Presenting a Real Estate Investment Opportunity to Investors

The first step in raising private equity for anyequity with the sponsor adding the remaining 10% (a
developer is usually to compile a detailed information90:10 split).
package. This typically including comprehensive proMoving on to one of the more important sections,
forma spreadsheets, investment vehicle structure,for obvious reasons. One needs to display exactly
site details, and other such information.what the investor will receive in return for their
However, the packages often neglect to include aequity contribution - "Expected Returns to Investor".
snapshot of the deal from the investor point of view.You state what you are going to pay (typically per
At a high level - how much investment is required,year) followed by an IRR calculation. The IRR tells
for how long, at what rate of return and how willthe investor what their annual return would be if they
that investment and return be repaid.invested in your project for x number of years.
Investors first want to know the basics and establishThe most common time frame for real estate
if a deal matches their investment criteria and how itinvestment opportunities is probably between 3 to 4
rates against other deals currently on offer.years. But, investors can also be sweet to deals that
If a deal is presented in a beautiful, large packagehave a high long term return if the figures stack up.
that has to be read from cover to cover toWhen the equity requirement and the associated
determine its essence it can be a major turnoff toreturns over the timeframe have been established,
the busy investment professional and casual investorthe next step is proving the model. This requires
alike.presenting a breakdown of the various cash flows to
The more detailed information is really only necessarythe investor and sponsor, along with the refinance
when an investor has established its suitability on aassumptions that feed the model.
general level. What is suggested is first producing aOn the supporting worksheets it is best practice to
more simple deal overview for the potential investorbuild the model in such a way that when an investor
to review.sees a number in the summary sheet that isn't clear,
Begin with the name of the project and a very briefthey can follow the links and understand its origins.
description of the deal (it may be that this is the onlyConstructing an investment summary can be
document that the investor will look at to determinerelatively easy, especially if you have the proforma
their interest in your project).model outlining all the costs and revenues - it is really
The next piece of information to be included is thejust highlighting the right information and presenting it
cost of the deal and so the equity needed. This partin a clear and concise manner.
of the document will resemble a traditional debtWithout it however, your deal can die before it is
term-sheet. It shows the investor how much theeven reviewed by the investor.
sponsor is committing to the deal themselves andWe hope this give you an idea of what the investor
how much is being sought externally. A typical equityis looking for, and ultimately aids you in your pursuit
split involves investors providing 90% of the requiredof the equity you require.