Does this replace Argus?

No. For institutional waterfall and LP/GP modeling Argus remains the standard. The platform feeds Argus with clean cost-side inputs.

What about IRR and equity multiple?

IRR is supported for held assets; equity multiple is reported for development projects. Full waterfall modeling is out of scope.

How are exit values estimated?

From local comparable sales and stabilized cap rates by property type. Assumptions are editable.

Does it handle joint-venture structures?

Not at the LP/GP modeling level. Capital structure inputs are simple — preferred return, promote, hurdle — sufficient for indicative analysis.

Can I model multiple capital structures on one deal?

Capital-structure sensitivity is supported at the indicative level; full waterfall modeling belongs in Argus.

Are tax implications modeled?

No — taxes belong in your CPA's analysis or a sector-specific tax tool.

Real Estate Investment Analysis Software — Cost-Side First

Real estate investment analysis splits roughly into two halves: cost-side (what does this project cost to build or buy) and revenue-side (what does it produce in rent, sale, or hold-period appreciation). The cost-side is where development deals are won or lost — most projects that fail underwrite on cost optimism rather than revenue pessimism.

Buildora IQ's investment analysis is cost-side first. It produces a defensible cost band, stacks soft and contingency transparently, models permit-timing impact on capital cost, and feeds the result into ROI math with explicit sensitivity. Revenue-side modeling — rent, exit value, cap rate — is supported and tied to local comps but is secondary to getting the cost story right.

Why cost-side discipline matters more than revenue-side optimism

Revenue-side mistakes are usually small percentages — rents come in 5% under, sale price comes in 7% under, cap rates compress or decompress 25-50 bps. Cost-side mistakes are usually large percentages — projects come in 15-30% over budget when pre-construction was sloppy. The asymmetry favors discipline on cost. Most investment analysis tools spend their feature budget on the revenue side (cap rate sensitivities, IRR waterfalls, LP/GP splits). Cost-side modeling is often a single $/sqft input. That's backwards for development underwriting.

How the platform models the cost-side

Hard cost: city-calibrated by build type and quality tier. Soft cost: explicit layer for design, engineering, financing, and consultants. Contingency: calibrated by project type and stage, not buried. Permit and impact fees: jurisdiction-specific. Carry cost: a function of permit timing and capital structure. All five layers stack into a total project cost band. The band is what enters the ROI calculation — not a single number.

ROI sensitivity that actually surfaces risk

Single-point ROI is a vanity number. Useful ROI analysis shows the central estimate, the band, and the conditions under which the project flips from feasible to marginal to unfeasible. The platform's sensitivity defaults cover cost (+/-15%), exit value (+/-10%), and timeline (+/-12 weeks). A project that's marginal at center may flip to unfeasible at the cost +15% scenario — and that flip is the most important finding the analysis can produce.

Where this fits in an investor's stack

Investors using Argus for institutional waterfalls keep using Argus — the platform's structured exports feed it cleanly. For smaller deals where Argus is overkill, the platform's analysis is sufficient for the investment decision and for partner alignment. Brokers and intermediaries also use the platform for sell-side packages — defensible cost-side analysis is a credibility-builder when pitching deals to capital partners.

Use Cases

Five-Layer Cost Stack: Hard, soft, contingency, fees, carry — all shown separately.
ROI Sensitivity Bands: Cost, exit, timeline shifts modeled — see where the deal flips.
Cost-Side Pro Forma: Yield-on-cost and stabilized return at defensible assumptions.
Argus-Ready Exports: Structured outputs that import cleanly into institutional underwriting models.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this replace Argus?: No. For institutional waterfall and LP/GP modeling Argus remains the standard. The platform feeds Argus with clean cost-side inputs.
What about IRR and equity multiple?: IRR is supported for held assets; equity multiple is reported for development projects. Full waterfall modeling is out of scope.
How are exit values estimated?: From local comparable sales and stabilized cap rates by property type. Assumptions are editable.
Does it handle joint-venture structures?: Not at the LP/GP modeling level. Capital structure inputs are simple — preferred return, promote, hurdle — sufficient for indicative analysis.
Can I model multiple capital structures on one deal?: Capital-structure sensitivity is supported at the indicative level; full waterfall modeling belongs in Argus.
Are tax implications modeled?: No — taxes belong in your CPA's analysis or a sector-specific tax tool.

Related Resources

Get Started

Buildora IQ analyzes any property and generates floor plans, cost estimates, and feasibility reports in minutes — done in under 2 minutes. Start free See all features.