CERTIFIED COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT MEMBER

What is involved in obtaining a CCIM Pin? Here's my journey:

- CI101 Financial Analysis for Commercial Investment Real Estate:

A week-long course that teaches you how to use and apply IRR, NPV, CAP Rate, Capital Accumulation, and the Annual Growth Rate of Capital to quantify investment return.

- Negotiations: An 8-hour course teaches that financial impact isn't everything in a transaction. Negotiating skills are also critical to the success of the transaction. The ability to expertly negotiate and influence the situation can help prevent negative outcomes.  

- CI102: Market Analysis for Commercial Investment Real Estate:

A week-long course that uses the “CCIM Strategic Analysis Model” to look at four case studies: office, industrial, multi-family and retail.

- CI103: User Decision Analysis for Commercial Investment:

A week-long course that covers comparative lease analysis, lease vs. purchase analysis, lease buyout analysis, and sale-leaseback analysis to optimize user space decisions.

- Code of Ethics: Outlines the principles real estate professionals should adhere to when working with clients and other industry professionals to further clients' best interests.

-  CI104: Investment Analysis for Commercial Investment Real Estate

A week-long course that shows you how to apply investor decision-making analyses to optimize investment returns.

- Real Estate Financial Analysis Using Excel: Building an accurate proforma is a crucial first step in every real estate investment or development venture. Create spreadsheets allowing clients to quickly and effectively model a variety of real estate investment scenarios.

After completing the above curriculum coursework, candidates must submit and approve a portfolio showing adequate industrial experience. The final step is the final exam, which is only held twice a year. My test location was in Seattle, WA, in October 2023. Candidates have six hours to complete the in-person comprehensive exam. If you pass, you earn the pin and add the “CCIM” designation behind your name.

I have invested 13 months, approximately 200 hours of coursework, and over $10,000 in my journey to obtain this designation. Less than 10% of commercial real estate practitioners have the designation, and I am part of a worldwide network of best-in-class professionals. My only regret is that I wish I had done it a decade earlier!