Private Equity Real Estate: Definition in Investing and Returns (2024)

What Is Private Equity Real Estate?

Private equity real estate is an alternative asset class composed of professionally managed pooled private and public investments in the real estate markets. Investing in private equity real estate involves the acquisition, financing, and ownership (either direct or indirect) of property or properties via an investment fund.

Private equity real estate should not be confused with an equity real estate investment trust, or equity REIT, which are publicly-traded shares representing real estate investments whose revenues are mainly generated through rental incomes on their real estate holdings.

Key Takeaways

  • Private equity real estate is a professionally managed fund that invests in real estate.
  • Unlike REITs, private equity real estate investing requires a substantial amount of capital and may only be available to high-net-worth or accredited investors.
  • This type of investment is often riskier and costlier than other forms of real estate investment funds, but returns of 8% to 10% are not uncommon.

Understanding Private Equity Real Estate

Private equityreal estate funds allowhigh-net-worth individuals (HWNIs)and institutions such asendowmentsand pension funds to invest in equity and debt holdings related to real estate assets.

Using anactive management strategy, private equity real estate takes adiversifiedapproach to property ownership.General partners(GPs) invest in a variety of property types in different locations, which can rangefrom new development and raw land holdings to complete redevelopment of existing properties, or cash flow injections into struggling properties.

Private equity real estate investments are commonly pooled and can be structured as limited partnerships (LPs), limited liability companies (LLCs), S-corps, C-corps, collective investment trusts, private REITs, separate insurer accounts, or other legal structures.

Special Considerations

Investing in private equity real estate requires an investor with a long-term outlook and a significant upfront capital commitment—over $250,000 initially and follow-on investments over time. Little flexibility and liquidity are offered to investors since the capital commitment window typically requires several years.

Lock-up periods for private equity real estate can sometimes last for more than a dozen or more years. Also, distributions can be slow because they are often paid from cash flow rather than outright liquidation—investors have no right to demand a liquidation. Moreover, fund managers typically charge a 2-and-20 fee structure, costing investors 2% of invested assets per year plus 20% of profits.

The following category of investor invests in private equity real estate:

Funds created for individual investors generally require that the investment be funded at the time of the signing of the investment agreement, whereas funds created for institutional investors require a capital commitment. That capital is then drawn down as suitable investments are made. If no investments are made during the investment period specified by the agreement, nothing can be drawn from the commitment.

Private equity real estate investing is risky, but it can also provide high returns.

Private Equity Real Estate Returns

Despite the lack of flexibility and liquidity, this type of investment can provide high potential levels of income with strong price appreciation. Annual returns in the 6% to 8% range for core strategies and 8% to 10% for core-plus strategies are not uncommon.

Returns for value-added or opportunistic strategies can be considerably higher. That said, private equity real estate is risky enough that investors can lose their entire investment if a fund underperforms.

Private equity real estate funds became popular in the 1990s amid falling property prices as a way to scoop up properties as values fell. Previously, most institutional real estate investing adhered to core assets.

Types of Private Equity Real Estate Investments

Office buildings (high-rise, urban, suburban, and garden offices); industrial properties (warehouse, research and development, flexible offices, or industrial space); retail properties, shopping centers (neighborhood, community, and power centers); and multifamily apartments (garden and high-rise) are the most common private equity real estate investments.

There are also niche property investments such as senior or student housing, hotels, self-storage, medical offices, single-family housing to own or rent, undeveloped land, manufacturing space, and more.

Private Equity Real Estate: Definition in Investing and Returns (2024)

FAQs

Private Equity Real Estate: Definition in Investing and Returns? ›

Private equity real estate refers to the pooling of funds, typically from institutional investors but also from others as we shall see, that are then used to purchase public and private commercial real estate assets.

What does private equity mean in real estate? ›

Real Estate Private Equity Definition: Real estate private equity (REPE) firms raise capital from outside investors, called Limited Partners (LPs), and then use this capital to acquire and develop properties, operate and improve them, and then sell them to realize a return on their investment.

What are the returns on private equity real estate? ›

Unlike REITs, private equity real estate investing requires a substantial amount of capital and may only be available to high-net-worth or accredited investors. This type of investment is often riskier and costlier than other forms of real estate investment funds, but returns of 8% to 10% are not uncommon.

What is the definition of private real estate? ›

Private real estate—a distinct asset class separate from stocks and bonds—represents direct ownership of high-quality commercial property in four primary categories: offices, apartments, retail and industrial.

How do you describe private equity investment? ›

Private equity (PE) describes investments that represent an equity interest in a privately held company. Any business that is not a public company is part of the substantial private company universe, which includes millions of US businesses compared with the few thousand that are public companies.

What is a private equity example? ›

There are several well-known private equity firms, including: Apollo Global Management (APO), which owns brands such as Cox Media Group and CareerBuilder. Blackstone Group (BX) invests in real estate private equity and healthcare, including Service King and Crown Resorts.

How does private equity really work? ›

A private equity fund is a pool of capital used to invest in private companies that fit within a predetermined investment strategy. The fund is managed by a private equity firm that serves as the 'General Partner' of the fund. By contributing capital, investors become 'Limited Partners' of the fund.

What is a good ROI for private equity? ›

The 11.0% annualized return for private equity for the entire 23-year period is impressive compared to the 6.2% annualized return for the Public Stock Benchmark and the resulting 4.8% annualized return difference exceeds the 3% annual premium or excess return generally associated with return objectives for private ...

How does private equity make returns? ›

In addition to the direct benefit of higher earnings on exit, they fuel the other two sources of returns by creating cash flow for debt paydown (deleveraging), while also in some cases bringing the business to a new level of scale and/or profitability that can enhance exit multiples.

Why go into private equity real estate? ›

Those who might otherwise be locked out of investing in large commercial real estate deals can now do so via private equity real estate, which allows them to diversify their portfolios. Moreover, a single fund can provide the flexibility to invest in multiple assets instead of in one single commercial deal.

What is a private property in simple terms? ›

Private property refers to the ownership of property by private parties - essentially anyone or anything other than the government. Private property may consist of real estate, buildings, objects, intellectual property (copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secrets).

How does real estate equity work? ›

Equity in real estate is the difference between the value of your property and the amount of money you owe on your mortgage — minus any other potential liabilities. Liabilities in real estate are any amount owed to another party. These can include: Any debt on a property, such as a mortgage.

What are the examples of private real estate? ›

Private real estate investments generally target four main property types: multifamily/apartments, office, industrial/warehouse, and retail. Private real estate can help diversify investors' portfolios, provide potentially higher risk-adjusted returns, and serve as a hedge against inflation.

What is private equity for dummies? ›

Key Takeaways. Private equity (PE) refers to capital investments made in companies that are not publicly traded. Most PE firms are open to accredited investors or high-net-worth individuals, and successful PE managers can earn over a million dollars a year.

What are the disadvantages of private equity? ›

However, private equity also comes with notable drawbacks. These investments typically require a long-term commitment, often locking up capital for several years, and they tend to be less liquid than public equities.

What is the minimum investment for private equity? ›

What is the minimum investment required for private equity? For PE funds, minimums generally range from $25,000 to several million alongside the requirements associated with being an accredited investor or qualified purchaser. Crowdfunding platforms tend to have lower minimums.

How is private equity paid? ›

Private equity firms are paid based on how much profit they can generate from their investments. They are given a portion of this profit, which is known as “carry”. The thing is, most associates don't get carry.

What does it mean when someone says they do private equity? ›

Private equity operates with investors and uses funds to invest in private companies or buy out public companies. By doing so, general partners can obtain control over management and other operational changes to increase profitability in hopes to later sell at a successful rate.

What does selling to private equity mean? ›

That means, when selling to a private equity firm or group, their investment capital comes with the expertise of owning and operating other companies. Additionally, many of those other companies are likely in the same sector. Private equity groups often focus their investments on select industries or sectors.

Is it safe to be in a private equity? ›

Private equity is a high-risk investment and you are unlikely to be protected if something goes wrong.

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