Partnerships in real estate investing: When are they necessary?

Partnerships in real estate investing: When are they necessary?

Investor 路 Indianapolis, IN 路 Member since 2019 路 53 posts 路 62 votes

I am almost positive that everyone has heard great success stories about partnerships! Along with that, some have also either heard of or dealt with a bad partnership. So for those starting their investment portfolio, when should we seek a partner in the industry?

Collaborating with someone on a project is great, and can bring extensive experience along with a ton of learning lessons. Partnerships allow for investors to learn from each other, tackle a deal together, limit liability, and share ideas on growth. They are not always necessary though, and one should be careful when partnering with someone.

From experience with various business ventures, I have learned that partnerships can make or break an operation. The main reason I entered into partnerships early in my career was because I was fearful of taking on a big venture. Looking back now, I realize that I did not need a partner on some of these projects. Collaborating with someone gave me a sense of comfort that I had someone to fall back on if there was something I had a question on in regards to the business. Sometimes my partner and I had similar skillsets and knowledge, so nothing new was brought to the table, and it caused several conflicts due to us wanting to work on the same thing. Not only did it cause conflict, but it also made the business stagnant because of our similarities. 

In my opinion, and from dealing with several successful and failed partnerships, they are not always necessary. Collaborating with someone is great when the partner brings different values that they can add to the partnership. If someone has different expertise then the partnership can be great! I believe that this is the key to a successful partnership, you have to find someone that brings a value to the table that one could not do on their own. This allows for work to be split up on the project, learn from their area of expertise, and bring fresh ideas that lead to growth. If they have the same expertise as you, then doesn't it make sense to do the project on your own?

Now, after learning from my mistakes, I have started to seek out partners that are either bring a different value to the table, or someone who is further ahead in regards to expertise. I anticipate doing so will bring more success to my investing and growth in real estate.

Hope this helps, and I would love to hear about your experience on this topic!

Drop some experiences or knowledge down below!

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Rental Property Investor 路 RVA 路 Member since 2016 路 5k+ posts 路 4k+ votes
6y
Originally posted by @Trent Chance:

@Taylor L. When you got time and no money or when you got money and ain't got no time 馃榿

Perfect fit! The person with time and no money has much more room to grow. Literally zero dollars is probably tough to make work, but you don't need to have all the money to do deals. You need to be creative enough to go find the money!

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  • Rental Property Investor 路 RVA 路 Member since 2016 路 5k+ posts 路 4k+ votes
    6y

    I very much prefer investing with partners. Good partners who bring skills to the table which I don't have are invaluable. I even learn from partners who have similar skills. 

    The biggest lessons I've learned from partners relate to asset management, construction, and managing property managers. Most of those lessons only come with time and experience. Learning from the experiences of others helps that experience come much more quickly.

    I've had one situation where it didn't work out as well as we'd hoped due to bad behavior by one partner, so that was unfortunate. We still made money, but far less than anticipated. It was very early in my investing career and I learned some important lessons, so that bit is beneficial.

  • Calvin OzanickBusiness Member
    Property Manager 路 Janesville, WI 路 Member since 2017 路 708 posts 路 297 votes
    6y

    I work with some clients who are in partnerships and I have found a few things. First, there should be roles that are firmly established. If you have a money guy, and a RE guy, make sure they stay in their own lanes. The worst thing you could do is mix those roles and make some poor decisions. I have also found that groups that have a managing partner often are the most organized and the easiest to work with. Going forward, you need to be sure to lay down rules and roles for the partnership prior to purchasing anything. 

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  • Joe VilleneuvePro Member
    Plymouth, MI 路 Member since 2013 路 13k+ posts 路 19k+ votes
    6y

    There are three reason, and only three reasons, why you should form a partnership.  If a potential partner doesn't line up with one of these three reasons, don't do it.

    Your potential partner can do what you:

    1 - ...Can't do,

    2 - ...don't want to do (if you don't want to do it, you won't do it well), and

    3 - ...shouldn't do.  Just because you can do something, doesn't mean you should

  • Real Estate Consultant 路 USA 路 Member since 2014 路 1k+ posts 路 751 votes
    6y

    Working with partners allows you to scale fast. I have done over 100 deals, everyone with a partner and never used any of my own money. They can provide capital, mortgages, skills, etc. 

  • Member since 2019 路 94 posts 路 75 votes
    6y

    @Taylor L. When you got time and no money or when you got money and ain't got no time 馃榿

  • Rental Property Investor 路 RVA 路 Member since 2016 路 5k+ posts 路 4k+ votes
    6y
    Originally posted by @Trent Chance:

    @Taylor L. When you got time and no money or when you got money and ain't got no time 馃榿

    Perfect fit! The person with time and no money has much more room to grow. Literally zero dollars is probably tough to make work, but you don't need to have all the money to do deals. You need to be creative enough to go find the money!

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