CRE Capital Group

What CRE Capital Group does

CRE Capital Group, LLC is a privately held, Michigan-based commercial real estate investment firm specializing in three niche asset classes: self-storage, student housing, and multifamily. Operating as an LLC founded and run by Managing Partners Alan L. Johns (MAI, CPM) and Steen D. Grundahl (B.B.A.), the firm provides acquisition, development, and asset management services to real estate investors, with a stated 50+ years of combined CRE experience across its leadership. The firm reports 1,165 self-storage units, 680 student housing beds, and 200+ multifamily units under asset management, served through a regional Michigan footprint spanning Mount Pleasant, Big Rapids, Muskegon, Baldwin, and East Lansing.

The firm's core product offering is a unified commercial real estate platform anchored by a proprietary data-driven, finance-focused underwriting model. Day-to-day operations are differentiated by a technology and automation stack that includes an implemented CRM, centralized call center for self-storage facilities, an online auction platform, and Business Intelligence software used for targeted marketing and data-driven asset management. The firm explicitly markets this stack as enabling unmanned, automated self-storage facilities with lower operating costs than conventional operators and post-COVID operational resiliency, and it positions technology-enabled scalability as a central operating thesis.

CRE Capital's business model is sales-led and relationship-driven, targeting investors and property sellers directly through its website, targeted marketing campaigns, and direct outreach by Managing Partners. Revenue derives from commercial real estate investment returns — including rental income, asset appreciation, and asset management fees — across self-storage, student housing, and multifamily deals. The firm also facilitates 1031 Exchange, Economic Development Zone, and Cost Segregation tax strategies to support investors with tax liabilities from property sales. Pricing and investment terms are not publicly disclosed and require direct contact; no fund vehicles, institutional capital, parent company, or third-party distribution partnerships are referenced.

Name

CRE Capital Group

Legal name

CRE Capital Group, LLC

Website

https://crecapitalgrp.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRE Capital Group is a Michigan-based, privately held commercial real estate investment firm that acquires, develops, and asset-manages self-storage, student housing, and multifamily properties for individual and tax-strategy (1031 Exchange, EDZ) investors using a proprietary data-driven underwriting model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Real Estate Investment

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Real Estate Dealers (For Their Own Account) (6532), Investors, Nec (6799)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Real Estate Asset Management (BPAJAMAB)

Keywords

• Commercial real estate investment
• Self-storage management
• Student housing development
• Multifamily housing investment
• Property asset management

Headquarters

HQ city

Mount Pleasant

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commercial Real Estate Investment Returns: Revenue generated through acquisition, development, and asset management of Self-Storage, Student Housing, and Multifamily properties. Income derived from property appreciation, rental income, and asset value appreciation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

CRE Capital Group is a commercial real estate investment firm that acquires, develops, and manages Self-Storage, Student Housing, and Multifamily properties. The firm applies a proprietary, data-driven, finance-focused underwriting model to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns, complemented by CRE tax strategies including 1031 Exchange, Economic Development Zone Investment, and Cost Segregation. Current portfolio includes 1,165 Self-Storage units, 680 Student Housing beds, and 200+ Multifamily Apartments under asset management.

Product overview

CRE Capital Group is a Commercial Real Estate investment firm offering a unified suite of services built around a proprietary underwriting model. The core offerings include Self-Storage Development, Acquisition, and Management; Student Housing; Multifamily; Underwriting Services; and CapEx Projects. The firm employs a data-driven, finance-focused approach across all asset classes to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns, supported by technology and automation services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Self-Storage Development, Acquisition, and Management Development, acquisition, and management of unmanned self-storage facilities, including automated operations and technology-enabled facilities designed for scalable customer experience and lower operating costs. Targeted at real estate investors seeking 1031 Exchange or Economic Development Zone investments.
• Student Housing Development and management of off-campus student housing properties, including luxury cottages with amenities such as clubhouses, fitness centers, and business lounges. Targeted at real estate investors seeking value-add opportunities in university markets.
• Multifamily Acquisition, development, and asset management of multifamily apartment properties for real estate investors, including value-add projects and operational improvements.
• Underwriting Services Proprietary underwriting services based on a data-driven, finance-focused approach to commercial real estate investment, designed to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns across asset classes. Underpinned by the proprietary underwriting model and CRE Models/CRE Suite Real Estate Software.
• CapEx Projects Capital expenditure value-add projects, repositioning, and rebranding of existing commercial real estate properties across the firm's asset classes. Targeted at real estate investors seeking to enhance asset value and returns.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,165 Self-Storage units under management
• +2 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Marcus & Millichap: National CRE investment sales brokerage specializing in multifamily, self-storage, and student housing transactions. Comparable to CRE Capital Group because both serve investors seeking to buy and sell CRE assets in similar asset classes, though Marcus & Millichap operates at significantly larger scale as a brokerage rather than a principal operator.

Broad incumbents

• Walker & Dunlop: CRE-focused commercial real estate finance and investment sales firm. Comparable to CRE Capital Group because it operates in multifamily, student housing, and self-storage financing and investment — though Walker & Dunlop focuses on capital markets intermediation rather than principal investment.
• CBRE Group: Global commercial real estate services and investment firm offering investment sales, debt origination, valuation, and asset management. Comparable to CRE Capital Group as a broad incumbent operating across all three of its core asset classes (multifamily, self-storage, student housing) with far greater scale and institutional reach.
• Public Storage: Largest publicly traded self-storage REIT in the U.S. Comparable to CRE Capital Group because it competes for self-storage investors and sets the operational/technology benchmark that small regional operators must outperform on cost or service to win deals.
• National Storage Affiliates: Public self-storage REIT aggregating regional operators across the U.S. Comparable to CRE Capital Group's self-storage strategy because its model depends on acquiring and partnering with regional self-storage operators — making it a potential acquirer or competitor.
• Extra Space Storage: Public self-storage REIT with national footprint and significant automated/digital rental operations. Comparable to CRE Capital Group's self-storage segment as a broad incumbent setting competitive benchmarks for tech-enabled unmanned self-storage operations.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle): Global real estate services and investment management firm. Comparable to CRE Capital Group because it spans investment sales, asset management, valuation, and capital markets across multifamily, student housing, and self-storage — operating at vastly larger scale as a broad incumbent.
• Cushman & Wakefield: Global commercial real estate services firm covering investment sales, valuation, asset management, and capital markets. Comparable to CRE Capital Group as a broad incumbent in the same CRE asset categories but at enterprise scale.

Emerging players

• Fundrise: Online real estate investment platform offering individual investors exposure to CRE funds across multifamily and other asset classes. Comparable to CRE Capital Group as an emerging player democratizing CRE investing — though Fundrise operates pooled funds rather than performing direct acquisition, development, and asset management.
• CrowdStreet: Online CRE investment marketplace enabling individual investors to access institutional-quality commercial real estate deals. Comparable to CRE Capital Group as an emerging channel for sourcing individual accredited investors into CRE offerings — though CrowdStreet is a platform rather than an operator.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CRE Capital Group