CRE Valuation Careers

Get Referred to Appraisal and Valuation Teams

Valuation and Advisory teams hire mostly through people they already trust, so a cold application to CBRE or JLL rarely gets read. The faster path is a warm referral from an appraiser who already knows your name.

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Example - what you’ll see

Someone who works at your target company

🎓 Same university as you · 💼 Shared past employer

🔥 Strongest

A recruiter at your target company

🎓 Same university as you

🎓 Alumni

✍️ Ready-to-send intro“Hi - we both studied at [your school]. I’d love to hear about your path to a company you are targeting before I apply…”

… plus everyone else in your network who can put in a good word.

See who can refer you in - pick your target company:

Short answer: To get referred to an appraisal and valuation team at CBRE, JLL, or Colliers, find a current valuation professional there who shares your school, a past employer, or an Appraisal Institute chapter with you. Reach out by leading with that shared connection instead of the ask, then request a 15-minute call about how their valuation group hires. Most appraisers will pass along a solid referral because CRE valuation is a small, designation-driven field where reputations travel fast.

Why appraisal and valuation teams run on referrals

Commercial real estate valuation is a small world. The people signing appraisals at CBRE, JLL, and Colliers went through the same Appraisal Institute coursework, sat for the same state certified general exam, and often trained at the same regional shops before moving up. When a hiring manager needs a new analyst or appraiser, they ask the people they already trust before they ever post the role.

That means a resume sent through the careers portal competes with hundreds of others and rarely reaches the actual valuation team. A note from a current appraiser saying 'this person is worth a look' skips that pile entirely, because in a field this designation-driven, a vouch carries real weight.

Find a valuation professional you already overlap with

The strongest referral comes from someone who has a real reason to remember you. Before you message anyone, look for a concrete overlap you can lead with:

Same school, valuation track. Programs known for real estate and appraisal coursework feed these teams; filter alumni whose current title includes Valuation and Advisory or appraiser at your target firm.
A shared past employer. Many staff appraisers came up through regional appraisal firms or one of the big three before moving between them, so a former colleague will vouch far faster than a stranger.
Your Appraisal Institute chapter. MAI holders and candidates in your local chapter already share your world; chapter rosters and events map almost directly onto these valuation teams.
The same property specialty. If you both underwrite industrial, multifamily, or retail, say so up front, because specialists trust and refer other specialists in their asset class.

Let the finding and ranking happen for you

Digging through LinkedIn to figure out which of the fifty valuation people at a firm actually share your school or a past employer takes hours, and it is easy to miss the best overlap. This is the part FindWarmIntros handles: you name the target firm, and it surfaces the valuation professionals you genuinely connect with, ranks them by how strong that shared history is, and drafts an opening line you can edit. You still do the outreach and the relationship; the tool just removes the manual searching so you spend your time on the conversation.

Write the message that earns a referral

Open with the thing you share, not the favor you want. A first line like 'I saw we both trained at [firm] and now cover industrial valuation' earns a reply; 'Can you refer me?' does not. Keep the whole note short enough to answer from a phone.

Then make helping you cost about 30 seconds. Ask for a 15-minute call to learn how their team hires, or point to one specific open req and ask whether they would be comfortable passing your name to the hiring manager. Give them an easy yes, and follow up once after a week if you hear nothing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an MAI designation to get a referral?

No. A referral is about trust, not credentials, and plenty of analysts and appraiser trainees get referred while still working toward certification. That said, showing you understand USPAP, Argus, and the property type they cover signals you are worth vouching for.

What are these valuation teams actually called?

At CBRE and Colliers the group is usually Valuation and Advisory Services, often shortened to VAS, and at JLL it is Valuation Advisory. Searching by that title plus the firm name is the fastest way to find the right people rather than general brokers.

How do I ask without sounding like I just want a job?

Lead with the shared connection and ask to learn, not to be hired. Request a short call about how their valuation team is structured and what they look for; the referral offer often comes from them once they see you are serious and easy to help.

What if I do not share a school or past employer with anyone there?

Widen the overlap to your Appraisal Institute chapter, a shared certification path, or the same property specialty, which all count as warm in this field. If nothing overlaps at one firm, check CBRE, JLL, and Colliers together, since valuation professionals move between them often.

Keep going

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