Who Uses Real Estate Investment Management Software?
There are numerous groups that use real estate investment management software:
Investment firms: They operate real estate investment trusts (REITs) pertaining to their income-producing assets. These investment management solutions allow for research modeling pertaining to trade execution, eliminating uncertainty.
Asset managers: Buyers can use this software to strategize decision making regarding their portfolio, deciding on the diversification of their ventures as the real estate market shifts. This is especially helpful while determining assets under management (AUM), i.e. the market value of a portfolio someone manages. Investment management software also provides property owners and landlords with the ability and confidence to accurately evaluate their investment vehicles. Real estate investment management can have an expensive overhead cost, yet there are affordable cloud-based software for casual investors such as landowners.
Challenges with Real Estate Investment Management Software
Software solutions can come with their own set of challenges.
Affordability: The vast majority of real estate investment management solutions can be expensive, whether offered as a subscription or one-time payment. There are management platforms geared toward smaller firms and independent investors. However, cost can remain a factor.
Integration: There are a limited number of real estate investment management software that can fully integrate with property management software and other collaborative platforms. In addition, investors face an added difficulty if their portfolios include both residential and commercial real estate. Then, should an investor find a semi-integrated software, there’s the possibility of data inaccuracy due to improper integration. If an investment management software offers integration, users should ensure all information is transferred and remains accurate.
Perspective: Asset managers, investment firms, and landowners all share a different ideology of what a healthy portfolio looks like. Investment firms may solely be looking for maximum profit and high turnover, while the asset manager is looking at the longevity of the properties.
How to Buy Real Estate Investment Management Software
Pinpointing the investor's exact needs may prove difficult, and that’s the starting point of determining which real estate investment management software to purchase. If the firm or investor is having a hard time determining their needs, they can visit G2 to see a comparative analysis of what competitors have purchased. In addition, if the firm already utilizes investment management software and is looking to upgrade due to a recent acquisition, the G2 Grid® can be a helpful tool.
Once it is determined which specific features and tools would best serve the buyer, a criteria checklist should be developed. The checklist serves as a guide to remind the buyer of non-negotiable items such as automatic report configuration and waterfall distribution. At the same time, lead management and unlimited employee access would serve as bonus features.
Compare Real Estate Investment Management Products
Create a long list
When comparing the different real estate investment management software, the first thing to identify is essential “must haves.” This will be the determining factor, when catering to property type as well as capital markets. Real estate asset management should be an essential feature of the platform. If the property investment is a joint venture, a cloud-based management dashboard is vital for keeping all parties up to date.
Create a short list
Once the key software features are identified, narrowing down a list of well suited vendors is the next step. From the long list of vendors, it is helpful to come up with a shorter list of contenders, preferably no more than three to five. With this list in hand, businesses can produce a grid to compare the features and pricing of the various solutions.
Conduct demos
Comparing the different asset management platforms, with a long and short list is a key part of the decision making process. However, conducting demos are a great opportunity to see how the different real estate investment management systems work. Demos should be performed live by qualified personnel, using the system, not through presentations. All vendors should follow a predetermined scenario that simulates the business processes of the buyer. A common scenario for real estate investment is facilitating an analysis of the investment portfolios in the system via a report. This demonstration allows the buyer to go through the steps to follow.
Selection of Real Estate Investment Management Software
Choose a selection team
The purchase of a real estate investment management software has an effect on ROI and asset management and allocation. The key decision makers should be a diverse group of team members who will actively use the system. This will likely be asset managers in different sectors and administrators who rely heavily on performance metrics.
Negotiation
At this point in the evaluation, dealbreakers are the main decision makers, such as price of product or which real estate market is best suited for the platform. Buyers should ensure that all concerns are expressed to the real estate investment management vendor. Lastly, it's important to discuss upfront or implementation cost, discounts being offered by each vendor, and whether there will be any upcoming maintenance for the product.
Final decision
The final decision should be based on the information gathered and the needs of the buyer. After reviewing vendors, asset management platform features and software accessibility; it is recommended the buyer do their due diligence and roll out a system test run. By conducting a pilot program with a small sample size of users, this will ensure all needs are met. If the tool is user friendly, the buyer can be assured that the selection was correct. If not, repeat the process until a confident decision can be made.
