Upgrades

The 6 tracks

Open a building in your Portfolio and you'll find its upgrades. Each track goes from level 0 to 5. A level is paid in cash, costs no actions, and changes the building's real numbers the moment you buy it.

Lower costs and higher rent both raise NOI, the building's income after running costs. A lower cap rate means buyers pay more for the same income. Either way, the building is worth more. Systems also means fewer surprise repairs, and Tenants fills empty units right away.

Every level pays

Each level is priced against what it adds: about 1.5× its cost in value, or roughly $1.50 of value for every dollar you spend. The button shows the price and what the level adds, so you always know what you're buying. Levels on a bigger building cost more, and add more.

That value shows up in your net worth, and it shows up again when you refinance or sell: a lender lends against the higher value, and a buyer pays for the higher income.

Stars and tiers

A building's stars are the average level across its 6 tracks, from one to five. A building never shows fewer stars than its class already earns it. As stars rise, the building can move up a class (C to B to A), and a better class is worth more on its own. A class, once earned, is never lost.

Max out every track on a building and it becomes a trophy asset: buyers accept a lower cap rate for it, which lifts its value one more time.

Sets

Your buildings also count toward sets. A finished set pays a bonus on top of the buildings' own levels:

• District set. Own at least three buildings in one district, all at three stars or more: +3% rent on your buildings there.
• Type set. Own at least three buildings of one type (for example, three retail), all at three stars or more: running costs on them drop 3%.
• Full house. Own a four-star building of every type, multifamily, retail, office and industrial: +5% value on all your four-star buildings.

The Portfolio tracks your progress on each set. A set counts every building you own in it, so buying a fourth building in a finished district set means bringing that one up to three stars too.

When to upgrade

• Fund the business plan first. A plan fills the building; upgrades make a full building pay more. See Buying and financing.
• Upgrade before a refinance. The lender appraises the building at its value on the day, so value added first is cash you can pull out.
• Spread levels to earn stars. Stars come from the average, so a building at level 3 on every track has more stars than one at 5 on a few.
• Upgrades stop once a building is sold and closing in escrow.