Amazing salary for a 9-5 - Research Associate CoStar Group Employee Review

5.0
27 Jul 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

- All of the staff at Costar, in the London office, truly enhance the experience you get a costar. A very supportive and social environment between colleagues and management alike. - The salary, in my opinion, is unrivaled, as is the work/life balance. 40k for a graduate salary where it is almost frowned upon if you're in the office past 5:30pm on any given day. - As the hours are 9-5, it is expected that you're working at a fast pace while you're at work, however, this makes the time fly. The days and weeks move so quickly, that before you know it, its the weekend again. - Office culture such as dress down Fridays, unlimited fresh fruit and a constant stream of snacks. Birthday lunches for everyone's birthday within the given month. -Good performance is rewarded in the form of monthly happy hours (drinks included). Salary bonuses are handed out to a few of the best performing researchers each month, including a peer voted award. -Being on the 26th floor of The Shard is an added bonus. - The paid for months training in the US. We got to visit Washington DC, New York and Richmond. While we were there, we were all seconded to another market for 5 days - locations including Miami, Dallas, NYC, Boston, Chicago and Atlanta, to name a few. CoStar also paid for and organised various meals and excursions such as wine tasting in Virginia and Yankees v Mets baseball game in NYC. -Great intro / starter role in the Commercial Real Estate industry. As CoStar has so many clients in so many different sectors, it really gives you a great understanding of how these sectors are involved with CRE. Some of my current clients include retail banks, investment banks and national real estate consultancies.

Cons

- The targets enforced can sometimes seem unreachable, however management and other staff are very supportive. The targets actually end up making you push yourself a little more to be your best. -Branding about the company when talking to clients can seem a bit cringe, especially in the UK. However, I have noticed since starting here that there has been a shift in how this is done here, and it has made it a lot easier for us researchers.

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CoStar Group Response
7y
Thanks for the very thorough review. I'm glad you enjoyed your time training and traveling here in the US - I know you all worked hard but glad you had some fun also!

Explore other reviews about CoStar Group

5.0
28 Feb 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great experience in a high-level, fast-paced data company. You have to put in the work to learn the job immediately. Prove your skills and learn by doing. Fun companywide events and great campus.

Cons

Some positions require extra work to meet weekly goals.

1
1.0
11 May 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

401k, medical benefits snacks decent base salary

Cons

Working at CoStar Group was one of the most emotionally exhausting sales environments I’ve experienced. The culture on my team was extremely male-dominated, hyper-competitive, and very much “sink or swim.” Collaboration was talked about constantly by management, but in reality the environment rewarded internal competition, territorial behavior, favoritism, and politics over actual teamwork. As one of the few women on the sales team, I often felt isolated and unsupported. Instead of mentorship or coaching, the expectation was basically: “figure it out yourself.” New hires were thrown into difficult situations with inconsistent training and unrealistic expectations, while certain reps appeared to receive stronger books of business, better territories, or more support than others. It created resentment and a toxic atmosphere where coworkers often felt more like competitors waiting for you to fail than teammates. The turnover was incredibly high, which should have been a red flag. Management pushed aggressive quotas and nonstop pressure while failing to address morale, burnout, or fairness concerns. There was also an unhealthy obsession with leaderboard culture and internal politics that made the workplace feel stressful every single day. What disappointed me most was that I genuinely believed in the product and enjoyed helping clients. Many customers loved working with me, and I built strong relationships. But internally, the environment became mentally draining. The constant competitiveness, lack of support, and toxic culture eventually outweighed the positives of the role.

5
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