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.

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

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.