Commercial real estate (CRE) investing runs on data, but it takes off and flies when the data is instantly accessible and real-time. Investors and the professionals within CRE investment firms who manage these investments have been pressing for on-the-spot information about current and prospective investments for years. But the COVID pandemic has accelerated this demand. The commercial real estate investing market has witnessed a rapid shift that began around March or April 2020, when COVID struck. Market uncertainty came to the fore, meaning changes in investing behavior would be inevitable. CRE Market Evolution One particular disruption in CRE asset investment provides a telling example. The market has shifted from retail to distribution, from hotels to office space, significantly impacting the value of many portfolios. Think about a retail center that had a dry cleaner, restaurants and a nail salon. These tenants have been in peril, and some have likely closed. Investment management firms need to be able to analyze these kinds of impacts to be able to rebalance portfolios and deliver the returns investors expect. And they must be able to access the insights required to identify new opportunities. On top of this, investors want this kind of information more quickly than ever. The days of having data in someone's head or siloed in their Excel® spreadsheets are over now that everyone is working remotely. But what to do? The Commercial Property solution Technology is answering the call. Commercial real estate investing software products are available to these firms to help address the challenges of their businesses, including analyzing and marketing assets and investments and providing transparency and communication back to their constituencies. “Technology is a must-have, not a nice-to-have,” says Andrew Jenkins, VP of Engagement and Product  in Investment Management at RealPage®. “With the investment management products that...

Commercial real estate (CRE) investing runs on data, but it takes off and flies when the data is instantly accessible and real-time. Investors and the professionals within CRE investment firms who manage these investments have been pressing for on-the-spot information about current and prospective investments for years. But the COVID pandemic has accelerated this demand. The commercial real estate investing market has witnessed a rapid shift that began around March or April 2020, when COVID struck. Market uncertainty came to the fore, meaning changes in investing behavior would be inevitable. CRE Market Evolution One particular disruption in CRE asset investment provides a telling example. The market has shifted from retail to distribution, from hotels to office space, significantly impacting the value of many portfolios. Think about a retail center that had a dry cleaner, restaurants and a nail salon. These tenants have been in peril, and some have likely closed. Investment management firms need to be able to analyze these kinds of impacts to be able to rebalance portfolios and deliver the returns investors expect. And they must be able to access the insights required to identify new opportunities. On top of this, investors want this kind of information more quickly than ever. The days of having data in someone's head or siloed in their Excel® spreadsheets are over now that everyone is working remotely. But what to do? The Commercial Property solution Technology is answering the call. Commercial real estate investing software products are available to these firms to help address the challenges of their businesses, including analyzing and marketing assets and investments and providing transparency and communication back to their constituencies. “Technology is a must-have, not a nice-to-have,” says Andrew Jenkins, VP of Engagement and Product  in Investment Management at RealPage®. “With the investment management products that...