So far, 2025 looks like a better year for raising capital. According to PERE, Q1 fundraising is up 76% from 2024 and nearly 50% higher than 2023. This is the first year-on-year increase we’ve seen in the syndication business since 2022.
More capital flowing into the market also means more firms are getting back in the game. The right software can help you stay ahead with operational efficiency and enhanced investor relations. In this article, we share the top tips for choosing a real estate syndication platform that helps you stand out.
What is real estate syndication software?
Real estate syndication software manages the entire investor lifecycle, from first contact to final distributions. It reduces manual work like emailing deal details, answering common investor questions, putting together reports, calculating distributions, and sending out K-1s.
The right real estate investment software helps you:
- Organize potential investors
- Share and market new deals
- Manage onboarding and investor verification
- Collect and track funds
- Report on investment performance
- Calculate and send investor payments
Expert tips for choosing the right real estate syndication software
Here are recommendations to help you find a solution that best fits your needs:
- Prioritize ease of use over flashy features: The more users adopt a platform, the more value you’ll receive from your investment. The best tools have an intuitive interface that makes it easy for both your team and investors to use.
- Look for platforms that offer white-labeled portals. Branding and a professional presentation help build trust and confidence with your investors. Choose a solution that enables you to create a company-branded investor portal.
- Don’t underestimate the value of responsive support: There might be times when you need immediate support. Having access to a responsive team makes all the difference in your ability to respond to investors or internally.
- Choose a scalable platform that can grow with your portfolio: Switching platforms can be disruptive for your investors, so choose a solution from the beginning that can meet your long-term plans.
- Verify integration options with your current tech stack: Make sure whatever platform you select can integrate with your accounting, property management, and other operational software.
- Check real user reviews, not just product pages: Learn about other firms’ experience with the software, so you have a good understanding of its strengths and weaknesses before you make a commitment.
How top syndicators evaluate software: A practical checklist
Here is a guide you can use to find the right software for your firm:
Identify requirements
Start by creating and prioritizing a list of everything your stakeholders need from a solution.This includes requirements like support for the various stages of real estate investment management and your specific fund structure. Gather feedback from investors and internal teams on:
- Common questions they have or receive.
- Information they’d like to see.
- Challenges they face with the current system.
- Sources of bottlenecks or delays.
From there, you can prioritize the capabilities and features that matter most.
Compare options
Research options by using software review sites, talking with other real estate investors, or meeting with companies at trade shows and events. Visit each company’s website to learn about functionality and unique capabilities. Review case studies, thought leadership, and available resources like webinars and research reports.
Schedule demos
Join demo meetings to learn more about how the software works in action and ask questions specific to your environment.
Ask for testimonials
Talk to a few customers about their experience using the software.
Understand support options
Find out what support is available to help you learn the system, train your team, and transition investors. Will you have access to a client success manager? Are training videos or live sessions provided? This type of onboarding support helps to make sure you’re maximizing the value of your investment.
After implementation, you’ll also need ongoing support for questions or help with new features. How can you reach the support team? What kind of response times can you expect? You don’t want to be on your own to figure things out once the software is live.
Consider total cost
Compare the total cost of each software package and any hidden fees, such as onboarding costs, third-party integration fees, or separate modules needed to meet your requirements. Also look for enhanced offerings that can make investor management easier, like K-1 and tax preparation services.
Key features to look for in a real estate syndication platform
As you consider various software solutions, look for key features like:
- Ease of use for both GPs and LPs: Choose a software that’s easy to use and understand for all your stakeholders.
- Automation for fundraising, reporting & distribution workflows: The right syndication software should support automation to streamline the entire investment lifecycle.
- Built-in CRM for investor relationships: Look for the ability to view details and interactions for every potential, current, and past investor to personalize communication and build trust.
- White-labeled investor portal: A white-labeled investor portal keeps your brand front and center while providing a professional experience for your investors.
- Centralized communication and e-signatures: Stay on top of investor activity and onboarding, step in when needed, and make the process easier with e-signatures.
- Security, privacy, and compliance standards: Choose a platform that protects your investors’ data and helps you meet compliance requirements like accredited investor verification.
- Customizable and scalable to fit different fund sizes & deal structures: Future growth might change your real estate syndication structure or fund type, so select a software that can support different models.
- Transparent pricing & flexible contract terms: Upfront pricing and flexible terms give you more control over your costs and your growth.
- Responsive, product-led customer support: Look for a support team that’s easy to reach and knows the product well so you can solve issues quickly.
- Integration with accounting, banking & document systems: Choose software that enhances how you already work with built-in integrations for your current tech stack.
Common challenges with traditional real estate syndication
Trying to handle investment management with manual processes or disparate systems creates challenges like:
| Challenge | Impact |
| Manual paperwork slows down operations | Chasing investor data, emailing documents, and tracking verification separately adds extra work. |
| Difficulty managing complex financial transactions | Relying on spreadsheets makes waterfalls and capital calls harder to manage as deals and complexity grow. |
| Poor investor communication and visibility | One-off updates and relying on emails limit transparency and strain investor communication. |
| Risk of human error and data inconsistency | Switching systems and manual calculations increase the risk of errors. |
- Manual paperwork slows down operations: Chasing down investor information, emailing documents, and separately managing verification records can add unnecessary operational burden.
- Difficulty managing complex financial transactions: Managing waterfalls and calculating capital calls with spreadsheets can quickly turn into a challenge, especially as your deals become more complex.
- Poor investor communication and visibility: Investors want regular updates on their funds, the project, and their distributions. Managing this through emails and one-off questions makes it harder to maintain visibility and trust.
- Risk of human error and data inconsistency: Switching between systems and doing manual calculations increases the chances of mistakes slipping through.
How real estate syndication software improves operations
The right real estate syndication platform removes back-office burden with capabilities like:
- Faster and more accurate financial reporting: Operation and performance reporting give you the data you need to adjust your strategy and keep projects moving in the right direction.
- Better investor communication and transparency: Knowing an investor’s background and interactions with your firm can help you personalize your communication. Giving them immediate access to investment details helps build strong investor relationships.
- Scalable processes for growing portfolios: Real estate syndication software reduces operational overhead and builds workflows that grow with you, so you can better manage every stage of the investor relationship.
- Simplified compliance and documentation: Centralize investor verification documents in one place to reduce time spent tracking down paperwork.
- Improved fundraising through automated CRM and outreach: Personalize and systemize your outreach to prospective investors to help raise capital faster for new investment opportunities.
Real estate syndication software use cases
Here are three areas where the right platform can enhance investor relations and improve efficiency.
Streamlining investor onboarding and KYC
Syndication software should simplify the subscription process so that investors can easily access deal details, ask questions, and make commitments with minimal friction. The solution should also make it easy to complete paperwork, verify status, sign documents, and submit funds. Built-in KYC/AML automation helps you meet compliance requirements and reduces back-office work.
For investors with complex organizational structures, like family offices with multiple stakeholders, look for capabilities that support multiple participants during onboarding. You’ll also need visibility into each investor’s status so you can step in and assist if needed. This helps avoid delays and keeps your fundraising moving forward.
Automating capital calls and distributions
The easier you make funding processes, the better. Create capital call requests with automatic calculations on each investor’s amount from the cap table and send personalized details. ACH payments should be fast and straightforward so investors can send funds without delays.
Real estate investment software removes manual work around investor distributions, allowing you to calculate each investor’s amount and send payments automatically. Investors can receive notifications and the ability to check the status of their distributions in real-time. Providing this level of transparency builds trust and strengthens the overall relationship.
Centralizing communication and document sharing
Creating a central point and single source of truth for all investor interactions is one of the best ways to strengthen investor relationships and improve operations. An investor CRM and portal gives you a complete record of every communication so you can easily see the questions they’ve asked, the investments they’ve made, and their preferences. This helps you tailor each investor conversation.
Real estate syndication software makes sharing documents simple and straightforward, so you don’t have to dig through systems or attach PDFs to endless emails. The tool you choose should provide capabilities for storing documents securely and sharing them with investors to reduce the extra work of back-and-forth communications.
Conclusion
The right investment management software provides the foundation for your firm’s growth across a wide range of structures, including multifamily real estate syndications, REITs, open-ended funds, and crowdfunding models. Get the most from your investment by choosing a solution that scales as you grow, so you can simplify operations and enhance your investors’ experience.
Agora’s purpose-built platform for commercial real estate gives you the tools to stand out, deliver results, and develop stronger relationships.
