Features of investing in real estate with stepINVEST
IT ClusterstepINVEST is an investment and consulting company that has been specializing in the renovation of real estate in Kharkiv for more than 5 years.
«We breathe new life into objects, creating spaces for work and development, and increase their value» — this is how the team defined the essence of its activities 5 years ago.
However, the foundation for stepINVEST was laid even earlier – in 2008, when stepREALTY, a company focused on buying, selling, and managing real estate, was created.
Almost every deal she made was a solution to clients’ investment objectives, but the product itself did not allow for the higher yields requested. For several years, the team searched for a model with a higher yield. The team’s intuition, trust, and support from partners paid off, and in some projects, an active model with added value for real estate was successfully tested.
This model not only provided a yield of 15-20%, depending on the type of object, the chosen strategy, and the timing of implementation but also generated a new investment product – a ready-made rental business (RRB) with a yield of 8-12% per annum.
In a short time, RRBs became one of the company’s most popular products, with investments attracted in new formats for the Ukrainian market – partial and joint investment through a corporate investment fund (CIF). An important advantage of these formats is the ability to invest in high-budget real estate with small checks for this market.
Special project of stepINVEST
Before the war, stepINVEST’s portfolio included more than 20 completed projects with a yield of 15% per annum, all of which are located in Kharkiv. The largest of them, which the company is particularly proud of, is the EVOLUTION business park on Kotsarska Street, with a total project area of 50 thousand square meters.
The IDEA building was the first to be occupied in October 2020. IT companies from Kharkiv and other cities became its residents. Events of various formats were held at the business park’s open areas: excursions, presentations, and corporate and thematic events.
At the end of December 2021, VMESTE opened on the basement floor, which became a safe haven for many citizens after February 24, 2022.
The VMESTE kitchen has been preparing delicious and healthy lunches since the first days of the war to this day. More than 120 thousand meals have been prepared, packaged, and delivered to our defenders, and residents of the affected areas of the city and region.
From time to time, the territory of the business park becomes a logistics hub for humanitarian cargoes, the delivery of which is organized by stepINVEST founder Abdurakhman Shaykhalov together with partners and friends.
Today, life is returning to the workspaces of the EVOLUTION business park step by step. These are IT companies, humanitarian foundations, and the smallest residents in our rental history – Honey Academy Club.
«We all understand that Kharkiv needs time to restore its investment attractiveness. And the issue of security is particularly acute. But the city now has more than 1 million residents. Therefore, we do not stop and are already actively involved in supporting social projects in Kharkiv through the My City Kharkiv platform, whose office is located in EVOLUTION business park», Abdurahman comments.
stepINVEST and IT
More than 50% of investors and almost 90% of residents of stepINVEST facilities are IT companies or individuals related to the IT industry. That is why the cooperation between stepINVEST and Kharkiv IT Cluster provides an opportunity to be useful to each other, to Kharkiv, and to improve its investment climate.
