Q1 Classes: Underwriting, JVs, AI, and more
Announcing Thesis Driven's hour-long programs for the quarter
In addition to Thesis Driven’s multi-day and multi-week courses, we’re offering six bite-sized, hour-long virtual classes over the next few months. They are:
All dates, times, and details are linked and below.
Can’t make the live date and time? Anyone who signs up will receive the materials and a recording of the session.
Full program schedule:
Real Estate Key Metrics Explained
Tuesday, January 21st at Noon ET | Taught by Brad Hargreaves | Sign Up
The real estate industry has a jargon of its own. Unfortunately, this can make simple topics seem difficult to industry newcomers.
This class will make understanding real estate-speak easy by exploring key real estate metrics like Unlevered Yield-on-Cost (UYOC), IRR, MOIC, OER, and more.
We'll cover each term not just from an academic perspective, but how each is actually used in a real estate setting, including how real estate developers and investors use each metric to evaluate real estate deals.
In this course, students will learn:
The most important metrics that real estate developers use to evaluate deals and track records;
How each metric is used in practice;
Pros and cons to each metric - and how each can be 'massaged' to tell a certain story.
We'll do this by looking at a real-world project to get a hands-on feel for how these metrics show up in practice.
Structuring Real Estate Joint Ventures
Thursday, January 30th at Noon ET | Taught by Paul Stanton | Sign Up
A 1-hour interactive tutorial that demystifies the complexities of structuring real estate joint ventures, making it easier for sponsors to align with institutional capital partners.
Students will learn:
The key components of a real estate joint venture term sheet and how to interpret them.
Strategies for negotiating deal terms that balance sponsor and partner priorities.
How to understand and empathize with the position of an institutional partner to create a win-win structure.
Tips for addressing common challenges, such as waterfall distributions, fees, and decision-making rights.
Best practices for building trust and fostering long-term partnerships.
Students will leave with a strong grasp of JV structuring principles and practical insights they can apply to their own projects.
How to Reach Real Estate Owners
Tuesday, February 11th at Noon ET | Taught by Brad Hargreaves | Sign Up
Whether you're selling a product, marketing a site, or looking to build local real estate relationships, commercial real estate owners can be challenging to reach.
This hour-long class will dive into the strategies and tactics that can be used to find and reach real estate owners, including social media, databases, direct mail, cold calling, emails, and more.
Students will learn:
Inbound and outbound lead generation approaches within real estate;
Specific examples of strategies at work in the real estate industry;
How certain strategies can work better or worse with specific goals and products;
How to "think like a marketer" and build a funnel
Basics of Real Estate Underwriting
Wednesday, February 19th at Noon ET | Taught by Paul Stanton | Sign Up
A 1-hour interactive tutorial teaching real estate beginners and aspiring sponsors the key concepts behind underwriting a real estate deal.
Students will learn:
The inputs and outputs required to build any real estate underwriting model and what they mean
How to set up a financial model in Excel or Google Sheets, including the necessary formulas to calculate key metrics like IRR
Tips for manipulating the model to match the investment preferences of different audiences — from HNWIs to institutions
Best practices for translating the key financial metrics from the model into a compelling investment narrative.
Students will also get access to a basic pro forma financial model that they can download for free and use to practice underwriting their own deals.
AI in Real Estate
Monday, March 3rd at Noon ET | Taught by Brad Hargreaves | Sign Up
In real estate tech today, nothing is buzzier than AI.
This 1-hour class will separate the signal from the noise when it comes to AI in real estate. We'll look across the real estate industry - from brokerage to development to management - at some of the ways AI is likely to impact the industry from the bottom up.
Specifically, students will learn:
The evolution of LLMs and generative AI;
Specific applications of AI in real estate development, management, and sales
Examples of specific companies executing on AI in real estate;
How the AI landscape may evolve in the coming years.
How to Hire a CRE Broker
Tuesday, March 11th at Noon ET | Taught by Paul Stanton | Sign Up
A 1-hour interactive tutorial designed to help real estate owners, investors, and developers make the most out of their relationship with a commercial real estate broker.
Students will learn:
How to identify the right broker for your property or project, including what questions to ask and red flags to avoid.
Tips for negotiating brokerage agreements to ensure you get the best deal and maximum service.
Strategies for getting brokers to provide additional value beyond traditional leasing or sales services.
What to prioritize when selecting and working with a broker to meet your goals.
The behind-the-scenes insights no one tells you about hiring and managing a broker.
Students will walk away with actionable steps and a deeper understanding of how to turn a broker into a valuable partner in their CRE journey.
As always, you can see all of our education offerings—including our deep dive courses in topics like real estate development and the fundamentals of the real estate industry—on our courses site here.
—Brad Hargreaves and Paul Stanton
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