Excel and Google Sheets remain valuable tools for property investors. They are flexible, familiar and useful for bespoke acquisition models. They are not always the best system of record once a portfolio is owned and changing.

When spreadsheets work well

A spreadsheet is useful for testing purchase price, rent, mortgage, renovation and exit assumptions. It lets an investor inspect formulas and create sensitivity analysis. For example, test how a 10% rent reduction or a one-point interest-rate increase changes cash flow.

Where models become fragile

Problems arise when several people edit different versions, invoices sit elsewhere, a mortgage maturity is missed, or actual costs need to be compared with the original budget. A spreadsheet may show CHF 8,000 of maintenance, but finding the supporting invoices and assigning them correctly can take time.

How alternatives differ

  • Excel: flexible modelling and scenarios.
  • Cloud storage: convenient files but limited financial structure.
  • Accounting software: bookkeeping and reporting but not always property context.
  • Property software: structured records linking properties, documents, costs, financing and projects.

Illustrative example

An investor forecasts CHF 24,000 of annual maintenance across three properties. Six months later, invoices total CHF 18,000, but one invoice is assigned to the wrong property and a major project is excluded. The spreadsheet may still show a reassuring result. Linking actual costs to source documents makes the difference visible.

Use a combination

Use spreadsheets for flexible modelling and a structured property record for actual expenses, mortgages, maintenance and project history. The model supports a purchase or refinancing decision; the record supports ownership. Compare actual results with the original model quarterly.

When to move beyond Excel

  • You reconcile several versions.
  • You cannot find the invoice behind a number.
  • You miss mortgage or lease dates.
  • You cannot compare properties consistently.
  • Several people need controlled access.

How Valory can help

Valory Deals supports pre-purchase comparisons. Valory Properties helps organise ongoing property information and performance records, connecting projected decisions with real ownership data.