As investment funds become harder to secure for commercial real estate, transparency and communication have become more important than ever. Today’s investors want access to reports and investment metrics on demand, including on a mobile device at any time. If you’re not already delivering this level of self-service for investors, making that happen will go a long way to increase their confidence. Standing out in an increasingly competitive marketplace to attract (and retain) investors requires ditching manual processes and outdated accounting methods — especially error-prone spreadsheets. Gone are the days of publishing information 45 or more days after a quarter to investors. Investors expect access to their investment positions, reports and other key documents anytime – anywhere. Investors are also asking for more detailed asset-level operating data in addition to investment data, putting more burden on your teams and their ability to respond to inquiries quickly. Today’s investors want the numbers and what’s driving them, knowing that property operations impact cash flow and ultimately give rise to distributions and higher asset value. Navigating CRE financing trends As CRE development is slowing down, investors and lenders are becoming more cautious, and securing financing for new deals is more challenging. In this economic climate, having the right technology to attract and retain investors is more important than ever. As CRE executives reflect on 2023: In a recent (1/10/23) Commercial Property Executive survey, “Poll: CRE’s Biggest Challenges in 2023,”1 “Sixty percent [of commercial real estate professionals] identified that interest rates and capital availability as their primary business and dealmaking obstacle.” In “The 2023 CRE Outlook: CEOs Weigh In”2 five CEOs agreed that the combination of economic, global and policy unknowns is having a pronounced effect on dealmaking.” Jonathan Martin, CEO of AEW Capital Management North America Division attested, “All of our clients are waiting for those adjustments to take place.” Increasing Insight and communication It comes down to insight and communication. A single connected technology platform enables analysis of investor, investment and property key metrics, effective communication with investors and efficiencies with fundraising processes. An integrated investor portal enables self-service for investors, with access to key data and reports. Key benefits of using a single connected solution with a built-in investor portal include: Distributing reports automatically, including K-1 statements Integrating the investor portal with accounting for speed and accuracy Gaining greater visibility for internal stakeholders to answer investor questions quickly Streamlining the subscription agreement process Automating capital calls and distributions Empowering internal stakeholders with data and financials at their fingertips These capabilities drive investor confidence through the responsive online delivery of timely data. through a secure portal instead of email. Learn more about how Yardi Investment Manager improves investor confidence and collaboration for all stakeholders through a single connected platform. 1Poll: CRE’’s Biggest Challenges in 2023 – Commercial Property Executive (commercialsearch.com) 2The 2023 CRE Outlook: CEOs Weigh In – Commercial Property Executive...
Managing Investments
Connecting operations in one platform leads to success
You might be hearing a lot about the benefits of connecting the accounting, operations and investor relations within real estate organizations in a single technology platform. It’s natural to wonder what the appeal to this approach is. The single connected platform strategy stems from a growing realization among investors and investment managers of the deficiencies of spreadsheets, inefficient communications and other outmoded tools. Entering data into multiple spreadsheets and relying on disparate investment, investor and accounting systems can be inefficient and error-prone for investment managers. For their part, investors increasingly expect on-demand service and self-service access to key metrics, capital transactions, documents and reports. Technology that facilitates these operations has become widely available to investment manager service providers over the past several years, improving collaboration among investment participants and increasing investor confidence. A single connected platform centralizes investment managers’ communications with existing and prospective investors, automates the management of capital call and distribution notices, and improves collaboration on investment opportunities. Such a platform also improves efficiency for internal stakeholders. Executives needing a report, can get it themselves from the centralized database without asking Accounting. Investor Relations has full access to investor information readily available from the platform. An added benefit comes in the form of a higher level of investor confidence that comes from the online delivery of timely, responsive data. Investors can view property-level metrics, and investment managers can communicate new investment opportunity information through a secure portal rather than email. Yardi Investment Manager is one example of how a technology platform can unite real estate investment activity. It provides a single source of the truth for investor and investment information that eliminates the need for disparate systems and manual data transfers. Investment managers are empowered to give their investors timely access to...