What Do Private Equity Investors Want (Besides Outrageous Returns)?

A “fair” deal would help.

According to a survey of institutional investors in private real estate funds by Preqin and Cadence Capital Group, LLC, institutional investor’s (we really suspect all investors) perceived “economic / market volatility” as the key issue affecting their investment. Seems reasonable as without strong fundamentals underpinning the investment thesis, uncontrolled or planned for economic / market volatility will mute the chances for economic profit.

What else worries investors? The following is a listing of the 10 key issues reported in the survey:

  1. Economic / Market Volatility
  2. Illiquidity
  3. Valuations
  4. Alignment of Interests
  5. Leverage / Debt Financing
  6. Transparency
  7. Fees, Terms, and Conditions
  8. Fund Performance and Returns
  9. Strategy-to-Market Fit
  10. Regulations

What do you do with this information? Make sure your transaction structure takes these “perceptions” into account; this listing provides a framework for structuring and operating in a way attractive to investors.

Stephen R. Blank joined ULI in December 1998 as Senior Fellow, Finance. His primary responsibilities include: expanding ULI’s real estate capital markets information and education programs; authoring real estate capital market commentary; participating as a principal researcher and adviser for the Emerging Trends in Real Estate series of publications; organizing and participating in real estate capital markets programs at ULI events worldwide; and participating in industry meetings, seminars, and conferences. Prior to joining ULI, Blank served from December 1993 to November 1998 as Managing Director, Real Estate Investment Banking of Oppenheimer & Co., Inc. His responsibilities included: structuring, underwriting, and executing corporate financings including initial public offerings of common and preferred shares, unsecured debentures, and convertible bonds; property acquisitions, dispositions, and financing; and financial advisory services including mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, and recapitalizations.
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