In this post, we’re going to highlight four ways that dirty data impacts real estate reporting negatively. Then, we’re going to show you how to eliminate data integrity issues for good.
We need to talk about dirty data.
This provocative couplet – referring to data that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date – represents a significant liability for real estate investment firms, regardless of property type.
When dirty data enters the asset lifecycle – particularly in the early stages like acquisition and underwriting – it gets passed from stage-to-stage, all the way to the investor. Siloed processes and non-integrated software enable and exacerbate its spread, particularly spreadsheet software like Microsoft Excel. Considering that roughly three in every four commercial real estate firms rely on spreadsheets to manage critical data – meaning they have no Single Source of Truth – this is not a small problem.
How Dirty Data Impacts Real Estate Reporting
If your data is siloed in disparate Excel spreadsheets across the organization, here are four ways that dirty data impacts real estate reporting at your firm:
Time is Money
Monthly and other regular reporting chores are painful enough for real estate firms – just imagine what a pain reporting can be when you have dirty data? Having to reconcile faulty numbers takes time – by some client estimates, we’re talking upwards of 300 to 400 hours per quarter.
Rising Headcounts
One of the most expensive ways that dirty data impacts real estate reporting involves increasing headcount. Not only does dirty data cost you in terms of time spent reporting, but there can also be significant personnel costs. Bad data takes a lot of time and many hands to sort through – and as assets under management grow, firms with bad data invariably see a rise in headcount to deal with the influx of even more data. That vicious cycle cuts into profit margins and stretches staff resources.
Risky Business
Dirty data increases operational risk, as more and more staff are looped into proprietary, siloed processes. If a critical data trove is siloed within the underwriting team and a key member of that team quits, that’s – well, that’s really bad.
Sorry, Wrong Number(s)
There’s another type of risk that is exacerbated by dirty data – reputational risk. If your swollen headcount and excess hours spent on reporting still can’t scrub away all of your corrupt data – there’s a good chance that data will trickle all the way down to the investor. And investors aren’t keen on receiving incomplete and/or wrong data. And you know who else isn’t keen on bad data? The government.
The Solution
So, what do you do when dirty data impacts real estate reporting? How do you solve a problem like dirty data?
It depends on your current data strategy, as well as the sources of your data. In general, preventing Dirty Data involves integrating all your data in one place, eliminating siloed process, and integrating disparate software systems.
Some firms will need a Life of the Asset® commercial real estate software solution, like Pereview by Saxony Partners.
Pereview clients have reduced the amount of time spent on regular reporting by as much as 90 percent. And most have seen their assets under management grow without impacting their overall headcount.
Interested in a plan for eliminating and preventing Dirty Data? Schedule a demo with the team at Pereview.
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