In the real estate sector, portfolio management (PFM) is used to manage, in terms of retaining value and minimising costs, the real estate portfolio of companies and (semi-)public organisations.

On the basis of a systematic analysis of the entire portfolio, the future portfolio and its operation is framed in a manner that is actively optimised for costs and value, subject to the corporate targets (or in accordance with the CREM concept). Requirements and gap analyses are essential elements of the PFM, in order to build a balanced portfolio in the long term.

More important than the choice and maintenance of the system here is the elaboration of a professional “standard strategy” so that, particularly with large portfolios of real estate, an efficient implementation of the real estate policy can take place.

The implementation of portfolio units and systems is, particularly in large corporate groups, a central prerequisite for creating transparency and for ensuring a target-oriented development of the property portfolio and its costs.

In the consultancy projects relating to this, it can be seen over and over again that companies and organisations are surprised by the “real” property portfolios and associated costs. A portfolio which has grown over a company’s history is frequently managed in a decentralised fashion and divided into sub-units. Through the introduction of a portfolio management system the real estate costs can be lowered, without any appreciable negative changes in the use of the property.