Real Estate Acquisitions 101 (Udemy.com)
How To Identify Commercial Properties, Run Due Diligence, Raise Capital, and Close Commercial Real Estate Transactions
Created by: Justin Kivel
Last updated August 2026
What you will learn
- Understand the entire process of purchasing a commercial real estate property from start to finish
- Learn the key components of physical and financial due diligence, capital raising, and closing of a commercial real estate transaction
- Understand how fee and waterfall structures work in a commercial real estate transaction, and how investors and private equity firms earn "sweat equity"
- Understand the acquisitions career path, including compensation structures, career progression, and long-term opportunities in this sector
How it compares
Against the other 75 rated Udemy courses in Real Estate on CourseDuck:
- Rating4.7 out of 5higher than 58% of them
- Reviews1,588#20 of 76 by number of reviews
- Length3.3 hoursshorter than 58% of them
- Last updatedAugust 2026more recently than 68% of them
Course Description
How do investors and real estate private equity firms actually buy commercial properties? This course will teach you the entire process of acquiring a commercial real estate asset, including property identification, due diligence, raising capital, and closing the transaction. This course was designed to break down a commercial real estate acquisition step-by-step so you can go confidently into your next deal, or understand the acquisitions process as a whole if you're working for a real estate investment, development, or brokerage firm. This course will teach you how to:
Confidently be able to run the acquisitions process when purchasing commercial real estate properties, either on your own, with partners, or in your job at a real estate private equity, brokerage, or lending firm.
Minimize your equity investment and maximize profit potential through understanding fee and waterfall structures, and how JV equity partnership structures are commonly put together on commercial real estate transactions.
Determine if a career path in acquisitions is right for you based on what you want to get paid, how you want to get paid, and what your goals are over the long-term.
This course will cover the entire process of a commercial real estate acquisition from start to finish. You'll learn things like the key components of physical and financial due diligence, how investors go about the equity raise process, what lenders are looking for when assessing your deal, and even how you can structure your partnerships with equity investors to create a "win-win" scenario for all parties involved.
Ultimately, you'll leave this course with a strong understanding of the real estate acquisitions process for apartment buildings, retail shopping centers, office buildings, and industrial properties, whether you're looking to do deals on your own (and raise capital to do it), or you just want to get a more detailed look into what your company is doing when taking down a new acquisition.
Here's what some of our students have had to say about the class:
★★★★★ "Clear and to the point. Love that he does not waste time. Lays it out simply and clearly."
★★★★★ "A great high-level introduction to syndicating real estate deals! I work for a small commercial real estate development/management company, and I'm just beginning to put these sorts of deals together myself, so it was nice to have such a solid run through of the process. I'm working through a few other RE financial modeling courses by Justin and I'm really impressed with his knowledge, pacing of course material, and the quality of his explanations. Having an in-depth understanding of these course topics and the ability to apply what I've learned has really helped me stand out at work."
★★★★★ "This is an excellent overview of real estate syndication deals and the transaction elements of a typical commercial real estate acquisition. The material is presented in a logical and easy-to-follow manner from the start to finish of the acquisition deal cycle. The material in this course could serve as a comprehensive checklist for the proper execution of commercial real estate transactions. This course exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone interested in understanding how real estate syndication works or learning the commercial real estate transaction process."
II hope to see you in the course!
Instructor Details
- 4.7 Rating
1,588 Reviews
Justin Kivel
Master real estate financial modeling, advance your career, and earn more money.
If you’re an aspiring real estate investment professional looking to break into the real estate investment field, or a current real estate professional looking to advance your career and increase your compensation, you’re in the right place.
My name is Justin Kivel, and I’m a real estate investment professional with a love for teaching. Throughout my career, I’ve worked on over $1.5 billion of closed acquisitions across multifamily, retail, office, and mixed-use properties. I’ve had the opportunity to work with some of the brightest minds in real estate investing and have spent almost a decade in the industry across private equity, finance, and brokerage roles.
Unfortunately, most of what I know today I had to learn on the job. Although great courses exist on Microsoft Excel and financial modeling, I couldn’t find a resource that was specifically tailored toward real estate investment professionals that would actually walk me through exactly what I needed to know to succeed in the real estate investment industry.
These courses are that resource.
After dozens of phone calls and coffee meetings with college students and aspiring real estate investment professionals, I realized that most people were asking exactly what I was asking when I was in their shoes.
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Reviews
By Danah Albassam on 8/28/2025
Im currently interning at a real estate fund management company and was quite lost as to the steps of the acquisition process, and this really helped and gave me a good and comprehensive study into the stages of real estate acquisitions.
By Adolfo Borboa on 8/12/2024
Again, I am amazed by the quality of the content provided by Justin. He gives a firm framework for how to advance within the CRE industry. As he has mentioned several times, he truly does share the knowledge he wished he received at a younger age.
By Jess S on 12/17/2022
I wish I watched this at the beginning of my real estate master's program. It wasn't until halfway through the program we discussed the acquisitions process to the extent that you described throughout the course. The course offered a helpful overview of real estate acquisitions, including the key points, relevant details, and even some surprising nuances at each step in the process. I'd recommend to anyone who is interested in breaking into the real estate industry, especially if you are considering a career in acquisitions or pursuing a career where you are interfacing with acquisitions professionals in some capacity.
By S P on 7/9/2022
Really good overview. One comment though: one picture of female in the whole course, and this is in the property manager page, and the poor lady is watching, silent on the side of the couch... Looks like reality!!!! All jokes aside, females watching this course are given the impression this doesn't look like a world appropriate for them. More female pictures would be good. Thanks
By Lillian Darlene Common on 1/9/2022
I have ordered and plan to take the entire 120- hour program. The instructor has a vast amount of experience in this area and gives you bite-size pieces of the entire pie. I also like that he gives you tools like financial models that are instantly usable in setting up everything needed for you to go to work on day one. Excellent!
By Zachary T. Furr on 12/2/2020
I just completed the course, " The Real Estate Syndication Process". I found the lessons to flow smoothly from one to the next, with a thorough explanation of all processes. Justin is very easy to listen to and conveys the details of the lessons completely. I learned a lot from the course, and I plan on taking more of Justin's courses on Udemy. Thank you Justin; Good job!.
By Russell Davis on 4/19/2019
The course provides a basic overview of starting a real estate syndicate from a classroom perspective. The course does take you through the steps from finding a property, getting it under contract, establishing an entity with investors. It wet my appetite for a deeper dive into syndication.
By Robert Starkey on 2/5/2019
A great high-level introduction to syndicating real estate deals! I work for a small commercial real estate development/management company, and I'm just beginning to put these sorts of deals together myself, so it was nice to have such a solid run through of the process. I'm working through a few other RE financial modeling courses by Justin and I'm really impressed with his knowledge, pacing of course material, and the quality of his explanations. Having an in-depth understanding of these course topics and the ability to apply what I've learned has really helped me stand out at work. Thanks Justin!
By Milton Baxter on 11/11/2018
This is an excellent overview of real estate syndication deals and the transactional elements of a typical commercial real estate acquisition. The material is presented in a logical and easy-to-follow manner from the start to finish of the acquisition deal cycle. The material in this course could serve as a comprehensive checklist for the proper execution of commercial real estate transactions. This course exceeded my expectations and I would recommend it to anyone interested in understanding how real estate syndication works or learning the commercial real estate transaction process.
By Aditya Gulati on 5/2/2018
I work just started working in the Real Estate industry and wanted to get a quick run down on the syndication process. This was exactly what I was looking for and definitely recommend it to anyone, who is looking to get into the profession.
Quality Score
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Overall Score : 94 / 100










