Model Your Own Deals, Land The Job, or Get an Early Promotion
Accelerate your knowledge and avoid information overload. The Accelerator’s case-based program breaks modeling down to basic building blocks so you gain the knowledge and experience you need, without information you don’t.
Get laser-focused results through practice. The Accelerator’s curated curriculum leans on real-life situations so you can put your skills to the test, taking you from unqualified to experienced in weeks.
Ask questions and get personalized support from CRE pros who have underwritten over $32 billion of institutional-quality real estate. Whether your question is directly related to course content or not, get your questions answered by practicing real estate pros.
Here’s Who The Accelerator Helps:
The Accelerator is used by top global real estate companies and elite universities to train the next generation of CRE professionals. If you’re looking to stand out, to make your resume instantly command attention, the Accelerator will give you that advantage. Get the skills, so you can get the job.
If your career needs momentum or your next position demands a new level of expertise, the Accelerator fills in the gaps you need to get ahead. Gain the skills to Accelerate your career.
If you’re seeking to set yourself apart, impress lenders and investors, and avoid naive mistakes, the Accelerator is for you. Side step potentially catastrophic errors and increase the financial reward that comes from closing better deals.
Learn from deal-seasoned CRE professionals
Spencer has over 20 years of residential and commercial real estate experience. In the last five years alone, Spencer has modeled over 500 institutional CRE investments (debt, acquisition, and development) valued over $20 billion. He is currently the Head of Investments for an institutionally-backed real estate private equity firm.
Spencer holds a Bachelors from Florida State University and a Masters in Real Estate from Cornell University.
Michael has spent a decade managing, consulting, and working in various capacities on more than $8 billion worth of real estate opportunities. Most recently, he worked at Hines managing large-scale development projects in San Francisco. He is currently the Chief Operating Officer for an institutionally-backed real estate private equity firm.
Michael holds both an MBA and Masters in Real Estate from Cornell University.
Spencer and Michael started Adventures in CRE in their first year of graduate school. Since that time, the two have contributed over 300 in-depth articles on real estate financial modeling, careers, and education options; built and shared over 50 institutional-quality real estate financials models; developed an extensive glossary of real estate terms; recorded over 100 tutorial videos, and developed the most comprehensive real estate financial modeling training program available.
“I am CERTAIN that the Accelerator has given me the tools and information necessary for my transition into commercial real estate. Your hard work has positively impacted my life and the lives of others. Keep up the great work!”
“Really blown away at the precision and expertise. Issues were addressed within minutes and the materials worked seamlessly.”
“This was a fantastic and thorough course. I feel like I got what I paid for. Practical knowledge, and great teachers.”
“Thanks for your knowledge! I can sense your passion for the business, and it’s helped me a ton with analyzing land deals/new development projects.”
“This program was a lot of fun. The case study approach felt like I was actually working at a REPE or dev shop. And of course, Spencer and Michael explained every concept clearly and effectively — anything from Excel shortcuts to complex topics like equity waterfalls and debt. I’ll review certain sections a second time and recreate the models just for fun (and for extra practice) in the near future!”
“I prefer to learn things in a step by step manner, starting with the basics and building upon them. That is exactly what the Accelerator was able to do for me; it broke down each of the concepts in a digestible way and challenged me to apply them in the case study examples. I am starting an Analyst position at a REPE firm in January 2020 and the Accelerator not only gave me the modeling confidence to land the job but it put me in a position to hit the ground running on day one and model with confidence.”
“Best online course I’ve had so far – lecturer explained concepts in great detail and in a step-by-step manner, catering to an audience who may have no previous industry knowledge.”
“A great challenge. Real applicable concepts and with great examples.”
“Valuable, extremely relevant to my career path, enjoyable, fun. This course was key in helping me ace my technical interview and land the job I wanted.”
“I am a fan of your Adventures in CRE. It’s a great resource and your Acquisitions model is the best I have found. I’ve used it to underwrite a large number of properties and close a few neighborhood apartment deals. So thank you!”
“Unbelievable. 10/10 would and have recommended”
“Thanks for all you have done on A.CRE. It has been a great resource for me. I work for a relatively small investment/management company which means I have had to do a lot of self teaching. Your website has been instrumental in my learning process.”
How much time commitment should I plan for?
You should expect to commit approximately 100 hours to complete the program, depending on your current proficiency. Some courses are less intense than others, but most students spend 4-8 hours to complete each course.
The 16 Accelerator courses were originally designed to be taken over an 8 – 12 week period, however you’re welcome to take the Accelerator at your own pace. Some may prefer to go full-time and complete the program in two weeks, while others may go slower and complete the program in a year. So don’t feel pressured to go any faster or slower than your time and ability permits.
How often is new content added to the Accelerator?
Michael and Spencer are regularly adding new content to the Accelerator. This new content generally comes in the form of new modules in the Accelerator’s Advanced Concepts section and new content to the Library of Supplementary Tools. The guys also create video tutorials, written responses, and/or custom Excel models in response to questions posed daily in the Student-Instructor Forums section of the Accelerator.
The 16 core courses, the foundation of the Accelerator training program containing the fundamentals of modeling real estate, largely stay the same. Updates to these courses come mainly in the form of clarifications, minor enhancements, or bug fixes.
The Accelerator comes with a detailed changelog where all updates from the program’s inception to the current month are listed.
Are all course materials and Excel models available after I complete the program?
You have access to all Accelerator content for one year. In other words, at anytime after you finish the program, you’ll be able to log back in and re-watch the videos, re-read the lectures, view the cases, download the Excel files, etc for up to a year from when you originally registered.
What kind of support is there in addition to the video tutorials and supplemental downloads?
Each course comes with its own instructor-student forum. In these forums, Accelerator members ask course instructors, Spencer and Michael, questions related to the course content.
Are courses taught live or recorded?
These courses are on-demand, with pre-recorded video and audio lectures and accompanying Excel, Word, and PDF files. The student-instructor forums are actively monitored and questions answered by the A.CRE team.
What software and operating system do I need?
Microsoft Excel 2013 or later.
Software that can read PDF files (Abode, PDFSam, etc.).
The Accelerator can be taken on either a PC or Mac. But keep in mind that we teach using a Windows PC. So guidance on keyboard shortcuts will not be compatible with Excel for Mac although the formulas will be the same.
Is the Accelerator accessible on my mobile phone or tablet?
The Accelerator learning platform is compatible with all screen sizes. However, you may not be able to work on the Excel files unless you are on a desktop or laptop.
I’m worried that I am not adequately up to speed in Microsoft Excel, is this a problem?
All people enrolled should have a basic understanding of Microsoft Excel. There are many great resources out there for free that can help get you up to speed quickly. A very basic understanding should be sufficient as we walk you through a lot of the details step-by-step, keystroke by keystroke.
Additionally, in our Guide to Getting Started we provide a comprehensive list of the primary Excel functions and features we use in the Accelerator together with a list of free resources to help you get up to speed.
What if a topic is not covered in the core Accelerator curriculum?
While the Accelerator curriculum is comprehensive, no curriculum can get to it all. That’s where the Accelerator forums, the Advanced Concepts in Real Estate Financial Modeling section, and the Library of Supplementary Tools come in.
Is there a concept not covered in the courses that you’d like Spencer or Michael to explain? Ask about it in the forum. Are there concepts you don’t quite understand and want greater explanation? Ask for it in the forums.
Spencer and Michael use the forums as an outlet to expand on existing concepts and teach new ones. The forum responses are well-thought out mini-lectures, using examples and sometimes even video tutorials to answer the questions.
And when a topic is raised in the forum that deserves further elaboration, Spencer and Michael create a Watch Me Build lecture in the ‘Advanced Concepts’ course. For example, a question around how to model GP catch up and LP clawback provisions was raised in the forum. That discussion led to two new lectures, a model for you to download, and a robust discussion in the forum.
The Library of Supplementary Tools is a section where Michael and Spencer share resources for practicing what you’ve already learned. The Library continues to grow as the guys add Watch Me Build videos, case studies, interview exams, and Excel models.
Thus, the learning starts in the core courses but is expanded on in the forums, the ‘Advanced Concepts’ section, and the Library of Supplementary Tools.
What is the difference between the Accelerator and the Accelerator Plus+?
The difference between the Accelerator and the Accelerator Plus+ package, is that the Plus+ comes with our A.CRE Financial Models bundle. The A.CRE Financial Models bundle includes lifetime downloads and updates of our 20 most popular real estate financial models in our A.CRE library. The bundle is a convenient way to get our most popular models all at once, in one place, and at a price substantially lower than what one would typically pay for all 20 models.
Note: the models in the A.CRE Financial Models bundle are not used in the Accelerator courses, but rather are institutional-quality, production-ready real estate financial models used by thousands of professionals everyday.
Can I upgrade to the Plus+ or Career+ option at a later date?
Absolutely. If you purchase the base package now and decide at a later date that you’d like to upgrade to the Plus+ or Careers+ package, just email us at [email protected] and we’ll help you upgrade.
Can I have access to the program for longer than a year?
Yes. As an Accelerator member, you have the option to extend your membership in six month increments beyond the initial one year period at a reduced cost of $199 per six months. The extension is not processed automatically however, so you must manually process that extension through a link included in your Accelerator Learning Dashboard.
Do you offer individual or student discounts?
To make pricing fair to all Accelerator members, we do not offer individual discounts (not even on Black Friday). However, we do offer a two-installment payment plan to make the cost more manageable. That plan calls for 50% to be paid at registration, with the balance due 30 days later. Just select ‘Payment Plan’ under Payment Information at checkout to use a payment plan.
Additionally, we offer discounts to groups of 5+ members (e.g. University Real Estate Programs/Clubs, Companies, Non-profits, etc). To learn more about group discounts, click the ‘Enterprise’ option under pricing or email us at [email protected]
What is included in the Careers+ package?
The Careers+ package includes everything offered in the Accelerator Plus+ package (i.e. 16-core courses, Advanced Concept modules, Library of Supplementary Tools, forum access, financial models bundle, etc), plus it includes three tools to help you jumpstart your career in CRE. Those three career tools include: 1) access to the Careers and Networking in CRE course, 2) a virtual resume and LinkedIn profile review, and 3) a one-on-one coaching session with A.CRE’s Head of Career Services, Tucker Wells.
