Executive Summary
Pathway Homes, a high-performing single-family rental (SFR) operator, transformed its extensive acquisition workflows by implementing Locate Alpha's comprehensive platform across all investment decision-making processes.
The result: streamlined data assembly, unified workflow integration, and enhanced underwriting confidence for strategic investment decisions.
Key Results
Consolidated fragmented data sources into a single integrated solution
Eliminated manual assembly processes across acquisition workflows
Reduced time-consuming research while maintaining analytical depth
Enhanced presentation quality and underwriting confidence
Achieved significant time savings, enabling portfolio scaling capabilities
The Challenge
Pathway Homes faced operational challenges across its acquisition workflow structure:
Data Fragmentation Crisis: The team had to bounce between Zillow, CrimeMap.org, consultants, Microsoft apps, Salesforce, MLS systems, and Google just to evaluate properties. Even simple tasks like running comps required switching across platforms and re-entering data.
Workflow-Specific Bottlenecks: Acquisitions staff spent hours pulling active comps from Zillow and stitching together information from different sites. The acquisitions manager often had to make judgment calls with incomplete or delayed data, slowing down deal analysis and decision-making.
Inconsistent Analysis Quality: Because there was no standard process, analysts spent most of their time juggling Excel sheets and browser tabs. The result was uneven quality and frequent delays.
Inefficient Resource Allocation: The team’s energy was disproportionately allocated to collecting and cleaning data, rather than making investment decisions or evaluating the portfolio.
The Solution
Pathway Homes implemented Locate Alpha as their unified platform solution, integrating all acquisition workflows into a single system.
Key Implementation Areas
Unified Multi-Team Platform
Brought deal sourcing, underwriting, and investment committee processes onto a single system
Combined multiple data sources, removing the need for separate platform subscriptions
Created consistent workflows across all acquisition stages
Comprehensive Data Integration
Centralized MLS and national SFR operator listings
Added demographic insights, neighborhood analysis, and market intelligence
Integrated batch processing capabilities for portfolio-level evaluation
Advanced Analysis and Reporting
Customizable scorecard and batch scorecard features for property evaluation
Standardized comp analysis with access to national SFR operator data
Complete export functionality for investment committee presentations
Results & Value Creation
Operational Efficiency Gains
Workflow Streamlining: Teams no longer bounce between countless platforms and spreadsheets. Everything now lives in one integrated system, cutting out redundant steps and speeding up acquisitions.
Process Standardization: A single platform brings consistency to deal sourcing, underwriting, and investment committee presentations. The system removes variations and ensures everyone follows the same process.
Strategic Decision-Making Enhancement
Data-Driven Consistency: Teams now have access to comprehensive market and property-level data, providing a reliable foundation for more informed investment decisions and confidence in rental values and neighborhood assessments.
Enhanced Presentation Quality: Centralized data and standardized reporting make it easier to compile comprehensive investment committee presentations with professional, data-backed analysis.
Productivity & Scalability
Significant Time Savings: By replacing multiple platforms and manual processes with a single system, analysts can manage more portfolios within the same time frame.
Growth Support: Streamlined workflows and automated processes enable the business to scale efficiently, supporting aggressive growth objectives without a significant increase in resources.
"If Locate Alpha disappeared, we would have to find a way to replicate it internally, and it would be egregiously expensive. It has become essential to our workflow."
"Having this tool makes my life much easier. I can work on more portfolios within the same time frame, making me more productive."
Workflow Transformation
Looking Forward
At Pathway Homes, Locate Alpha replaced scattered workflows with one streamlined system. The team no longer wastes time switching between tools, and analysis is faster and more consistent. By automating tasks, analysts can focus on making informed investment decisions. This has improved both efficiency and the quality of insights in a competitive market.
Want to see how Locate Alpha can streamline your SFR acquisitions? Contact our team to schedule a demo tailored to your workflow.
