[Anonymous]

I have been offered a Client Accountant position (with a bachelor’s in Accounting received in 2012) at a successful real estate commercial services firm. The following includes some of the responsibilites.

Manage a portfolio of multiple properties

· Full cycle accounting for clients, including:

o Tenant rent statements

o Accounts Payable

o Accounts Receivable

o Cash receipts

o Vendor checks

o Cash management

o Bank Reconciliations

o Journal Entries

o Complete preparation of customized financial statements and supporting schedules

· Cash and accrual based processes, depending on the property

It is full cycle accounting but is it getting too much into a niche market? Will I be marketable to other industries after 2-3 years there? Is this experience helpful for future analyst oppurtunities? It is a prestigous firm that is growing very fast…there is much room for growth. The offer is 40k plus bonus in the midwest. Also, this includes 20 paid vacation days and 11 paid holidays.

I would just like to get some input on what you think of the offer…..thanks!

[Anonymous]

Any insights?

[TripleNetAcct]

It depends on what you want to do? I started in a very similar position and I couldn't be happier that this is where I ended up. I always wanted to go into public accounting. However, I did not go to a top tier school and I had a sub-par GPA of 3.14. I had basically zero shot of getting into public accounting with those credentials.

I have been with my company for 2 years and I do not have any plans to change anytime soon. The hours are much better than public accounting and the quality of life is a plus (minus having to study for the CPA exam). My company is very supportive of me pursuing my CPA Certification and I attribute my progress towards becoming a CPA as the reason I got my promotion 7 months ago.

Commercial Real Estate is not so mind-numbing like other industries. It is very simple once you have the basics and the avenues within the industry are also a great perk. I could transition to stategic planning, director of real estate, or finance director within the next 5 years if I decide that is what I want to do.

Hope this helps. Best of luck.

AUD 73 (Aug 12) 77
BEC 66 71 (Nov 12) 80
REG 54 81 (May 13) 81
FAR 63 (Dec 13) 75 TEXAS

[TripleNetAcct]

My initial salary was 35K plus a 2K bonus. After 2 years, I am making 47.5K and I will get a bonus within the next few months.

So the offer is pretty good considering your potential growth.

AUD 73 (Aug 12) 77
BEC 66 71 (Nov 12) 80
REG 54 81 (May 13) 81
FAR 63 (Dec 13) 75 TEXAS

[Anonymous]

TrippleNetAcct, thanks for the post.

I am not sure what exactly I want to do in 10 years but I do want to build on skill sets that will get me to a Senior Accountant role within or outside of that industry. How do you like the property management experience?

Maybe some pros/cons?

Also, where are you located at? And how big is your firm? I am talking about Cassidy Turley…

[Anonymous]

Also, I was a great student in college :3.86 in a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from an AACSB accredited college. Also, I did 3 internships and was a leader but decided I did not want to pursue the M.Acc/public accounting path.

[TripleNetAcct]

Cassidy Turley is a top player in the industry. I have heard great things about them but have no direct experience. My firm is a combination developer, manager and investor. We have roughly 30 employees and are located in the Texas. We are a smaller firm but we build portfolios for our investors and in turn collect management fees and development fees to fund our operations. Property management experience is important in any management firm. It is tedious work and can be considered grunt work. However, having that experience can lead to opportunities like property manager or head of the property management department.

My path is a little different. About 8 months after I started, we hired a property accountant and I became the head corporate accountant which includes maintaining ledgers of the manager entities and our company wide consolidations. I also oversee our A/P specialist and delegate tasks to that person. I am on a path that will lead to corporate controller or president.

I really enjoy my work and as a part of a small company, I feel more like part of the team. Starting a career with Cassidy Turley will give you the opportunity to build relationships with top players in the industry and gain valuable experience. After spending some time with a large firm, you may decide to venture to a smaller company which is much easier to do than the other way around.

The investment management and development experience is the most engaging part of my job. I am also able to oversee the entire company because of my position and I enjoy learning all aspects so that I can one day run my own shop.

AUD 73 (Aug 12) 77
BEC 66 71 (Nov 12) 80
REG 54 81 (May 13) 81
FAR 63 (Dec 13) 75 TEXAS

[Anonymous]

Interesting background man! How does the Corproate Accountant job compare to the Property Accountant?

I think that the networking will be huge for me at Cassidy. I hope to make a great career there and think that it really is the place for me, as they are growing rapidly. The culture is also a very good one.

I appreciate the insight!

[Anonymous]

Interesting background man! How does the Corproate Accountant job compare to the Property Accountant?

I think that the networking will be huge for me at Cassidy. I hope to make a great career there and think that it really is the place for me, as they are growing rapidly. The culture is also a very good one.

I appreciate the insight!

[TripleNetAcct]

Thank you.

Corporate Accountant – Day-to-day accounting responsibilities like booking cash, various journal entries (i.e. interest accruals on equity and debt, overhead allocations, equity pickups, etc.)

Property Accountant – Think about entries for an office building – depreciation on building, insurance accruals, interest accruals, property tax accruals, utility accruals, aquisition and disposition entries, construction accounting – to name a few.

Both are important but I think that corporate accounting is more of a route to get to upper management and property accounting would lead more to a fund manager or maybe even director of RE if you learn more about leases but it all depends on your responsibilities. Some truth to that but that is just my 2 cents. Both are great positions.

AUD 73 (Aug 12) 77
BEC 66 71 (Nov 12) 80
REG 54 81 (May 13) 81
FAR 63 (Dec 13) 75 TEXAS

[Anonymous]

Yeah man I think it is the right career choice for me right now. It may be more valuable than big 4 expeience considering what I want to do. Thanks for your input!

[Author]

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