In an industry where capital deployment and asset performance drive success, operational excellence is often an underutilized lever for value creation. Real estate investment managers, private equity firms, REITs, and developers tend to focus on deals, capital stacks, and asset management—but both corporate (back-office) operations and portfolio operations must function efficiently to maximize portfolio value and enable the highest and best use of talent.
Ferguson Partners helps real estate firms streamline their entire operating model, from the corporate functions that support the business to the day-to-day operations of real estate portfolios. Our holistic approach considers process, organization, technology, and insource/outsource mix to drive efficiency, scalability, and long-term performance.
The Real Estate Operations Challenge
Operations can be categorized into two key areas, and we see frequent challenges in each:
1. Corporate & Back-of-House Operations
The internal functions that support the business—such as Finance, Accounting, IT, HR, Legal, and Investor Relations—often stumble during acquisitions or periods of rapid organic growth. Some common challenges include:
- Absent, poorly followed, or excessively manual processes in finance, lease administration, and reporting that introduce errors and inefficiencies.
- Siloed departments that slow decision-making and create redundancies.
- Outdated technology stacks that limit automation and data visibility.
- Difficulty scaling operations as portfolios grow, acquisitions increase, or reporting requirements become more complex.
2. Portfolio & Property Operations
Managing real estate assets effectively requires streamlined operations at the property and portfolio levels. Common pain points include:
- Lease administration/billing misaligned to the customer base, leading to inflated A/R and excessive cost to collect.
- Fragmented asset management processes, making it harder to optimize NOI and property performance.
- Lack of real-time portfolio visibility, delaying decision-making.
- High portfolio operating costs, due to inefficiencies in maintenance, vendor management, and tenant experience strategies.
- Operating inconsistencies across teams and regions, often leading to internal confusion and missed opportunities surrounding CapEx economies of scale.
Taking a Holistic Approach to Operational Excellence
Rather than treating corporate functions and portfolio operations separately, we align internal operations with portfolio-level execution to create a unified operating model. We help real estate firms strengthen their corporate backbone, ensuring that internal functions support business strategy rather than hinder it. Our approach can include:
- Process improvement across functions to improve efficiency.
- Identifying technology and data gaps, ensuring the best use of ERP, property management, & analytics tools, and maximizing fast and reliable information access across teams.
- Organizational restructuring, when needed, to streamline roles and responsibilities across departments and accommodate process improvements.
At the portfolio level, we help firms optimize property and asset management functions to improve tenant experience, reduce costs, and enhance returns. Our solutions include:
- Lease administration & billing improvements, ensuring accurate revenue recognition.
- Asset management process improvements, increasing cross-geography consistency, portfolio visibility, and optimizing NOI or FFO.
- CapEx and vendor management efficiencies, reducing operating expenses and improving the performance of capital investments.
Ferguson Partners can help your organization grow cohesion across people, processes, and technology. Gain a competitive advantage by:
✔ Reducing costs and improving margins.
✔ Enhancing investor confidence with better reporting and transparency.
✔ Freeing up talent to focus on higher-value strategic initiatives.
✔ Scaling efficiently without operational bottlenecks.
We partner with real estate firms to optimize their operations, ensuring that every function—from the back office to asset management—is positioned for growth, efficiency, and long-term success.
Contact us to explore how improving operations can create lasting value for your real estate business.