When to Call in a Fund Advisor (and What to Expect When You Do)

Running a real estate fund is complicated. Whether you're launching your first offering or managing multiple entities across asset classes, the truth is: you don’t know what you don’t know.

From structuring to investor relations to compliance, fund managers face critical decisions that can shape outcomes for years. That’s where fund advisors come in—not as optional extras, but as strategic partners that protect your time, improve your execution, and keep your fund moving forward.

Let’s look at when to bring in expert support, what to expect from Verivest’s advisory services, and how the right guidance pays for itself—many times over.

Signs You’re Ready (or Overdue) for Advisory Support

If any of the following sound familiar, you may already be past due:

• “I don’t know if my documents match how I’m actually running the fund.”
• “I’m spending more time on operations than on deals or capital raising.”
• “Investors are asking questions I don’t know how to answer.”
• “Our structure worked when we were small—now it’s showing cracks.”
• “I’m not sure how to explain our track record in a way that instills confidence.”

You don’t need to be struggling to benefit from advisory help—but if you're growing quickly or hitting complexity milestones, it’s time to call someone who’s done it before

Common Scenarios That Call for Expert Guidance

Verivest’s advisory team works with sponsors across all stages. Here are the most common points where expert advice creates the biggest impact:

Fund Formation

From choosing the right structure to aligning your LPA with how you’ll actually operate, our team helps avoid costly missteps before the first dollar hits the bank.

Scaling Up

Adding new funds, co-GPs, or asset types? Advisory support ensures your systems, controls, and reporting scale with you—not against you.

Regulatory & Compliance Concerns

Uncertain about KYC/AML workflows? Conflicts of interest? Reporting cadence? We help you stay aligned with governing docs and investor expectations.

Capital Raising Challenges

Struggling to win over RIAs, family offices, or institutional LPs? We help refine your structure, pitch, and reporting to support credibility and capital flow.

Winding Down or Exiting

Closing a fund or preparing for a liquidity event? Advisory helps you manage final allocations, taxes, and investor communications with confidence.

The earlier you bring in a trusted advisor, the more runway you gain—and the fewer headaches you’ll face down the road.

What Verivest’s Advisory Services Include

Our advisory team is led by Matt Burk, Verivest’s CEO and a 30+ year veteran of real estate fund management, capital markets, and financial structuring.

You’re not getting generic templates or passive observations—you’re getting real-world guidance from people who’ve built and scaled funds themselves.

What’s Included:

• Fund structuring consultation (LP/GP alignment, waterfalls, fees)
• Formation document review and strategy alignment
• Operations and compliance health checks
• Audit and tax prep coordination
• Capital raise positioning and support
• Institutional-readiness guidance
• On-call strategic support for special situations

This is not just advice—it’s applied experience, shaped by a deep understanding of the fund lifecycle and what LPs care about.

Real-World Example: Scaling With Confidence

One emerging debt fund sponsor came to Verivest after struggling to get traction with RIAs. Their offering was solid—but their fee model was unclear, waterfall language was hard to explain, and their pitch deck raised more questions than it answered.

Verivest’s advisory team:

• Reviewed their docs and surfaced misalignments with their intended operations
• Helped restructure the waterfall into a more LP-friendly format
• Created a clear track record summary that aligned with what institutional LPs want to see
• Supported conversations with several RIAs who later committed capital

Outcome: The sponsor went from raising $2M per deal to $10M+ in committed capital—with a more professional structure, faster onboarding, and better investor trust.

What to Expect When You Engage Verivest Advisory

Here’s what the process looks like:

1. Discovery Call: We get to know your fund, your structure, and your current challenges or goals.
2. Document & Process Review: We evaluate legal docs, reporting practices, fund flows, and investor touchpoints.
3. Action Plan: You receive a clear roadmap for improvements, potential risks, and opportunities to align structure with strategy.
4. Ongoing Partnership: Depending on your needs, we provide recurring advisory sessions, ad hoc strategy input, or deep-dive project work.

Think of us as your strategic co-pilot—helping you avoid turbulence and navigate toward your goals with more clarity and control.

Conclusion: Save Time, Money, and Stress With the Right Advisor

You don’t need to have all the answers—you just need to know when to ask for help.

Whether you're launching your first fund or managing your fifth, the guidance of an experienced fund advisor can save you from costly mistakes, accelerate your fundraising, and give your LPs the confidence they need to commit.

At Verivest, we’re not just administrators—we’re advisors, operators, and partners.