CoStar Group reviews

2.7

33% would recommend to a friend

(3,028 total reviews)
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Andrew C. Florance

30% approve of CEO

37% positive business outlook

CoStar Group has an employee rating of 2.7 out of 5 stars, based on 3,028 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an average working experience there. The CoStar Group employee rating is 22% below average for employers within the Real Estate industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

3K reviews
2.0
Apr 30, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Introduction into Commercial Real Estate -Specialized teams (I-Comps) you can actually learn more about finance, development, capital markets investments -Learned a lot about CRE through specialized research and was able to translate that into a better job in real estate in DC -The office is nice

Cons

-The true research position, in basic portfolio research, is a glorified marketing telemarketer. Basically your job is to be in the ear of everyone in the industry and promote the word that is CoStar. The database is so big and basically operates on its own at this point. These calls often times sever relationships. Let people do research however it works the best not have a constant whip at their back to make pointless phone calls so the team number goes up. -A facade of movement-For example the company has created a false sense of movement by making positions like the "market analyst" that really doesn't have a job but instead took away from what the former PPR analysts were doing and have just slowed down the production of information due to a large number of uneducated persons writing reports. Accept CoStar for what it is and leave the smart people in positions where they can contribute. -Management on the research level is horrible. Outside hires make little to zero sense other than they don't ask questions, but I guess that's what CoStar wants for that position. One manager managing a major market in CoStar couldn't even point out the different sub-markets in her market on a map. Literally your only job is to know research and you can't do that? Speaks to the management loud and clear. -The biggest problem with CoStar is the employees constant feeling of worthlessness in the industry. As a researcher or sales rep you feel that you are less than other professionals in the industry (IE brokers or analysts). I even had a manager tell me basically that we were below them. The management does a great job at keeping this mentality up by their constant in ability to understand real estate as well as to understand what real relationships are in the industry. As an equal in the industry you shouldn't constantly feel worthless as an employee and less than a broker who works at Cushman, CBRE. Train your employees more. -The ability to strangle any outside the box thinking. At CoStar you are told to do one thing and it can choke the life out of your creativeness and ability to work and learn in the industry. -Failure to pay smart people One thing that really is awful here is the failure to recognize individuals who actually think and analyze the work they are doing. I saw countless people get promoted who simply sat down and didn't ask questions or even attempt to learn real estate but instead just plugged numbers in. -Team projects, ha what a joke. The Directors will present team projects for example (the True Owner or Property Management project). The project was designed to capture the real owners and property managers of 1000s of assets, instead it was blindly inserting false information into the database to make a number go up. Managers will have researchers plug in 1000s of fake contacts (information) into the "reliable" database just to see the numbers go up. The pressure from the upper management causes the manager and the Director to simply turn there eye and reward the research associates for putting in false information, pretty ludicrous right? Not only did the management ignore what was really happening but rewarded those who had falsified hundreds of contacts at the end of the quarter as "researchers of the month" or those individuals received higher bonuses. Its really eye opening to watch people put false information into the database and not only be promoted but praised by management who know that the numbers are false. It's the classic facade of false performance and reward for false performance that really is CoStars whole motto on the research and director level.

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CoStar Group Response
11y
Researchers provide value to the people they call, helping them to earn a living by putting their information online. Like anyone else, brokers and other real estate professionals can have bad days or be busy, but with consistent communication our researchers build relationships with their contacts that make the job easier for the people on both ends of the call. And it’s those relationships that keep clients with us five years or more at a 98% renewal rate. While the Market Analyst role is connected CoStar Portfolio Strategy (fmr PPR), it remains separate from the Economist and Real Estate Analyst roles and all market analysts continue to be managed by CoStar Research. The new role in fact did not take away any positions or responsibilities, but expanded the span of analysis that CoStar Portfolio Strategy is able to provide, largely focusing on the multifamily industry. We recognize the value of promoting internal applicants to Research Manager positions when they open up, and as a result we promote more individuals to manager than we hire externally. To help facilitate a smooth transition from Researcher to Research Manager, our Senior Research Associates now undergo management training and mentor novice researchers to help develop their skills as a researcher, and pass on valuable knowledge from the more experienced to the less experienced. We provide our researchers with in-depth knowledge of the commercial real estate industry, and with time and on-the-job experience our researchers have become trusted advisors to many of their clients. Brokers work in a very high-stakes area of the industry and stress levels can run high so we know that they can get frustrated at times, but we expect our clients to treat our employees with the respect they deserve. We have Quality Assurance teams who check the validity and accuracy of the information put into our database. There are corrective action plans in place for any researchers who have accuracy issues, and in the rare extreme cases where a researchers has been found to be intentionally putting false information in the database, they are dealt with accordingly, which may include termination of employment.
1.0
Mar 11, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Entry-level experience.. if you're okay with hating your job then it's fine.

Cons

You'll never ever get to come up with an original idea and contribute it. You have no sense of autonomy at all. There's no creativity, decision-making, or control over your career or your DAY. You are simply told exactly what to do, and are expected to do it (the same exact thing, everyday, for 8 hours...). Your own ideas or opinions are not welcome or encouraged. This is a very monotonous job, with no room for growth or promotion. Even the managers I feel bad for. They are taught a terrible management style. Management is so petty, controlling, gossip-driven, and they really mimic bullying in some ways. Once they decide they don't like you, they will make your life hell in every way possible. Also, the surveillance of employees is disturbing. Overall, I look back at my time at CoStar and thank the stars above I'm not there anymore. I absolutely LOVE my job now and see an incredible difference between a company run correctly and CoStar's train wreck. I can't express to you enough..... DON'T WORK THERE. It's degrading.

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CoStar Group Response
11y
As an entry level role, researchers start out by building up skills and knowledge to be able to do the job. As more experience is gained, researchers are able to take on new responsibilities, which give greater freedom by becoming a trusted source of information by clients, a lead on projects and more. Our clearly designed career paths allow researchers to choose what direction they would like to work toward – whether it’s a managerial or analytic role. As does any other company providing a service via phone, we record our phone calls to be able to check for quality assurance, but also so our researchers can listen back to their own calls and check for any details they may have missed while inputting information into the system. This is to provide researchers with the right instruction to be able to grow and develop further in their career with the right tools, not about surveillance. To ensure they are using the best communication possible, our managers are regularly given the opportunity to attend training on developing positive working relationships with their employees. Similar training sessions are now being offered to our senior research associates as well, so they can develop necessary managerial skills prior to taking on a formal manager role. Some roles are just not for everyone. It sounds like you have found one that is better suited to you.
2.0
Sep 25, 2014

Stay Away!

Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good salary, employees you work with are great, close to lots of food places, easy to get to!

Cons

Metrics are unrealistic, bonus structure changes a week or so before paid out, you can't trust anyone, some managers act like they are still in high school, and you feel like you are working for big brother. You think you will be promoted, but you don't. The lazy folks get promoted, not the ones who work their butt off!

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