1. Getting Started With Valuate
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REFM Valuate (Beta release) Quick Start Instructions
Welcome to Valuate by REFM!
Definitions
Logging In
Using the Dashboard
Creating a New Property
Loading Monthly Property-Level Cash Flows Into Valuate (Cash Flows tab)
Changing Purchase and Sale Details
Changing the Equity Structure (Sources of Funds tab)
Setting the Waterfall Structure (Sources of Funds tab)
Debt Sizing / Acquisition Loan Sizing
Creating a New Scenario from an Existing Property File
Changing Your Password
Filing a Support Request
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Welcome to Valuate by REFM!
When you first log in, you will be dropped automatically into a demonstration file. Don’t be
overwhelmed! This document will help orient you. Read on!
The Valuate interface Dashboard page
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Definitions
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Page or Tab - each of the main screens of Valuate, accessed via the page navigation
bar:
○ Dashboard/Home (represented by the house icon)
○ Cash Flows
○ Purchase/Sale
○ Sources of Funds, and Reports.
Box - any of the rectangular boxed components of a Page, such as the Sale box
Input field - any field into which a bold blue input is made, whether numeric or text.
Input fields also include clickable “radio buttons” (even though not blue) and drop-downs
Header bar - the dark gray bar across the page top where the following elements sit:
○ page navigation bar,
○ property information, including file name
○ Share, File and Help buttons, and account management
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Logging In
First time users need to create an account at https://beta.valuate-it.com by clicking create an
account to create your user account. On your first login you will have immediate access to a
new “Demo transaction” with some standard settings that will allow you to explore the
applications’ functionalities.
Returning users will go to https://beta.valuate-it.com and enter their Username and Password
and then click Sign In
If you have already created an account and have forgotten your password, click the “?”
button next to the password box to be sent a new password.
Using the Dashboard - Quick Video Tutorial on changing inputs - Quick Video Tutorial
on changing pages
The dashboard brings together key inputs and calculations, allowing you to quickly explore
various settings for the property you are analyzing.
Where values are presented in blue you can change them by clicking, entering a new value,
then pressing “enter” or clicking an area of the page outside the input you have changed. In the
Unlevered Summary grid, you can change the Cap Rate blue values by double clicking on
them.
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Creating a New Property - Quick Video Tutorial
Creating a new property is simple:
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Click the File menu item at the top of the application
Choose New Property from the menu that drops down
Enter the details for the new property you are analyzing
Click Save
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Loading Monthly Property-Level Cash Flows Into Valuate (Cash Flows tab) Quick Video Tutorial
The first thing you will want to do after creating a new property is to paste your property’s
MONTHLYcash flows into Valuate (the current limit is 132 months of data, which equals 11
years). You may do so as follows:
1. Select the Cash Flows tab from the Header bar
2. Select all cells from your unleveredproperty-level cash flow projection (i.e., the
projection that ends at Cash Flow Before Debt Service and Taxes) and copy to your
clipboard
a. If you are copying cash flows directly from ARGUS, select the entire screen area
as you have always done and copy to your clipboard with Ctrl+C
b. If you are copying cash flows from Excel, on the cash flow tab, do Ctrl+A* to
select All, then do Ctrl+C
3. Switch back to Valuate, click in the Paste Unlevered Cash Flow Projections box and
Ctrl+V to paste the values into the box
4. Press the Process Cash Flow button to upload your cash flows to the system
* NOTE: If you have items other than the operating cash flow projection on your Excel cash flow
tab (such as the ARGUS logo image and a property address header), please just highlight the
rows starting with the top row of “Month 1 Month 2 etc” and then do Ctrl+C
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Changing Purchase and Sale Details
Once you’ve uploaded the cash flow details, you will likely want to go to the Purchase/Sale tab
to change details such as purchase price and closing costs, sale cap rate, selling costs, etc.
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Changing the Equity Structure (Sources of Funds tab) - Quick Video Tutorial
1. Choose One, Two or Three players; for each player, specify a name
2. Use the slider bar to specify the equity percentage for each player
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Setting the Waterfall Structure (Sources of Funds tab) - Quick Video Tutorial
To set the waterfall structure(s), first specify the presence (or not) of a pro-rata Preferred return
between the subject partners, and then select the Residual Cash Flow Split type (Single
Residual Split or Multi-Tier Waterfall).
Next define the IRR thresholds and promote amounts.
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Debt Sizing / Acquisition Loan Sizing
To size the senior acquisition loan, use the Debt box on the Sources of Funds page. Size by
either Loan To Cost, or Debt Service Coverage ratio. If your loan amount exceeds the Maximum
Loan Proceeds, an alert will appear.
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Creating a New Scenario from an Existing Property File - Quick Video Tutorial
A new scenario can be created using an existing property file. For example, if you have created
a “base case” scenario, you can create a separate file that shows an “upside” scenario for that
transaction. To create a new scenario:
1. From the header bar, select File>Save As New > Scenario
2. Provide a new File Name name (for the current example, you could label it “upside”).
NOTE: once copied, a scenario is a separate file. Any changes to property information such as
property name or address will not be reflected in other scenarios for the same property, at
present.
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Changing Your Password
1. Click “Welcome, Your Name” in the header bar
2. Choose “Profile”
3. Update your account as desired
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Filing a Support Request
You can call Matt or Bruce at (703) 243-2896 or write in your request/feedback to us at
support@valuate-it.com
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