Research Analyst

Sunstone Real Estate Advisors, the largest national brokerage firm focused exclusively on manufactured housing & RV communities, seeks a talented Research Analyst to join our growing team in San Diego.

The ideal candidate possesses 1-3+ years' experience in market research, data analysis, or a related commercial real estate (CRE) function, and is comfortable working with property, demographic, and transaction data, industry terminology, and third-party research platforms.

We're seeking a curious, detail-oriented, and growth-oriented individual to help support the firm's brokerage team with a range of tasks from market and submarket research, comp tracking and analysis, preparing data for offering memorandums (OM's) and broker opinions of value (BOV's), building charts and reports for client presentations, and monitoring industry trends across the manufactured housing and RV community sector.

This is a full-time, exempt, primarily in-office role located in Pacific Beach.

A day in the life of a successful Research Analyst includes, but is not limited to:

• Research and compile market, submarket, and property-level data on manufactured housing and RV communities nationwide

• Track and analyze comparable sales and rent comps to support pricing, underwriting, and valuation work

• Build and maintain data sets and models that feed offering memorandums (OM's), broker opinions of value (BOV's), and client pitch materials

• Prepare charts, maps, and summaries that translate raw data into clear, client-ready insights

• Monitor industry news, transactions, and trends, and summarize key takeaways for the brokerage team

• Support brokers and executives with ad hoc research requests tied to active deals and prospecting efforts

• Maintain and improve internal research databases, templates, and tracking tools

• Collaborate with operations, marketing, and brokerage teams across the firm

The Ideal Research Analyst possesses the following characteristics:

• A curious, analytical mindset with genuine interest in real estate markets and data

• Strong Excel skills (pivot tables, formulas, charting) and comfort learning new research/data platforms

• Intermediate/strong computer skills including Office365, MS Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Canva or similar design tools

• Excellent attention to detail, with strong proofreading and quality-control habits when working with numbers

• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to summarize data for a non-technical audience

• A reliable, punctual, and collaborative team member who takes ownership of assigned work

The Research Analyst role requires:

• 1-3+ years of experience in market research, data analysis, or a related CRE/analytical role

• Experience with real estate or demographic data sources (e.g., CoStar, public records, Census data) preferred

• Strong Excel and MS Office skills; experience with data visualization tools a plus

• Superior writing, editing, and proofreading skills

• Ability to manage multiple research requests and prioritize workflow in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment

• Bachelor's degree preferred, ideally in real estate, finance, economics, or a related field