Vantaggi
CoStar is a decent place to begin your professional career, especially if you are interested in Commercial Real Estate. CoStar has name recognition (for better or worse) in that industry. The hours are regular and the pay is okay for entry-level. Most employees are in their mid-20s and there's a good deal of camaraderie among teammates and fellow researchers.
Svantaggi
Upper management is 100% disconnected from research. You are evaluated on the number of phone calls you make that last over two minutes long. This number is the main focus, despite the fact that it is in no way correlated with the actual data production or quality. There is very little to no room for promotion. When individuals are promoted it seldom has to do with their ability to lead, overall subject knowledge or background. This has created a never-ending cycle of clueless managers leading disgruntled and disengaged researchers. Employee morale has been low since the day I stepped foot in the door and every additional day spent here provides more incentive to seek employment elsewhere. After you spend a few months here and the initial high of having a job wears off, you begin to realize just how much you hate waking up and going to work here every day. It's not a coincidence.