Excellence in Commercial Real Estate
About CRI Designations
BECOME A DISTINGUISHED LEADER IN YOUR INDUsTRY.
The CRI Certification is a forward-thinking initiative that seeks to give the public confidence in the professionals and fiduciaries within the commercial real estate industry. Until now, neither individual nor institutional investors had a universally accepted criteria to identify professionals that possessed the combination of knowledge, practical experience, education and ethical standards necessary to lead, transact, and advise.
Established in 1999
Recognizing that this standard had yet to be set, in 1999 numerous industry leaders developed the CRI Society to create a multi-disciplined curriculum that challenges and validates a candidate’s knowledge, practical experience, education, and ethical conduct required in today’s complex commercial real estate marketplace.
The CRI Charter is the only professional certification that brings together all the diverse aspects of the commercial real estate finance, investment, and advisory industries.
The certification will signify your commitment to professional excellence and ethical conduct and should be the “foundation” certification for any dedicated commercial real estate professional.
The CRI Associate designation complements those working towards achieving their CRI Charter by recognizing the professional competence and ethical conduct in the job activities required to make and to manage a real estate transaction, whether underwriting, lending, or investing.
WHY CRI
Benefits of
CRI Designation
- Training
Build cost-efficient, effective industry-based training using the Society’s exams
- Competence
Employees are identified as competent and skilled professionals
- Confidence
Employers are assured of competent commercial real estate investment practices
- Credibility
CRI Associate & Charter holders are able to demonstrate their knowledge and professional standards to the public
FOR YOUR CAREER
Who Should Apply
If you work in commercial real estate in any of the following capacities, then consider pursuing the CRI Certification to differentiate yourself among peers.
Commercial Lenders
The CRI Certification confirms your understanding of value, risk and documentation used throughout the lending process. Passing the exam communicates your understanding of analyzing commercial real estate through the use of Capitalization Rates, Loan-to-Value, and Debt Coverage Ratios. The CRI exam will confirm your ability to conduct due diligence through lease reviews, credit evaluation, and borrower financial statements. Lenders with the CRI Certification also demonstrate their understanding of mortgage /securities contracts as well as portfolio management issues. The CRI is the complete certification for commercial loan origination.
Mortgage Bankers & Analysts
The CRI Certification demonstrates the candidates’ understanding of critical issues that affect both borrowers’ and lenders’ decisions – skills that are central to the success of a mortgage banker. The CRI will allow you to communicate this ability to current and potential clients so they have confidence in your ability to effectively place a loan with a lender. The CRI examinations test the ability to calculate debt coverage ratios, determine a net operating income and value the property using capitalization rates. Speak the language and understand the concepts with the CRI.
Commercial Real Estate Agents & Leasing Brokers
Commercial sales and leasing agents are the engine of the commercial real estate market. The CRI Certification is the only commercial real estate certification that can be earned with no classroom sessions and at your own pace. The certification will enhance the candidates ability to understand buyers’, sellers’ and users’ differing motivations and decision making criteria. Reputation and professionalism are key to success. The CRI Certification will announce to the public your continued commitment to professionalism and ethical conduct.
Developers
The CRI Certification is excellent for professionals working in commercial real estate development. Now that the development industry is dominated by large institutional organizations and investors, a developer’s ability to understand securitized financing, capital market instruments, and investment performance is critical. In addition to development feasibility and due diligence issues, the CRI exams contain topics like maximizing total return for equity investors, benchmarking asset performance, and a variety of financing issues that are central to commercial real estate today.
Commercial Property Managers
The CRI Certification will give a property manager a strong understanding of an owner’s motivations and investment requirements, making the manager a valuable part of the ownership team. The CRI Certification conveys to property owners a confirmed knowledge of property types, taxation issues, zoning and building code compliance, and lease and mortgage agreements.
Real Estate Consultants
Consultants often act as a “jack of all trades” as they manage projects and advise clients. The CRI Certification will communicate to current and prospective clients that you have the skill set and experience to service almost any need. The examination will test your knowledge of topics ranging from due diligence, lease and mortgage contracts, taxation, income based valuation, real estate portfolio management, securitized loans (CMBS), and capital market instruments.
Appraisers
While earning an MAI is the pinnacle achievement for a commercial appraiser, it takes years of coursework and thousands of hours of experience. An appraiser can demonstrate their exceptional understanding of the commercial real estate market with the addition of the CRI Certification to their resume. The CRI Certification confirms the appraisers’ knowledge of key concepts such as property valuation, financing strategies, lease evaluation, zoning and code compliance, and portfolio management issues.
Real Estate Portfolio Managers
The CRI Certification confirms a Charter holders’ broad based understanding of the critical areas of commercial real estate from both the property and portfolio levels. The certification places a real focus on portfolio management issues, including managing and diversifying risk, capital market instruments, tax strategies, portfolio management tools, and maximizing returns for investors.
Curriculum
Learn more about the curriculum differences between the CFA and CRI Certification.