Is the Industry Ready (Or Even Willing) to Outsource Real Estate Modelling?

The property sector is no stranger to change. In recent years, we’ve seen a growing appetite for technology that can streamline everything from site finding to investor reporting. But when it comes to the financial modelling that underpins major real estate transactions, a more contentious question has emerged:

Should modelling be done for you?

Options out there range from fully outsourced individuals creating models from scratch, to sending off basic assumptions via email and receiving a model an hour later. It’s a compelling offer, particularly in a market where time is tight, and teams are stretched. But when you unpack the proposition, is this really what the industry wants?

What Do You Really Get in a “Done-for-You” Model?

On the surface, outsourced modelling seems efficient. Hand over your assumptions and a model comes back quickly – job done. But feedback from industry professionals suggests a different story. Common concerns include:

• Key development details are missed or oversimplified.
• Outputs are hard to adjust or iterate.
• The model structure lacks flexibility or transparency.
• There’s little understanding of how your assumptions have been applied, or why.

Financial modelling is not simply a mechanical task. It’s an interpretive one. It requires a deep understanding of both the deal and the wider market context. Nuances like change of use, bespoke finance structures, phased sales or irregular lease events often fall outside generic templates but can have major implications for viability.

Control, Confidentiality, and the Automation Creep

There’s also the question of where your data is going. In many cases, modelling services are outsourced offshore. That raises several concerns:

• Privacy: Are you comfortable sharing confidential development or acquisition data with unknown third parties?
• Compliance: Are NDA obligations being breached – even inadvertently?
• Intellectual Capital: Your modelling logic, structure and data aren’t just operational tools; they’re part of your competitive edge.

As the tools around us get smarter, the temptation to outsource thinking as well as task execution grows stronger. And in many cases, automating mundane admin is a net positive. But financial modelling in real estate? That’s not mundane. That’s judgment. Nuance. Strategic thinking.

Imagine joining an Investment Committee or a client call to discuss a major scheme. The assumptions need unpacking, the rationale needs explaining. “Oh, I sent the brochure to someone and they sent me back a model, so we’re good to go”?

The more we automate, the more we need to ask: what can be done for us, and what must remain our responsibility?

So What's the Alternative?

If doing it all manually is too slow and outsourcing introduces new risks, what does a viable path forward look like?

We believe the answer lies in smarter, data-driven modelling tools that support you, rather than attempt to replace your thinking. That means:

• Inputs guided by your own history – previously modelled deals, internal benchmarks, and team preferences.
• Prompts and suggestions that draw on what’s worked before.
• A process that’s collaborative, not opaque.
• A platform that balances speed with understanding, and automation with accountability.

Consider a scenario where a developer is exploring a multi-phase, mixed-use scheme with 2 years of income, a redevelopment, then hold for 5 years. Inputs need to account for rolling sales periods, stage-dependent financing, variable costs and profit share arrangements. Sending this off to a generic modelling service often means these subtleties get lost. Worse still, the user now has to retrofit their logic into someone else's structure that may not be possible. And so what happens...you spend more time building your own anyway.

Compare that to a system where the platform provides all levels of complexity and deal structure, or prompts, “ERV growth for central Manchester offices has varied between 2% - 4%, set up a profile to use this as your default growth rate?”

It’s not just faster. It’s smarter. And crucially, you stay in control.

Conclusion: Keep the Thinking In-House. Support It with Better Tools

The industry is ready for better modelling. But that doesn’t mean outsourcing intelligence or relinquishing control.

Real estate professionals deserve tools that help them think faster, not think less. Models should reflect your strategy, your assumptions, and your standards – not someone else’s interpretation of them.

Done-for-you modelling might save time upfront, but it often adds friction later. The real gains come when you speed up input, iteration and scenario testing without giving up accuracy, clarity or confidence.

England might send Woakes out to bat with 1 arm in a sling, but I bet he was wearing his own shoes, pads and box.

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