CREA
Cypress Real Estate Advisors is a private, Austin-based real estate investment manager founded in 1995 that raises institutional capital to develop, reposition, and operate multifamily, single-family, mixed-use, and commercial properties across U.S. high-growth markets, having deployed $2.6B across 170 investments.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1995
- HeadquartersAustin, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What CREA does
Cypress Real Estate Advisors (CREA) is a privately held, Austin-headquartered real estate investment firm founded in 1995 by Stephen Clark and Tim Clark. The firm operates as a vertically integrated investment manager and developer, raising capital from institutional investors—including pension funds, endowments, and family offices—to acquire, develop, reposition, and operate real estate assets in U.S. high-growth market corridors. Over a 30-year operating history, CREA has raised $2.6 billion in committed capital and completed 170 investments, building a portfolio spanning multifamily apartments, single-family and master-planned communities, mixed-use developments, office, retail, senior living, and hospitality. The firm has developed more than 25,000 multifamily homes, 16,000+ master-planned residential lots, and over 2 million square feet of commercial space across markets including Austin, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Nashville, Atlanta, and Raleigh.
CREA's investment platform is organized around four core strategies: institutional investment management, ground-up development (multifamily, single-family, mixed-use), value-add repositioning, and debt investments. The firm assembles raw land in infill corridors, secures entitlements, develops or repositions the asset, and ultimately sells or stabilizes for ongoing management. Revenue is generated through a combination of (a) investment management and asset management fees charged on institutional capital, (b) development profits from the sale or lease-up of newly constructed communities, and (c) carried interest or promote economics on fund performance. Notable realizations include the strategic assembly and sale of the 60-acre Lakeshore District to Oracle for its 970,000 SF global headquarters campus, the 2022 sale of a 500,000 SF office development site in Austin's Stadium District ahead of the office market softening, and the December 2023 sale of Litsey Creek Cottages, a 396-home purpose-built rental community in Fort Worth.
The firm's go-to-market is a sales-led, relationship-driven model targeting institutional limited partners. CREA does not publicly disclose pricing, fees, or fund minimums, and does not maintain consumer-facing marketing channels. Distribution is conducted through direct outreach to institutional capital providers, supplemented by participation in industry associations such as the Urban Land Institute, National Multi Housing Council, Pension Real Estate Association, and Real Estate Council of Austin. Sustained LP relationships over multiple fund vintages constitute the firm's primary distribution moat.
CREA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CREA
- Legal name
- Cypress Real Estate Advisors
- Website
- https://crea.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1995
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Cypress Real Estate Advisors is a private, Austin-based real estate investment manager founded in 1995 that raises institutional capital to develop, reposition, and operate multifamily, single-family, mixed-use, and commercial properties across U.S. high-growth markets, having deployed $2.6B across 170 investments.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CREA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Real Estate Investment Management
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Real Estate Property Managers (53131)
- SIC
- Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation) (BPAJANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Commercial Real Estate Asset Management (BPAJAMAB), Real Estate Capital Markets Advisory (Debt/Equity Placement, Refinancing) (BPAJANAE)
Keywords
Where CREA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Austin
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
CREA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Real Estate Investment Management: Cypress Real Estate Advisors generates revenue through investment management fees from institutional investors, development profits from property sales, and ongoing asset management of owned properties. The firm has raised $2.6B in funds and completed 170 investments over 30+ years.
- Development and Property Sales: Revenue from developing and selling multifamily, single-family, and mixed-use properties. The firm creates value through development and repositioning of residential and mixed-use communities in high-growth markets.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
CREA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cypress Real Estate Advisors (CREA) is a private real estate investment firm that sources, plans, develops, and manages land, multifamily, single-family, mixed-use, office, retail, senior living, and hospitality real estate investments on behalf of institutional investors. Over 30+ years, the firm has raised $2.6B in funds, completed 170 investments, developed 25,000+ multifamily homes, 16,000+ master-planned lots, and 2M+ commercial square feet, primarily in high-growth U.S. markets including Austin, Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Atlanta, and Raleigh.
Product overview
Cypress Real Estate Advisors (CREA) is a real estate investment firm offering a comprehensive suite of investment management and development services. The firm operates across multiple property categories including multifamily apartments, single-family communities, mixed-use developments, land, office, retail, senior living, and hospitality. CREA's portfolio includes notable developments such as Denargo Market (30-acre Denver mixed-use), Lakeshore District (60-acre Austin land assembly), Ten50 (284-unit Denver high-rise), Stadium District (Austin submarket), Corazon (256-unit LEED Gold Austin multifamily), Abacoa (2,050-acre Palm Beach master-planned community), and Julington Creek Plantation (4,150-acre Jacksonville mixed-use). The firm targets high-growth markets including Austin, Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Atlanta, and Raleigh, focusing on development, value-add, land, and debt investment strategies.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Real Estate Investment Management Institutional real estate investment management services, including sourcing, planning, developing, and managing land, multifamily, mixed-use, single-family, office, retail, senior living, and hospitality investments for institutional capital providers (pension funds, endowments, family offices).
- Lakeshore District 60-acre land assembly along Lady Bird Lake in Austin's East Riverside corridor, including Lakeshore Pearl (230-unit multifamily) and strategic land sale to Oracle for its 970,000 SF global headquarters campus.
- Denargo Market
Companies that use CREA
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
CREA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
CREA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
CREA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bozzuto Group: Multifamily developer, owner and operator active across the U.S. with concentration in Sun Belt and Mid-Atlantic markets. CREA Director John Burnham previously worked at Bozzuto, indicating strong overlap in development and acquisition discipline.
- Continental Properties: Multifamily and mixed-use developer with a programmatic Sun Belt development strategy. Comparable to CREA's repeatable, asset-specific approach to multifamily and master-planned product in high-growth metros.
- JPI: Multifamily developer and investment manager building Class A communities in select U.S. metros. CREA Director Dudley Simmons previously worked at JPI, evidencing the close functional overlap in development execution.
- Gables Residential: Multifamily developer, owner and operator focused on Class A urban and suburban communities. CREA VP Denise Daiello previously worked at Gables, indicating comparable multifamily operating and asset management practices.
- Wood Partners: National multifamily developer and investment manager specializing in Class A garden-style and mid-rise apartments across high-growth U.S. metros. Directly comparable to CREA on multifamily development, Sun Belt focus, and institutional capital sourcing.
- Crow Holdings Capital: Institutional real estate investment manager and developer focused on Sun Belt multifamily, mixed-use and master-planned communities. Highly comparable to CREA in strategy, target geographies (Dallas, Austin, Denver) and institutional LP base.
Broad incumbents
- Trammell Crow Company: Major diversified commercial real estate developer and investment manager with national reach. CREA founder Stephen Clark was previously partner in charge of Trammell Crow's Philadelphia commercial activities, reflecting shared DNA in institutional-grade CRE development.
- PGIM Real Estate: Large global institutional real estate investment manager across debt and equity strategies. CREA VP Emily Leidolf previously structured $1.5B of multifamily bridge loans at PGIM, reflecting shared talent pipeline and competing for the same institutional LP mandates.
- Brookfield Asset Management: Global alternative asset manager with one of the largest real estate platforms, deploying capital across residential, office, retail and mixed-use. Competes with CREA for institutional LP allocations in U.S. real estate strategies, though at a vastly larger scale.
Emerging players
- TruAmerica Multifamily: Vertically integrated multifamily investment manager acquiring and operating value-add workforce housing across the U.S. Overlaps with CREA on Sun Belt multifamily investment focus but skews more toward value-add acquisitions than ground-up development.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
CREA social profiles
Digital presenceCREA compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
CREA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CREA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles18 records
CREA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CREA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CREA
What does CREA do?
Cypress Real Estate Advisors (CREA) is a private real estate investment firm that sources, plans, develops, and manages land, multifamily, single-family, mixed-use, office, retail, senior living, and hospitality real estate investments on behalf of institutional investors. Over 30+ years, the firm has raised $2.6B in funds, completed 170 investments, developed 25,000+ multifamily homes, 16,000+ master-planned lots, and 2M+ commercial square feet, primarily in high-growth U.S. markets including Austin, Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Atlanta, and Raleigh.
Is CREA a public or private company?
CREA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CREA founded?
CREA was founded in 1995. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is CREA based?
CREA is headquartered in Austin, United States, in the North America region.
How does CREA make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Real Estate Investment Management is the primary driver. The others are development and Property Sales.
Who are CREA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bozzuto Group, Continental Properties, JPI, Gables Residential, Wood Partners and Crow Holdings Capital. Broad incumbents are Trammell Crow Company, PGIM Real Estate and Brookfield Asset Management. TruAmerica Multifamily is listed as an emerging player.
Does CREA have an API?
No public API is recorded for CREA.
What industry is CREA in?
CREA's product category is Real Estate Investment Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAJANAA, Real Estate Investment Advisory (Acquisitions/Dispositions, Capital Allocation), with a secondary code of BPAJAMAB, Commercial Real Estate Asset Management. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6532.