Before raising money for my first deal, I thought the primary reason accredited investors would passively invest in my deal would be because of the return. However, after raising $1 million for that deal, I discovered that the return on investment was not the major concern. Because there are other syndication and investment avenues to which an investor can go, offering solid returns cannot be the driving factor.
So, if returns aren’t their primary motivation, what is?
Since my first deal, I’ve partnered with hundreds of accredited investors on more than ten apartments communities worth nearly $200,000,000. From this experience, I have narrowed down the passive investors’ three primary reasons for investing in an apartment syndication:
My first need is to know that my money is in good hands. First and foremost, that means I want to know that – at the very least – you won’t lose my money. Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has two rules for investing: 1) Never lose money. 2) Never forget rule number 1. Therefore, your main focus when managing other people’s money should be capital preservation.
Like any investment, there are never guarantees – not for returns or the preservation of capital. So, I need to know that you are proactively mitigating any major risks. The syndicator accomplishes this by adhering to the three principles of apartment investing:
Follow these three principles and I will be confident that you will not only preserve my capital, but maximize my return as well.
Along with this, I want to know that my money is in the hands of an experienced syndicator. So, before you’re ready to raise money for your first deal, you must establish a solid educational foundation and have a track record in business and/or real estate. If you are lacking in either or both of these areas, you can make up for your deficiencies by surrounding yourself with a trustworthy, credible team, like a mentor, property management company and broker who have experience in the apartment industry and have successfully completed syndications. For me to invest in your deals, I must be confident in you and your team’s ability to return my capital and provide me with the projected return.
I also need to trust you as a person. I need to have a good feeling about you and truly believe that you have my best interests in mind. This trust is established by the length and quality of our relationship and by you demonstrating your expertise through your experience, your team or your thought leadership.
With this trust, I will be confident that you will have common sense, make good decisions, conservatively underwrite the deal, perform all the required due diligence before purchasing an apartment and at a minimum, meet the projected returns you outlined.
Finally, I want to know that you are a responsive communicator. If there is a problem with the deal, I want you to not only notify me of the issue, but have a proposed solution as well. And if I reach out to you with a question or concern, I expect that same lightning quick response with an answer.
Overall, I want to know that my money is in good hands. The syndicator will convey this to me by proactively mitigating the risks, having the relevant experience, building a trusting relationship and being a responsive communicator.
Additionally, I want to be provided with ongoing status updates of the project. On a consistent basis, I want a director level – not a CEO or entry-level employee level – update on the deal with supporting data.
To accomplish this, the syndicator needs to provide their investors with a monthly email update (I use MailChimp) that includes the following information:
Then, on a quarterly basis, provide me with the profit and loss statement and rent roll so if I want, I can review the operations of the property and dig deeper into the details. My company actually provides monthly distributions – as opposed to quarterly or annual distributions – so our investors are not only provided with updates on a monthly basis, but are paid as well.
Finally, I want a hassle-free process. The reason I am a passive investor is because I want to park my money in an investment and not have to worry about doing any of the day-to-day operations. I am busy making money with other business endeavors, so I want to minimize my time investment in the deal.
After performing my initial due diligence on the deal prior to investing, I want a boring investment with little to no surprises. All I want to do is read the monthly email updates and receive my distributions. So, to effectively provide investor distributions, set up a direct deposit, as opposed to sending checks in the mail, so all I need to do is look at my bank account rather than going to the bank each month to deposit a check.
If I do reach out with a concern, I want a quick resolution with minimal back and forth. Therefore, you should proactively address potential concerns in your monthly updates and if an investor has a concern, have a solution in place prior to replying.
In summary, I’ve completed nearly $200,000,000 worth of apartment syndications with hundreds of passive investors, and if you set your business/deals up so your investors answer YES to these 3 questions, you’ll be well on your way to closing more deals:
If you use private money investors for you deals, what have you found to be their top motivations for investing with you and not with another qualified investor?
Did you like this blog post? If so, please feel free to share it using the social media buttons on this page.
Also, subscribe to my weekly newsletter for even more Best Ever advice: http://eepurl.com/01dAD
If you have any comments or questions, leave a comment below.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog post are provided for informational purposes only, and should not be construed as an offer to buy or sell any securities or to make or consider any investment or course of action.