New York houses many of the world's largest real estate private equity funds and is among the most cities for real estate fund managers. Nearly one-fourth of the largest 100 real estate fund managers globally are headquartered in New York City (PERE June 2019 Report).

One of the most important aspects of forming a real estate fund is to set the terms of the investment. When properly structured, real estate fund offering documents contain terms that adequately protect the fund sponsor and are attractive to investors.  Real estate fund terms are driven by the fund’s strategy, the market trends within the fund’s specific asset class, and the particular needs and objectives of the fund. It is crucial that the investment fund legal counsel have an in-depth understanding of current investment market trends and how those trends affect the strategy the fund will employ.

As is the case with investment funds in general, real estate funds are trending toward higher levels of specialization. Specialization may be by asset class, strategy, or both. Examples of asset class-specific firms can include office, retail, medical, industrial, agricultural, storage, or hospitality. Real estate fund strategies can be loosely categorized into one or more of the following groups:

On December 14, 2018, in anticipation of the IRS hearing for the Qualified Opportunity Zone (the “QOZ”) legislation, our firm hosted the Opportunity Zone Real Estate Fund Workshop at Columbia University’s Faculty House.