At a Glance
Main Takeaway
Much of the success of a real estate company depends on the capabilities and competency of the company’s back-office accounting and administrative functions. However, it can be complicated and costly to retain full in-house accounting and administrative departments, particularly during periods of growth.
Many real estate companies now use client account services (CAS) providers to streamline the accounting process through outsourced accounting and fund administration functions.
Next Step
Learn the benefits of outsourced accounting and fund administration and how a CAS provider can elevate the efficiency and flexibility of your real estate firm.
What is Fund Administration?
Fund administration refers to fund management services provided by an outsourced party that fills the role of an intermediary between investors and fund managers. This third-party company helps distribute and verify assets tied to real estate investments. A fund administrator may help with:
- Asset custody
- Regulatory compliance
- Dividends and distribution payments
- Facilitating fund expenses
A fund administrator may also help with back-end office accounting to help your operations run more smoothly and effectively.
How Can CAS Providers Streamline Accounting?
Many real estate companies already rely on CAS providers to perform fund administration for individual investments across their entire portfolio. They also use CAS providers to assist in many specific tasks, such as cash disbursements and receipts or full monthly financial reporting.
However, many companies require a more streamlined, longer-term approach to accounting that takes care of all their business operations.
CAS providers offer a fully-comprehensive approach that starts with evaluating a company’s current operational efficiency. After determining your existing platform’s effectiveness, CAS providers offer recommendations for improved technological integration, typically through incorporating cloud tech and cloud-based communication services.
CAS providers can also facilitate automation within your company for increased efficiency and less risk of human error.
Many CAS providers can also perform outsourced systems and administrative services that cater to a business’s specific needs, like establishing a helpdesk to address client concerns. CAS specifically aids real estate firms with treasury management, lease administration, and draw management services.
What to Look for in a CAS Provider for Outsourced Accounting and Fund Administration
The best CAS providers tailor their outsourced accounting and fund administration services to fit a company’s specific needs. When selecting a CAS provider for outsourced accounting, it is critical to choose a provider that understands the importance of flexibility in accommodating the changing needs of a business.
It may become impossible to deal with increasing client demands with limited resources during a company’s growth period. A good CAS provider can fulfill the new needs of a real estate firm as they expand.
Choosing a CAS provider that implements a team approach can offer flexibility and scalability to a growing real estate firm providing additional support beyond existing resource offerings. Many CAS providers leverage cloud technology and offer advanced cybersecurity services to help companies remain ahead of the technological curve while protecting valuable information.
Selecting a provider with a complete understanding of the current technological landscape allows businesses to impress their clients with best-in-class tools and functionality with peak efficiency.
How CAS Providers Address Common Concerns
Some real estate firms are reluctant to invest in outsourced accounting and fund administration companies because of concerns about cost. Many businesses still consider outsourcing to a provider to be an unnecessary expense.
Despite these concerns, outsourcing is much more cost-effective than hiring and managing an in-house accounting department. Building an in-house team requires finding and training high-quality talent in the highly competitive accounting market. Additionally, the overall cost of supporting and maintaining these employees is higher than outsourcing to a professional company.
Many real estate professionals believe incorporating a CAS provider will cause them to lose control over their current employees. However, effective CAS providers collaborate with a company’s existing team, generally selecting one individual to serve as a primary contact who runs point on a company’s accounting needs, supported by a responsive and communicative team.
Even with a CAS provider, real estate companies must have additional administrative support for non-accounting tasks and a client-side review that can confirm the accuracy of the CAS provider’s financial information.
CAS providers have the flexibility to intervene as much or as little as your real estate company requires. Sometimes a business hires a CAS provider to evaluate their accounting needs and determine that a more limited outsourcing approach works for them.
After outsourcing, many real estate companies find that their current employees can now focus on more complicated and engaging tasks, leading to increased productivity and specialization in the workplace.
Windes’ Client Accounting Services Solution
When selecting a client accounting services provider, it is crucial to partner with a company that understands the risks involved in the real estate business. Windes’ CAS solution offers expert financial reporting for real estate companies and provides a range of helpful services:
- Cash flow and budgeting analysis
- Tax and liability protection and tax consulting
- Financial forecasting
- Maximum 199A Rental Income deductions
- Cost segregation studies
- Employee benefit services
- Passive activity rules
- Mortgage financing
Our real estate accounting professionals actively participate in a variety of industry organizations so they can offer clients timely advice about the latest trends. Our superior technical expertise makes us ideally suited to assist with complex financing solutions, and our range of offerings ensures that we address your company’s specific needs.
Streamline Your Back-End Accounting With Windes
Windes has been combining technical expertise with a dedication to client satisfaction for more than nine decades, offering top-tier real estate service solutions. Whether your real estate business is looking for more thorough financial planning or needs help streamlining its fund management or accounting process, Windes has the outsourced accounting solution to meet your real estate firm’s needs.
Windes Client Accounting Services provides onsite staff to our clients in Los Angeles, Long Beach, Orange County, and beyond and offers top-quality remote support for our national and international clients.
Connect with us today to find out how we can reinvigorate your accounting services department with outsourced accounting.