Best Real Estate Investment Software 2019

Real estate investment software is used by residential and commercial real estate investors to help analyze an investment property. We reviewed more than 20 real estate software providers based on their cost, features, and reviews. Then, we chose 10 real estate investment analysis software to include in our list of the best options.

How We Evaluated the Best Real Estate Investment Software

Residential and commercial real estate investors typically want affordable real estate investing software that is easy to use with only a small learning curve, and they want to be able to use it on multiple devices. The real estate investing software’s features such as built-in deal analysis and calculation tools are also important when deciding which is the best real estate investment software.

We compared and contrasted the top real estate investment software based on the following:

• Pricing: What’s included in the price and if they offer tier levels or packages, as well as what options are free
• Tools to analyze residential & commercial deals: This is one of the key features in real estate investment software and includes things like cap rate calculations and return on investment (ROI).
• Marketing & presentation software: This is software focused on putting together presentations to present to potential investors and lenders. It also includes tools for marketing the property to renters and buyers.
• Decision-maker tools: This is a unique feature among some of the top real estate investment software and gives the user tools to help them decide if the property makes sense to purchase based on its overall financial picture.

Based on the above criteria, we chose RealData as our recommendation for the best real estate investment software. RealData offers an Excel-based application that is intuitive to use, reasonably priced starting at $85 per month and provides comprehensive data in a clear format. This provider offers versatile tools to analyze residential and commercial deals, and also offer marketing, presentation software, and decision-maker tools.

RealData: Best Overall Real Estate Investment Software

We chose RealData as our best real estate investment software overall because it is easy to use and contains the best mix of analysis tools, marketing abilities, and presentation software for both residential and commercial investors. It’s Excel-based and offers tiered pricing starting at $85 for 30 days.

RealData Real Estate Investment Software Tiered Pricing & Features

RealData has two tiers of pricing, and both offer a trial period of 30 days starting at $85. If you decide to proceed further and purchase, REIA Express is considered its first-tier real estate investment software and costs $159 for unlimited use. The second tier software offered costs $495 for unlimited use. Important to note is that the 30 day trial period is only available to Windows users and can be applied towards the cost of the software if you choose to purchase the unlimited usage version.

RealData is more expensive than providers like Zilculator who begin price points at $13 per month. However, it offers more features for that price. For example, Zilculator only offers basic rental property analysis tools and doesn’t have marketing, presentation, or decision-maker tools.

REIA Express is the first tier of real estate investment software offered by RealData. It is predominantly for residential real estate investors and novice commercial investors. The other tier, REIA Professional is for larger commercial properties including properties with over 1,000 units.

Tools to Analyze Residential & Commercial Deals

All of our best real estate investment software include tools to analyze properties, but some only analyze commercial properties. REIA Express analyzes all residential properties and small commercial properties, but no unit specification is given. The analysis tools were not as extensive in commercial real estate compared to CREmodel, which exclusively analyzed real estate in this space.

Some of the analysis tools offered include:

• Cap rate calculator
• Monthly and annual return on investment
• Cash flow and resale analysis
• Lease vs. buy analysis for commercial properties

Marketing & Presentation Software

Both tiers include marketing and presentation software in line with the other real estate investment software on our list, such as RealNex. RealData includes pdf software as well as software that assists with putting together a marketing presentation. It also includes business plan templates, marketing tools, executive summaries and property performance graphs.

This portion of the software is helpful for investors who are trying to raise money and attract other investors or partners to fund a real estate project. It can also be used to market a property for sale and for rent to potential buyers and potential tenants.

Decision-maker Tools

Decision-maker tools are only found in RealData’s second tier real estate investing software, which is common with most of the best software. They’re tools used to make a quick decision on whether you should lease, purchase, hold or sell the property and are specifically for commercial real estate.

After you build a basic analysis using RealData’s tools, you can adjust key inputs on the worksheet and immediately see the difference it makes. For example, if the net operating income (NOI) was higher, the cap rate would increase. You can see what inputs make the deal make more sense, and then make a decision from there.

What RealData Is Missing

RealData is missing a free option that Zilculator has. It’s also missing a trial period for Mac users. However, it does offer reasonable pricing for Windows users who want to try the software for 30 days and see how they like it.

What Users Think About RealData

Users like that RealData is Excel-based software that is easy to use and has familiar interfaces. They also like that it offers options for both residential and commercial investors starting at relatively low price points. While not having a free option like Zilculator, it does provide value and ability to analyze properties across the spectrum.

Zilculator: Best Free Real Estate Investment Software

Zilculator is the best free real estate investment software. It works with Zillow Zestimate to find rent estimates for residential properties nationwide. It’s a good place to begin for new investors or investors unsure if they will use real estate investing software consistently. It’s right for residential real estate investors, as well as fix and flippers and real estate wholesalers.

Zilculator Real Estate Investment Software Tiered Pricing & Features

Pricing

Zilculator offers four tiers of pricing, and one is completely free. However, the free option is limited in terms of what it offers. It only offers basic rental property analysis tools and doesn’t have marketing, presentation, or decision-maker tools such as RealData.

The three other tiers offer deal analysis for different kinds of residential properties including rental properties and fix and flips. However, none of the Zilculator tiers offer analysis of commercial properties. Zilculator does offer a 20% discount on all of its paid tiers if you pay annually instead of monthly.

Tools to Analyze Residential & Commercial Deals

Zilculator offers analysis tools in all of its tiers, but the first (free) tier only offers an analysis of rental properties. The other tiers also offer analysis on fix-and-flip properties and wholesale properties. It’s not as in-depth as RealData, but it shows all the basics.

Some of the analysis tools offered include:

• Cap rate calculator
• Monthly and annual return on investment
• Cash flow and resale analysis
• Total cash needed to fix and flip a property including renovations and financing costs

Marketing & Presentation Software

As we mentioned previously, the free version doesn’t offer any marketing or presentation software such as RealData. However, the second tier offers pdf reports and social sharing options. In addition to those, tier three offers customizable reports that an investor can add a company logo to. The top tier offers everything from the other tiers plus customizable property flyers.

Decision-maker Tools

Zilculator is a more basic real estate investment software option than others on our list like RealData and CREmodel. It doesn’t offer any decision-maker tools.

What Zilculator Is Missing

Zilculator is good for investors who want a quick glance at the property’s cap rate or ROI and don’t necessarily need to see a breakdown of the numbers. However, it doesn’t have any tools to do in-depth real estate analysis or more complex commercial property calculations.

What Users Think About Zilculator

Users think that Zilculator has professional-looking reports, is easy to use, and they seem to appreciate the built-in Zestimate tool.

CREmodel: Best Real Estate Investment Analysis Software for Commercial Investors

CREmodel is our pick for commercial real estate investment software. The software can analyze multifamily properties, apartments, mixed-use projects, and shopping centers. CREmodel is also Excel-based, making it intuitive for most users. It’s ideal for small- to midsize investors and offer spreadsheet templates for internal use and presenting to lenders.

CREmodel Real Estate Investment Software Pricing

Unlike most of the other real estate investment software providers on our list, CREmodel doesn’t offer a tier system to choose from. Instead, it has one product, and there is a one-time fee to use it. The one-time fee is $89 and, once the purchase is made online, you receive a downloadable version of the software. It offers a 60-day money-back guarantee if you’re not satisfied with the product.

CREmodel Real Estate Investment Software Features

CREmodel works with all versions of Excel and works on both Windows and Mac. It has pro forma analysis templates that work for different types of commercial real estate.

Some of the analysis tools offered include:

• Loan-to-value (LTV)
• Monthly and annual return on investment
• Cash flow and resale analysis
• Cash-on-cash return

Unlike RealData, CREmodel doesn’t offer decision-maker tools. It also doesn’t offer marketing or presentation tools. Keep in mind that most investors who use real estate investment software don’t use it for the marketing tools, but some think it’s a nice bonus.

However, it does offer debt service coverage ratio, internal rate of return and net present value tools so you can use it to help you decide if you should purchase a property, keep it or sell it.

What CREmodel Is Missing

CREmodel is missing automated analysis tools for residential real estate. It’s also missing a free option, and it’s more of a hands-off company, so it doesn’t have representatives who can answer your questions. Instead, its software comes with directions and troubleshooting methods.

What Users Think About CREmodel

Users generally think that CREmodel is an affordable and easy-to-use real estate investment software. Users like its Excel-base because it’s familiar and includes interactive tools. Users did not like the lack of customer service availability. Representatives were not available to answer questions as with other software products, but the price point and yearly subscription model make it worth it for most users who are technically savvy.

The Analyst Pro: Best Mobile Real Estate Investment Software for Commercial Investors

The Analyst Pro is another alternative commercial real estate investment analysis software to CREmodel. While it can be used on any device, it requires an annual fee instead of a one-time upfront charge. It also offers some of the most comprehensive analysis tools on our list and includes mortgage calculators and video training. It’s ideal for commercial real estate investors who want the mobility and don’t mind paying for it annually.

The Analyst Pro Real Estate Investment Software Pricing

Similar to CREmodel, The Analyst Pro doesn’t offer a tier system. Instead, it offers one price which is an annual fee of $399.99. Before you pay this annual fee, you can try out the software for a free seven day trial period. The $399.99 is one of the more expensive real estate investment software because it’s an annual charge and not a one-time fee.

The Analyst Pro Real Estate Investment Software Features

The Analyst Pro offers some unique features which include commercial property tours and ratings, location risk analysis, a mortgage calculator, and a 1031 exchange calculator. The software works on multiple devices including mobile phones, tablets, Windows and Mac and is not Excel-based.

Some of the analysis tools offered include:

• Cap rate calculator with a target cap rate recommendation
• Monthly and annual return on investment
• Cash flow and resale analysis
• Lease vs. buy analysis for commercial properties

The Analyst Pro doesn’t offer decision-making tools, which helps users to decide if a property makes sense to purchase based on its overall financial picture, but it offers enough different types of analyses that you should be able to decide if the property is a good investment.

Marketing & Presentation Software

The Analyst Pro focuses more on the calculations needed to assess a commercial real estate investment and less on marketing these properties. However, it does offer a template with a property description and photos, as well as a template that you can customize with your company color and logo.

What The Analyst Pro Is Missing

The Analyst Pro is a comprehensive real estate investment software for commercial investors. However, it’s missing a free version and an option to pay once and use the software forever. It’s also missing analysis tools for residential properties.

What Users Think About The Analyst Pro

Users generally think that this real estate investment software has helpful tools like the leasing versus buying comparison. They also like the video instructions. However, users don’t like the lack of written instructions for how to use the software.

RealNex: Best Software for an All-in-One Platform

RealNex is a real estate investment software that has a unique platform that combines real estate analytics with customer relationship manager (CRM) software, marketing, and lead management. It offers robust tools in one place with software compatible with Windows, Mac and mobile devices. It’s right for medium- to large-sized commercial real estate investors and real estate companies.

RealNex Real Estate Investment Software Tiered Pricing & Features

RealNex offers two tiers of pricing: RealNex Suite and RealNex Suite Unlimited. Both plans have three different versions: Standard, Professional, and Deluxe. The main difference between the plans are the number of users and the number of contacts you can manage. To get specific pricing and feature information, including what is offered with each tier you have to contact RealNex directly.

Tools to Analyze Residential & Commercial Deals

RealNex is geared towards commercial real estate brokerages and investors and offers tools to analyze properties but doesn’t provide as many details as some of the other real estate investment software such as CREmodel or The Analyst Pro. For example, RealNex offers deal management for each property, sales and lease comps, and investment and comparative lease analysis but it doesn’t specify what other analysis it offers like ROI or cap rate.

Marketing and Presentation Software

RealNex is the best real estate investment software for everything being on one platform which includes the marketing and presentation software. Unlike CREmodel, it has an app and can produce marketing flyers, property details, touring schedules, and a marketing publisher.

Decision-maker Tools

Although RealNex does offer tools to help you decide if a property is right for you, it doesn’t offer specifics on its site as to the details and, instead, would like you to contact the company directly with specific questions. This makes it notably difficult to compare product offerings and the extent to which it offers what investors need.

What RealNex Is Missing

RealNex is a convenient platform to analyze a deal and market it and keep track of potential renters, buyers, and sellers. However, unlike The Analyst Pro and others, the information on its site is the least transparent and to learn more about the types of analysis software it offers, you need to contact RealNex.

What Users Think About RealNex

RealNex reviews are overall positive and users like that the software is easy to use. They also like that it’s reasonably priced compares to some other real estate investment software, although we found it expensive compared to other options such as RealData and Zilculator. Some users report that they found the software updates difficult.

ProAPOD: Best Real Estate Investment Analysis Software for Agent Investors

ProAPOD is the best real estate investment software for agent investors because it spans commercial and multifamily residential units to generate property analysis. It has tiered pricing with three separate types of software starting at $79.95 and can accommodate large investors as well as those just getting started.

ProAPOD Real Estate Investment Software Tiered Pricing & Features

ProAPOD has three different products, and each of them is priced differently. This is a little bit different than the other real estate investment software that either has one product and one price or tier level pricing. The Analyst Pro, for example, offers one product at one price point. In ProAPOD, it provides products which all have specific areas of depth at specific price points.

The first product ProAPOD offers is called the iCalculator. This product offers a suite of 62 real estate calculators that do the calculations for you, and you can learn definitions, formulas, and print from them. The price is $79.95 with a five-day, risk-free trial.

The next product is Agent 6 which includes two software downloads that you install once you purchase it. This is for beginner and experienced investors who want to calculate things like cap rate without doing it by hand. There are form templates that are interactive, so you can fill them out and save them or print them.

Lastly, is the Executive 10, which is its top-tier product and is for a deeper level of understanding of real estate deals as well as tax shelter and the time value of your money. It includes two downloads available after purchasing the product. It includes pretax and post-tax computations as well as depreciation schedules. It’s geared toward more experienced real estate investors.

Tools to Analyze Residential & Commercial Deals

All three products can be used to analyze multifamily properties and commercial real estate deals. While not offering as much detail on commercial properties as CREmodel, it offers similar analyses to other real estate investment software such as rate of return, cap rate, and NOI.

Some of the analysis tools offered include:

• Cap rate calculator
• Monthly and annual return on investment
• Cash flow and resale analysis
• Lease vs. buy analysis for commercial properties

Marketing & Presentation Software

The iCalculator doesn’t offer marketing and presentation software. However, both of the other packages do. If you don’t need an in-depth analysis of the property, but still want marketing software, then Agent 6 will do the job. It offers marketing reports with tables and schedules as well as property photo pages that can be customized.

Decision-maker Tools

Both Agent 6 and Executive 10 give you the tools needed to make a decision about an investment property. If you’re a real estate agent, it helps your client make an investment decision.

What ProAPOD Is Missing

ProAPOD is missing residential real estate analysis tools. It does a good job of integrating marketing into its software, but it’s also missing a free version of the software and the mobile capability of some of the other real estate investment software.

What Users Think About ProAPOD

Users generally think ProAPOD has good customer service and is helpful for both investors and real estate agents. Users also like the professional property presentation and marketing tools that some of the other real estate investment software don’t have.

Ipreo: Best for Investors With Large Real Estate Portfolios

Ipreo is our choice for experienced investors with large portfolios because of the ability to be used during the complete real estate investment cycle and to raise money from investors prior to purchasing the portfolio of properties. Ipreo is a cloud-based real estate investing software used to monitor and analyze real estate portfolios that offers custom solutions for its clients, so it doesn’t have specific pricing listed on its site.

Ipreo Real Estate Investment Software Pricing & Features

Ipreo is a custom solution for real estate investors, wealth management companies and private equity firms as well as corporate investors. It doesn’t offer pricing details online, and it doesn’t go into too much detail on the types of analyses it runs on property portfolios.

However, it does offer investor reports, data collection, compliance, real estate performance graphs, and more. This is a company that does not specialize in its marketing offerings but does offer tables, graphs, and reports that can be used for fundraising and other presentations.

What Ipreo Is Missing

Ipreo is missing specifics on pricing and product details on its site. It’s a custom software company so don’t do a one-price-fits-all structure. This means that you need to contact one of its representatives for pricing based on your real estate investment software needs. Ipreo also isn’t right for residential investors or commercial investor with one or two properties.

What Users Think About Ipreo

Users generally like Ipreo overall and think it offers high quality, high tech software. They think the platform is well-designed, and the company offers positive customer service. However, some users don’t like that some of the tables and custom views are limited.

Property Metrics: Best for New Commercial Real Estate Investors

Property Metrics is a real estate investment analysis software designed so users can build a pro forma for income producing property. It’s a simplified platform to create and share commercial real estate information. It’s good for beginner real estate investors because the forms and templates are there and you can input your numbers. It helps analyze income flows from commercial property for both investors and real estate agents.

Property Metrics Real Estate Investment Software Pricing & Features

Property Metrics, similar to Ipreo doesn’t offer tiered pricing or even a pricing list online. Instead, it offers a seven-day free trial, and then you can contact the company, and it will email you its real estate investment software pricing. It does mention that there is a low monthly price and no charges for software updates.

Property Metrics does list some of its features on its website, and you should contact the company directly for the remainder of its available features. It does offer pro forma, property projections, and analytics that can be used and shared on any device at any time.

It doesn’t specifically mention decision-maker tools, and it doesn’t give too many details about marketing or presentation software. However, it does offer presentation-quality reports that are ready in just a few minutes.

What Property Metrics Is Missing

Property Metrics is missing the pricing information on its site, so if you want to price shop quickly, you can’t do it here. It does a good job of offering commercial real estate analyses but doesn’t offer any for residential real estate. It also can’t be used for fix-and-flip properties.

What Users Think About Property Metrics

Users generally like Property Metrics and think it’s easy to use. They like that you can share your analysis for free, and they like that it’s cloud-based and can be used on multiple devices. The customer service team has good reviews but experienced real estate investors think that it could use some more advanced features.

Valuate: Best Real Estate Investment Software for Multifamily Investors

Valuate is a real estate investment software. It’s mostly used for multifamily properties, but can be used for all income-producing properties, and fix-and-flip properties. Similar to Ipreo, Valuate offers start-to-finish software for the entire cycle of real estate. It includes calculations and analyses from the purchase, through renovations, refinance or the property sale.

Valuate Real Estate Investment Software Tiered Pricing & Features

Valuation offers three tiers with different pricing for each tier. The pricing is competitive and in line with what other real estate investment software charge. The first tier is free, the next tier is $19 per month, and the top tier is $49 per month. This is a similar pricing structure to Zilculator which also offers a first tier for free, and the next tier starting at $13 per month.

The main differences between the tiers aren’t the kind of analyses used, but instead are the type of support offered, as well as the number of files that can be saved, compared, and shared. Valuate doesn’t offer marketing material or presentation ready material.

Tools to Analyze Residential & Commercial Deals

Valuation offers plenty of tools to evaluate both commercial and residential real estate. It also offers separate tools to analyze fix-and-flip properties, which is a wonderful add-on feature compared to platforms like CREmodel who focuses exclusively on commercial deals. Valuate provides occupancy rates, price per square foot, per unit value and property value growth.

Some of the other analysis tools offered include:

• Cap rate calculator
• Monthly and annual return on investment
• Cash flow and resale analysis
• Cash on cash returns

Decision-maker Tools

Valuation, similar to RealData offers decision-maker tools. Valuation has icons throughout the software that you can click on to get more information on the overall financial standing of the property. It also has alerts that pop up when a property isn’t a ‘good deal’ so you can use these to help make a decision about purchasing the property.

What Valuate Is Missing

Valuate provides helpful analysis tools for a variety of different types of properties, which makes it one of the most versatile options on our list. It doesn’t specifically offer marketing or presentation software, so it’s strictly for analyzing deals.

What Users Think About Valuate

Users typically think that Valuate is easy to use and is a good tool to help them decide if a multifamily property is worth purchasing. They also agree that its customer service team is helpful.

Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC: Best Real Estate Investment Software for Investors With Fix & Flips and Rentals

Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC is a real estate investment software that has two different types of software for different users. One is for fix and flippers and the second is for long-term investors. This software combines both types of software on one convenient platform. It was created for investors and agents to look at cash flow, and ROI and decide whether to purchase, keep or sell a property.

Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC Tiered Pricing & Features

Pricing & Features

Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC has three tiers of pricing and services for $99.95, $129.95, and $99.95. The different tiers don’t offer different types of real estate calculations and analyses like ProAPOD does. Instead, one of the tiers is for fix and flippers, and the other two are for rental property investors.

The only difference between the two rental property tiers is that one includes IRA modules and the other one doesn’t. You can also purchase both the rental property and fix-and-flip tiers for a combo deal of $169.95 without the IRA module and $199.95 with it.

It doesn’t have specific decision-maker tools like some of the other sites such as RealData and Valuation. However, it does offer a lot of different types of analyses which can be used to make a decision about a deal including a calculation that determines the optimal year to sell a property based on its net annual increase for cash and return.

Tools to Analyze Residential & Commercial Deals

Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC offers a robust set of tools for residential, commercial, short-term and long-term investors. They are comprehensive in scope and not quite as narrow as other products such as CREmodel, who specializes in commercial deals. Some of these tools include calculating the rate of return for a property for up to 20 years, as well as a break-even ration and a property’s LTV.

Some of the other analysis tools offered include:

• Cap rate calculator
• Monthly and annual return on investment
• Cash flow and resale analysis
• Lease vs. buy analysis for commercial properties

Marketing & Presentation Software

Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC offers marketing and presentation forms on the same platform that it offers the deal analysis software. These materials can be customizable and include property photos, graphs, tables, and company logos. They can be downloaded or printed to use to present properties to investors, buyers and renters.

Decision-maker Tools

This software was not found to have decision-maker tools, such as Valuation and RealData. Valuation, for example, offers the option to scope the overall financial standing of properties and can give you alerts when a property isn’t a good deal. This helps you to make decisions around purchasing and is a loss for Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC.

What Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC Is Missing

Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC does a good job of utilizing one platform to analyze a diverse array of property types and investment strategies. However, the website is a bit chaotic and could use some reorganizing for easy comparison to other real estate investment software. The company also isn’t as well known as some of the other companies on the list.

What Users Think About Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC

Users generally like Real Estate Analysis Software, LLC because it’s easy to use and you can use it on both fix-and-flip properties and buy and hold investments. However, the exclusion of decision-maker tools is one area that could be improved upon for users, that is a noticeable lack in the product. Users did believe the customer service team is helpful, and they like the professional presentation reports.

 

The Bottom Line

Real estate investing software is a useful tool for residential and commercial investors who are novices and experienced. It can help them analyze deals, calculate cash flow and return on investment. We reviewed more than 20 real estate investment analysis software and then narrowed it down to our top 10. We compared and contrasted the top ten real estate analysis software and decided that the best real estate investment software is RealData.