including acquisition-period inflows, zero payoff in acquisition, payoff calculation via an if statement, and levered cash flow.
Calculate levered NPV, IRR, and equity multiple using xNPV and xIRR on a dynamic pro forma cash-flow model, linking cash flows and dates for scenario analysis.
Learn how to create one-variable data tables to perform sensitivity analysis on unlevered IRR with changing NOI growth, and extend to two-variable data tables and scenario analysis in Excel.
Build two-variable data tables in Excel to perform a sensitivity analysis of unlevered irr against changes in noi growth and the exit cap rate, showing outputs at table intersections.
Learn how conditional formatting in real estate financial modeling highlights cells that meet conditions, such as unlevered IRR above 9% in green, within a scenario analysis data table.
Use goal seek in Excel to back-solve the purchase price that yields an unlevered IRR of 10%, using inputs like year one NOI, exit cap rate, and NOI growth.
Explore scenario analysis in real estate modeling by using a dropdown to compare best, base, and weak cases and compute unlevered IRR from dynamic cap rate and NOI growth inputs.
Welcome to The Real Estate Financial Modeling Bootcamp!
If you're looking to land a job at a top real estate investment, brokerage, or lending firm, or you're looking to make your own investments in commercial properties, this course will teach you everything you need to know to get started building out dynamic, institutional-quality real estate financial models from scratch in Excel.
My name is Justin Kivel, and throughout my career, I've worked on over $1.5 billion of closed commercial real estate transactions on behalf of some of the top real estate investment, brokerage, and lending firms in the world. I've also taught over 100,000 students real estate financial modeling and analysis through the Break Into CRE platform, and this course packages up everything I've learned about how the most successful investors in this industry build and use financial models to analyze real estate investment opportunities.
Even if you're a complete beginner in Excel or you have no experience in real estate, by the end of this class, you'll have the skills necessary to build out a real estate financial model from scratch, starting with a blank Excel workbook.
This course was designed to be the resource I wish I had when I was first getting started in this industry, and whether you're trying to analyze your own real estate investment opportunities or trying to land a job at a top real estate firm, this course will equip you with the knowledge you'll need to start or advance your own real estate career.
Our students who have taken this course have gone on to work at some of the top real estate firms in the world, including Brookfield Asset Management, JLL, CBRE, Hines, Starwood Capital Group, JP Morgan, Eastdil Secured, KKR, and many more.
Here's what some of our students have said about the class:
★★★★★ "Excellent course that teaches you financial modeling in Excel for CRE. I purchased the course after starting a new job as valuation analyst for a RE asset manager and it has helped me immensely. I have a background in PE funds and my excel skills are fairly advanced so for me the added value was understanding the specificities of CRE. I now look forward to completing the advanced RE modelling course. This instructor is great: no fluff, clear explanations, top notch material and step-by-step directions. Justin is also very responsive with answering your queries. I highly recommend the course!"
★★★★★ "This course is great. I learned everything I needed to build a model for an interview for a Financial Analyst role at a Real Estate Private Equity Fund. And I got the job. I have since gotten other courses by Justin, as they are what I need to get me up to speed at my new job. Also, Justin is great at answering questions when I get stuck and pointing me in the right direction."
★★★★★ "Excellent Course! Thank you for all your hard work in transforming a complex concept into an easy to understand format. This course has multiplied my understanding of financial modeling and the use of Excel. I learned more through this platform than the traditional institutional setting. A great resource and educator."
★★★★★ "Overall, this course was such an awesome experience! As a CRE investor as well, I took this course with the goal of it helping to rebuild my financial model and, what can I say, mission accomplished! From the structure, to the pace, the exercises, Justin's CRE knowledge and Excel tips/tricks - it was exactly what I was looking for and more!"
★★★★★ "Cannot believe the value in this course!! Best deal in real estate education. Thank you Justin, can't wait to take the next course. I could not recommend it more."
★★★★★ "This is a top notch course. The self-pace is perfect for me and it helped refresh all of the concepts that I learned in my grad school real estate courses. Just follow along and practice the examples and you'll extract tremendous value from a modeling perspective!!"
★★★★★ "Justin is awesome! His teaching style makes learning very intuitive. I would recommend this class for anyone that is trying to break into CRE or expand their current foundation of CRE. I was recommended by a friend who spent $600 on a course but found this one to be more helpful and easier to follow/understand."
★★★★★ "Superb course that teaches you the fundamentals of CRE modelling you need to know. Justin is a really good lecturer and he is very responsive with answering your queries, not just about the course material but even things related to your career in CRE. I would recommend the course to anyone looking to understand the fundamentals of CRE modelling."
★★★★★ "Wow! This course and Justin's other courses are the equivalent of an MBA level curriculum. If you are willing to put in the time and effort you will benefit."
If you're ready to get started mastering real estate financial modeling, I'd love to see you in the class. Go ahead and click that "Buy Now" button, and I'll see you on the inside of the course!