Model for Success, the REFM Blog - Real Estate Financial Modeling

Oct 17

New to the blog? Here’s how to find what you need

This week marks the fifth anniversary and the 500th blog post of Model for Success. Here's how you can get the most out of the wealth of valuable free information and resources housed in the blog. The navigation elements sit at the top right of the page, and are shown in... read more →

Sep 12

Congratulations to our newest Certification Holders – July and August 2016

Learn more about REFM Certification In Excel For Real Estate here; it's a great way to learn/sharpen your skills and add to your resume and LinkedIn profile. More than 1,700 certifications have been granted since the program began in 2011. Join the 1,000+ who are REFM Certified! Excel for Real Estate... read more →

Aug 22

Real Estate Finance 101 Knowledge Assessment Mini-Quiz

This is the first in a series of mini-quiz posts. Submit the form to receive the solutions by email. Remember, your gut reaction is typically correct, so don't doubt your answers in retrospect and change them. Enjoy!

August 22, 2016
Bruce Kirsch
No Comments
Knowledge Assessment Mini-Quiz, Model for Success

Aug 14

How using “nested” conditional statements can simplify your spreadsheet reporting

Conditional, or "if-then" statements, are an incredibly powerful way to get Excel to do work for you. Writing them does require up-front investment, but the return on that time and energy spent is significant. In this post we will show you how to "nest" one conditional statement formula inside another... read more →

August 14, 2016
Bruce Kirsch
No Comments
60-Second Skills, Best Practices, Model for Success

Jul 12

What’s new with Valuate – July 2016

Here's what's new with Valuate this month: 1 - a lightning-fast single-screen apartment property acquisition Back of the Envelope analysis mode, with sensitivity tables (see it here) 2 - a profit sensitivity table for the streamlined property "Flip" mode (see it here by selecting Reports > Sensitivity Analysis) ... read more →

Jul 10

Congratulations to our newest Certification Holders – May and June 2016

Learn more about REFM Certification In Excel For Real Estate here; it's a great way to learn/sharpen your skills and add to your resume and LinkedIn profile. More than 1,500 certifications have been granted since the program began in 2011. Join the hundreds who are REFM Certified! Excel for Real... read more →

Jun 27

How property- and partner-level waterfall IRRs stack up to one another when promotes are involved

When you have a two-player equity joint venture partnership in a commercial real estate deal and there is a promote structure in place, you will likely end up with three different IRRs. Read more to learn why. (For a very basic foundation on joint ventures, you can watch this free video)... read more →

June 27, 2016
Bruce Kirsch
No Comments
Equity JV Partnerships, Joint Venture Partnerships, Model for Success, Transactions

Jun 14

The top 10 things to do when your model becomes unwieldy

What a wicked web we weave. Ah yes, through all of our toil, we sometimes end up with a model that is just way too cumbersome to navigate and make inputs, way too slow to calculate, and way too difficult to explain to others. What to do? Let's take these one... read more →

Jun 05

How to model a property renovation in Valuate

Some real estate transactions entail a "value add" strategy, wherein the property will receive at a minimum some cosmetic upgrades, and perhaps much more. Using an apartment building as an example, you might replace carpet with hardwood floors, paint or replace the kitchen cabinets, upgrade bathroom fixtures, etc. If you... read more →

June 5, 2016
Bruce Kirsch
No Comments
Apartments, Model for Success, Valuate Software, Value Add

Jun 03

How to use INDEX MATCH instead of VLOOKUP, and when it makes the most sense to do so

The VLOOKUP function is used to return a value from one place in your spreadsheet into the cell where the VLOOKUP function sits. If you live your life in spreadsheets, it's just a matter of time before you hear about how INDEX MATCH is preferred by some over the use... read more →

May 19

How to model sweat equity in a real estate deal

Real estate entrepreneurs with limited or no personal investment capital are often interested in doing deals using "sweat equity". We discuss this equity partnership tactic below. What is sweat equity? First off, let's define equity. In the typical real estate capital stack (capital structure), you have both debt and equity. Assuming there is only... read more →

May 19, 2016
Bruce Kirsch
No Comments
Equity JV Partnerships, Financing, Valuate Software

New to the blog? Here’s how to find what you need

Congratulations to our newest Certification Holders – July and August 2016

Real Estate Finance 101 Knowledge Assessment Mini-Quiz

How using “nested” conditional statements can simplify your spreadsheet reporting

What’s new with Valuate – July 2016

Congratulations to our newest Certification Holders – May and June 2016

How property- and partner-level waterfall IRRs stack up to one another when promotes are involved

The top 10 things to do when your model becomes unwieldy

How to model a property renovation in Valuate

How to use INDEX MATCH instead of VLOOKUP, and when it makes the most sense to do so

How to model sweat equity in a real estate deal

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