How Does A Real Estate Syndication Deal Work?

[Justin Goodin]

Here are some details of a real estate syndication to see how this all really shakes out.

First off, there are two main groups of people who come together to form a real estate syndication: the general partners and the limited partner passive investors.

The prior section mentioned a team that would take care of all day-to-day management (so you don’t have to!) in exchange for a small share of the profits. That syndication team is made up of general partners (GPs). They do all the legwork of finding and vetting the property and creating the business plan. Essentially, they do the work that you would be doing as the owner and landlord of a rental property, just on a massive scale.

The limited partners (LPs) are the passive investors (others like you), who invest their money into the deal. The limited partners have no active responsibilities in managing the asset.

A real estate syndication can only work when general partners and limited partners come together. The general partners find a great deal and put together an efficient team to execute on the intended business plan. The limited partners invest their personal capital into the deal, which makes it possible to acquire the property and fund the renovations.

Together, the general partners and limited partners join an entity (usually an LLC), and that entity holds the underlying asset. Because the LLC is a pass-through entity, you get the tax benefits of direct ownership.

Once the deal closes, the general partners work closely with the property management team to improve the property according to the business plan. During this time, the limited partner investors receive regular and ongoing cash flow distribution checks (usually every month).

Once all the planned renovations are complete, the general partners sell the property, return the limited partners’ capital, and split the profits.