Nuevo Contenido en Español (Actualizado Octubre 2026)
Ver y leer nuevo contenido en español. Este contenido ha sido creado por el equipo A.CRE para profesionales en la inversion inmobiliaria. Tutoriales, modelos financieros, educación, y mucho más.
Entries by Spencer Burton
How to Implement AI Across a Commercial Real Estate Firm
Most commercial real estate firms are already using AI but the problem is that very few are using it systematically. Here’s how we it often goes. Someone on the acquisitions team has figured out how to use Claude to summarize offering memoranda. An analyst is using ChatGPT to help with Excel. Someone in asset management […]
AI Tools for Commercial Real Estate (Fall 2026 Edition)
We’ve spent the last few years testing, teaching, and building with AI in commercial real estate, and this post is where we keep track of the tools that matter. It started as a list. This Fall 2026 edition is organized differently, because the way CRE professionals get real work out of AI has changed. The […]
A.CRE Apartment Development Model (Updated Sept 2026)
For several years now, our library of real estate models has been lacking a robust ground-up apartment development model. Sure, our All-in-One (Ai1) model has the capability to model multifamily development deals, but it’s more a generalist tool than a specialized one. As a result, I’ve found it wanting when used to model developments. So a few […]
Real Estate Financial Modeling Accelerator (Updated September 2026)
Before launching the Accelerator program, Michael and I received countless emails requesting a more structured, step-by-step real estate financial modeling training program. Over the years, we’ve covered hundreds of real estate modeling topics in our blog, published hours of video, and shared 70+ real estate Excel models in our Library. Nonetheless, no matter how many posts […]
Watch Me Solve a Real Estate Technical Interview Modeling Test: Case Study #17, Windsor Crossing
A decade ago, I recorded myself completing a real estate technical interview modeling exercise, start to finish, so our readers could watch over my shoulder and pick up on my process. That video, and the companion blog post, is still one of the most useful things we’ve published for anyone prepping for a real estate […]
Case Study #17 – Windsor Crossing: An Industrial Development (Case Study + Solution)
For our 17th case study, we turn to a merchant industrial development in the Lebanon Valley, one of the mid-Atlantic’s most active distribution corridors. This Windsor Crossing case study places you in the role of Alex Morgan, an investment analyst in the Northeast office of Meridian Industrial Partners (“Meridian”), a fictional national developer of warehouse […]
The Definitive Guide to Microsoft Excel for Real Estate (Updated Aug 2026)
Microsoft Excel is the primary tool used by real estate financial modeling professionals. Even while numerous non-Excel alternatives have attempted to de-throne Excel, the 35+ year-old software has shown to be surprisingly resilient to competition. And thus, if you intend to work in real estate you must be proficient in Excel. So what does it […]
Industrial Real Estate Development Model (Updated Aug 2026)
Allow me to share my Industrial Development Model in Excel. Over the past few years, I’ve been working to add more specialty real estate models to our library. While our All-in-One model certainly has its place, oftentimes really digging into the underwriting of a deal takes a hyper-focused tool. This model has spawned sister Office […]
Understanding the AI Tech Stack: Model, Harness, Tools, Knowledge, and Human Judgment
For the past few years, we’ve spent a ton of time testing dozens of AI models. Starting at gpt-3 in 2022, to most recently Grok 4.6. From closed source models like Anthropic’s Opus to open weight models like Kimi or Nemotron. As part of that testing, we give each model a series of consistent tasks, […]
Retail Real Estate Development Model (Updated Aug 2026)
I’m excited to share my Retail Development Model in Excel. This pro forma analysis tool comes as I’ve continued to build and share specialty real estate models, tailor-made for specific investment scenarios and property types. This model is an adaptation of my Office Development Model and Industrial Development Model. It’s specifically built to analyze both […]
There Has Never Been an Easier Time to Stand Out in CRE
A student reached out to me a couple weeks ago with a question I get some version of almost every week. He is a rising junior, interning at a firm any of you would recognize, attends a good school, and has already done the work to become a capable real estate financial modeler. His question […]
Best Practices in Real Estate Financial Modeling (Updated August 2026)
Before you use one of our real estate financial models (i.e. Excel templates), or before you set out to build your own real estate analysis tool in Excel, it’s important to keep in mind a few real estate financial modeling best practices. This list combines industry conventions for modeling in Excel, with various suggestions specific […]
Self Storage Acquisition Model (Updated Aug 2026)
I’ve spent the past few weekends working on a purpose-built Self Storage Acquisition Model, and I’m now happy to share the result of that work with you. This is a model that’s been requested by quite a few A.CRE readers over the past few years. I released a Self Storage Development Model last year, and […]
A.CRE Value-Add Apartment Acquisition Model (Updated July 2026)
We’ve shared a handful of apartment models over the years. Several of those are capable of analyzing apartment acquisitions but none was built for the express purpose of modeling value-add apartment deals. As a result, each has its limitations in value-add scenarios. So today, I’m excited to share a new apartment model; this one built […]