{"id":188,"date":"2025-05-21T20:31:02","date_gmt":"2025-05-22T00:31:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/visuallease.wpengine.com\/?p=188"},"modified":"2025-05-22T01:25:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-22T05:25:16","slug":"20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate Real Estate (CRE) Management vs Facility Management (FM)"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Facilities_Management_FM\" >Facilities Management (FM)<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Key_Responsibilities_of_Facilities_Managers\" >Key Responsibilities of Facilities Managers<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Professional_Associations_for_Facilities_Managers\" >Professional Associations for Facilities Managers<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Corporate_Real_Estate_CRE_Management\" >Corporate Real Estate (CRE) Management<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Key_Responsibilities_of_CRE_Management_Professionals\" >Key Responsibilities of CRE Management Professionals<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#CRE_Workplace_Strategies\" >CRE Workplace Strategies<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Professional_Associations_for_CRE_Professionals\" >Professional Associations for CRE Professionals<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Overlapping_Responsibilities_Between_CRE_and_FM\" >Overlapping Responsibilities Between CRE and FM<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#FASB_Lease_Standards_for_CRE_and_FM\" >FASB Lease Standards for CRE and FM<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Importance_of_Collaboration_between_CRE_and_FM\" >Importance of Collaboration between CRE and FM<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Property_Management_CRE_and_FM\" >Property Management, CRE and FM<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Corporate_Real_Estate_CRE_vs_Property_Management\" >Corporate Real Estate (CRE) vs. Property Management<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-13\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Facilities_Management_FM_vs_Property_Management\" >Facilities Management (FM) vs. Property Management<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-14\" href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/20161027corporate-real-estate-cre-versus-facility-management-fm\/#Learn_More_About_Visual_Lease\" >Learn More About Visual Lease<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n[vc_row type=&#8221;in_container&#8221; full_screen_row_position=&#8221;middle&#8221; scene_position=&#8221;center&#8221; text_color=&#8221;dark&#8221; text_align=&#8221;left&#8221; overlay_strength=&#8221;0.3&#8243; shape_divider_position=&#8221;bottom&#8221;][vc_column column_padding=&#8221;no-extra-padding&#8221; column_padding_position=&#8221;all&#8221; background_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; background_hover_color_opacity=&#8221;1&#8243; column_shadow=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_radius=&#8221;none&#8221; el_class=&#8221;individual-blog-spacing&#8221; width=&#8221;1\/1&#8243; tablet_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; phone_text_alignment=&#8221;default&#8221; column_border_width=&#8221;none&#8221; column_border_style=&#8221;solid&#8221;][vc_column_text]From time to time clients raise the question of the difference between corporate real estate and facilities management. In essence, they\u2019re asking why we have two different professional designations since both management roles seem to have <em>the same<\/em> responsibilities. But the two professions have distinct differences and responsibilities. Here we explore these differences and attempt to bring clarity to the issue.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Facilities_Management_FM\"><\/span>Facilities Management (FM)<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Facilities management is primarily an operational role. Facilities managers have the responsibility of managing the day to day operations of enterprise facilities.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Responsibilities_of_Facilities_Managers\"><\/span>Key Responsibilities of Facilities Managers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Maintenance and Repairs: Ensuring all facilities are well-maintained and any issues are promptly addressed.<\/li>\n<li>Utilities and Energy Management: Overseeing the use and efficiency of utilities.<\/li>\n<li>Landscaping: Maintaining the outdoor areas of the facilities.<\/li>\n<li>Furniture Acquisition: Procuring and managing furniture for the enterprise.<\/li>\n<li>Physical Security: In some cases, managing the physical security of the facilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Professional_Associations_for_Facilities_Managers\"><\/span>Professional Associations for Facilities Managers<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Facilities managers are typically members of professional organizations such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifma.org\/\">IFMA (International Facilities Management Association)<\/a>, which offers training and certification associated with facilities management disciplines.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Corporate_Real_Estate_CRE_Management\"><\/span>Corporate Real Estate (CRE) Management<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Corporate Real Estate (CRE) is distinct from FM in that it is primarily a transactional responsibility with focus on leasing of facilities for the enterprise including<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Office Spaces<\/li>\n<li>Warehouses<\/li>\n<li>Data Centers<\/li>\n<li>Manufacturing Facilities<\/li>\n<li>Research Facilities<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Key_Responsibilities_of_CRE_Management_Professionals\"><\/span>Key Responsibilities of CRE Management Professionals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>CRE management professionals oversee the life cycle of property, beginning with site location, building design, acquisition, disposition, and in most cases leasing versus owning company properties. Over time, CRE has become more strategic in its role as steward of the enterprise portfolio; developing long range plans to insure efficiency and cost effectiveness in the portfolio.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"CRE_Workplace_Strategies\"><\/span>CRE Workplace Strategies<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In the last decade, CRE has assumed the role of workplace manager. Concepts like desk sharing, office hoteling, co-working, and telecommuting are central to modern CRE strategies. These approaches are designed to optimize space usage, enhance productivity, and meet employee needs.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Professional_Associations_for_CRE_Professionals\"><\/span>Professional Associations for CRE Professionals<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">CRE professionals tend to join associations which focus on real estate management versus facilities management. The most prominent CRE association is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.corenetglobal.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Corenet,<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> an international association with tens of thousands of members worldwide. Corenet was formed from the merger of the International Development Research Council (IDRC) and the National Association of Corporate Real Estate (NACORE). Similar to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ifma.org\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">IFMA<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, Corenet offers professional training and certification in subjects unique to CRE management.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Overlapping_Responsibilities_Between_CRE_and_FM\"><\/span>Overlapping Responsibilities Between CRE and FM<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In many cases, the corporate real estate manager<\/span> has the responsibility for facilities management and will have a separate FM staff as part of the CRE organization. <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In addition to leasing the corporate real estate management<\/span> organization will have office design capabilities, engineering, environmental expertise, and IT management capability usually staffed from the IT organization.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FASB_Lease_Standards_for_CRE_and_FM\"><\/span>FASB Lease Standards for CRE and FM<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For both CRE and Facilities Management responsibilities, it\u2019s crucial that all staff members have a good knowledge and understanding of the new FASB lease standards. While these standards will be more relevant to the CRE managers, who are directly involved in property leasing, it\u2019s important to recognize that the standard applies to all leasing including equipment leasing. FM managers lease various equipment such as vehicles, maintenance equipment, landscape equipment, etc so FM must be cognizant of the <a href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/compliance\/asc-842\/\">FASB standard<\/a> as well.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Importance_of_Collaboration_between_CRE_and_FM\"><\/span>Importance of Collaboration between CRE and FM<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Corporate Real Estate and Facilities Management are distinct managerial disciplines, but closely aligned. It\u2019s important that the two disciplines collaborate since FM should be involved in the property leasing operation to provide input on maintenance and repair issues with prospective properties, input on the energy efficiency of the prospective properties, and other building operational factors. It\u2019s wise to have some degree of cross training between CRE and FM; to enhance the level of collaboration based on common knowledge and understanding of the critical success factors for both disciplines.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Property_Management_CRE_and_FM\"><\/span>Property Management, CRE and FM<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>While Corporate Real Estate (CRE) and Facilities Management (FM) have distinct roles and responsibilities, they often intersect with another critical function: Property Management. Understanding the differences and similarities between CRE, FM, and Property Management can further clarify each role&#8217;s unique contributions to the overall management of real estate assets.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Corporate_Real_Estate_CRE_vs_Property_Management\"><\/span>Corporate Real Estate (CRE) vs. Property Management<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>CRE professionals<\/b> focus on strategic planning, <a href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/2016712site-search-key-considerations\/\">site selection<\/a>, acquisition, leasing, and portfolio management, ensuring the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the company\u2019s real estate holdings.<\/p>\n<p><b>Property managers<\/b> handle tenant relations, maintenance and repairs, budgeting, compliance, and vendor management, focusing on the day-to-day operations of individual properties.<\/p>\n<p>The key difference lies in the scope of their responsibilities, with CRE being more strategic and portfolio-focused, while property management is operational and property-specific.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Facilities_Management_FM_vs_Property_Management\"><\/span>Facilities Management (FM) vs. Property Management<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>Facilities managers<\/b> are responsible for maintaining and overseeing the operational aspects of enterprise facilities, including maintenance, utilities, and physical security.<\/p>\n<p><b>Property managers<\/b>, on the other hand, focus on tenant relations, <a href=\"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/unraveling-common-area-maintenance-cam-charges-a-comprehensive-guide\/\">property maintenance<\/a>, budgeting, compliance, and vendor management.<\/p>\n<p>The primary difference is that facilities managers serve the organization&#8217;s needs, while property managers serve the tenants&#8217; needs, with FM being more internal and operational and property management being tenant-focused.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Learn_More_About_Visual_Lease\"><\/span>Learn More About Visual Lease<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Visual Lease provides comprehensive lease management solutions tailored for both Corporate Real Estate (CRE) Management and Facilities Management (FM) professionals. Discover how Visual Lease can help your organization streamline lease operations, ensure compliance with FASB standards, and optimize your real estate and facilities portfolios.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p style=\"margin-left:0px;margin-right:0px\"><span style=\"font-size:14pt\">From time to time clients raise the question of the difference between corporate real estate and facilities management. In essence, they\u2019re asking why we have two different professional designations since they both seem to have the same responsibilities. But the two professions have distinct differences and responsibilities. Here we explore these differences and attempt to bring clarity to the issue.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[170],"tags":[79,195],"company_size":[],"company_portfolio_size":[],"company_industry":[],"case_study_topic":[],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lease-accounting","tag-real-estate","tag-visual-lease-round-table"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"company_size","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/company_size?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"company_portfolio_size","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/company_portfolio_size?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"company_industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/company_industry?post=188"},{"taxonomy":"case_study_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/visuallease.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/case_study_topic?post=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}