There’s no doubt you’ve heard the terms core, core plus, value-add, and opportunistic investments thrown around commercial real estate circles. The risk level and potential return of an investment property are measured by these terms.
A project’s debt financing is important, as well as its physical attributes when it comes to defining a potential investment. An investor must understand the differences between deals in order to select a deal that fits his or her investment goals, risk appetite, and expected return.
Several factors determine a deal’s risk level, ranging from conservative to aggressive. By categorizing each deal into these categories, potential investors can both identify which categories to look for, as well as what some of the goals may be for enhancing returns or sale prices.
Table of Contents
What are Value-Add Real Estate Investments?
The cost of making property improvements needs to be higher for value-add. Renovation and redesign of Class B and C buildings are more important than income-producing ones in this strategy. Property management and occupancy issues may also be significant in some of these structures.
Improvements can be made to the property, resulting in higher rents, or efforts can be increased to attract quality tenants and improve property management. It is not uncommon for property owners to sell assets when their returns on investment are increasing after increasing their net operating income.
To achieve higher market rents, these are typically older products that need a lot of capital improvement. As a result of these inherent problems, investors may find the investment to be moderately risky. In addition to their ability to increase in value, value-add properties are also referred to as growth investments. Taking a moderate to a high level of risk is a good option for those who are willing to take it.
Advantages of Value-Add Investments
The return on investment (ROI) of potential value-added properties is higher compared to core or core-plus properties. With the improved cash flow, you can then sell or hold on to such an opportunity if you are able to add value.
A value-add multifamily investment increases a property’s net operating income (NOI) to increase its return on investment. Rents are higher, and operating expenses are lower, which results in a higher NOI. This reduces the capitalization rate and increases the property’s value because the cash flow is stronger and more efficient.
The value-add component of a project can significantly increase the return on investment for individual or group investors. Multifamily investors who add value can take advantage of a variety of flexible financing options.
The two options are to purchase a property that needs renovation or refinance and renovate one that you already own. Another way to grow an investment portfolio is by tapping into the equity of existing properties to buy a new value-add project.
What are Opportunistic Real Estate Investments?
The value add approach with opportunistic investments is based on the same concept but is taken to the next level in terms of risk. A significant amount of rehabilitation is typically required to realize the full potential of opportunity properties.
An opportunity investor may not see a return on their investment for more than three years when they invest in the most complicated projects. In order to achieve success with these investment strategies, a team of people must be able to contribute years of experience.
It is possible in the beginning to have no cash flow from an opportunistic property, but once it has added value, you will generate a substantial income. In most cases, these types of assets are totally vacant or are in the process of being redeveloped from scratch.
An investment based on a business plan offers the highest return if it is implemented successfully.
How Risky are Opportunistic Investments?
Opportunistic strategies require a high return due to the high risk. In spite of this, opportunistic investment returns can be extremely variable. When the project is successful, the return ramps up once the construction is complete and units have been leased or sold.
If the risk-reward balance still favors them, opportunistic investors often change tactics as opportunities arise as they fail to capitalize during favorable market conditions.
Additionally, rehabilitation and improvements cannot be guaranteed to be as successful as planned. It is common for investors to earn higher returns on opportunistic investments, but the returns can ultimately fall short of what was projected.
Why are these Categories Important for Real Estate Investors?
A designation can set expectations for risk and return for an individual or institution investing in commercial real estate. It is crucial to understand the differences between these strategies if you are considering investing in real estate. Investing in real estate, therefore, provides investors with the chance to match their personal preferences with a good strategy.
Likewise, value-add deals that are promoted as opportunistic should be avoided. Glossing over rehabilitation details and overemphasizing projected returns is an easy way to mischaracterize the risks. Form your own opinion about the risks associated with each deal by conducting thorough research.
In addition, experts and firms typically use this language in their pitches in order to make them more concise. For investors who are intelligent, each strategy has certain characteristics, which are summarized by the term itself.
Saint Investment Group Can Help You Get Started Investing
Investing in real estate with our team, you can generate income as soon as now. You can trust our company to provide you with the services you need and all the information about core, core plus, value add, and opportunistic investments.
At Saint Investment Group, we bring the world of real estate unique in terms of investment through dependability, flexibility, and performance. Get in touch with our team at 949-881-7128 or email us at info@saintinvestment.com today!
You Might Also Like:
President of Saint Investment Group
Nic is a two decade seasoned expert in investing and capital raising, specializing in Real Estate and debt markets. With Saint Investment Group, he leads large-scale distressed asset purchases and innovative syndications for investors.
