What does CCIM stand for? 

Introduction

“CCIM” refers to a professional designation offered by the CCIM Institute. The CCIM Institute is a highly regarded commercial real estate and investment property organization based in the United States.

Some consider the CCIM designation to be roughly equivalent to an “MD” of commercial real estate.

CCIM’s are recognized as being experts in the commercial and investment real estate industry.

CCIM stands for “Certified Commercial Investment Member”.

The process of achieving the designation is a combination of theory/coursework, commercial real estate experience and examinations.

Achieving the CCIM designation typically takes about 2-5 years for most members, depending on the experience level at the onset of the process.

The designation is most widely held by commercial real estate brokers, though other members of the commercial real estate industry pursue the designation.

The core programs of the CCIM educational platform revolve around ethics, personal relationships, negotiations, finance, investment property analysis, user decision analysis, and investment decision-making.

CCIM’s are well regarded within the commercial real estate industry, having passed a variety of coursework, experience and examinations.

Requirements

The CCIM requirements have and will likely change through time. It is important to view current CCIM requirements via the CCIM Institute’s published materials, which override anything herein. Below are the generally representative designation requirements as of this post.

Courses or equivalent coursework required are as follows:

• CI 101- Financial Analysis for Commercial Investment Real Estate (37.5 hours- CO)
• CI 102- Market Analysis (29 hours- CO)
• CI 103- User Decision Analysis (28 hours- CO)
• CI 104- Investment Analysis (31 hours- CO)
• Online Ethics Course (2 hours)
• Preparing to Negotiate (8 hours)
• Two elective courses

After the above courses are complete, the candidate submits their portfolio of qualifying experience, or, receives credit for experience another way. For brokers, the current portfolio requirement is:

• Three (3) or more qualifying activities totaling $30 million or more, OR;
• Exactly ten (10) qualifying activities that must total $10 million or more, OR;
• Twenty (20) qualifying activities without regard to total dollar volume

Lastly, the candidate must pass the comprehensive examination which is a full day examination testing all core CCIM concepts.

Receiving the CCIM designation can be the pinnacle of many commercial brokers and investment managers careers. Obtaining the designation requires dedication, skill and expertise.

In Closing

It is important to check for current CCIM requirements via the CCIM Institute as they can and will change. There are also multiple paths and individual can take to achieve the CCIM status.

The above statements represent opinions only. There are plenty of other professional designations out there and someone could easily argue that others are ‘more prestigious’ or that a CCIM is not at the ‘MD level’. Readers are encouraged to explore the myriad of professional designations and make their own determinations.