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Editor’s note: I met Ryan Gaines at a recent real estate development workshop. We talked about the moment when real estate operators start growing and realize they can’t do it all themselves. Deals are coming in, responsibilities are multiplying, but building a full-time team still feels out of reach.
That moment felt familiar. I went through the same thing while growing my own real estate business. I was juggling capital, construction, leasing, and operations, and knew I needed support, but hiring full-time staff wasn’t realistic yet. I would have been the ideal client for the kind of fractional support Ryan provides.
Ryan runs N6 Finance, a firm that helps real estate developers scale by filling critical finance and operations roles with fractional professionals. His team supports firms in that in-between phase, where you need more capacity but don’t want to overbuild your overhead.
I asked him to lay out when fractional staffing makes sense, which roles add the most value, and how to build a more capable team without overextending your business.
If you’re in the middle of that transition, this is worth a read. JS
For real estate developers transitioning from scrappy deal-by-deal operators to structured platforms or full-fledged funds, one of the biggest challenges is hiring. You know you need support—someone to manage financial models, oversee accounting, or make sure projects are getting completed on time—but a full-time hire can be overkill (and unaffordable). Fractional staff can fill critical roles until you grow large enough to justify a full-time hire.
Let’s break down when and how to make it work.
What Is Fractional Staffing?
Fractional staffing means bringing on experienced professionals on a part-time, contract, or retainer basis to fill critical functions. Unlike general consultants or freelancers, fractional staff are often embedded in your team—they own a function, not just a task.
This approach is ideal for principals who:
Need high-level expertise but not at full-time capacity
Are building toward a fund or formal structure
Want to stay lean without sacrificing capability
If you only need someone “when there’s a live deal” or “for a few hours each week,” it likely makes more sense as a fractional role.
What Roles Work Well as Fractional Hires?
Not every position needs to be in-house—especially when you’re scaling and cash is tight. Here are some high-impact roles that work well on a fractional basis:
Fractional CFO
For real estate developers planning to raise a fund or grow their portfolio, a fractional CFO is often brought on early. They can:
Build and refine your fund model
Manage cash flow across entities
Prepare capital stack structures
Support lender and investor conversations
Establish operational and accounting systems
Controller or Accounting Manager
Until you reach $250 million in assets or more, you don’t necessarily need a full internal accounting department—but you still need clean books, reconciled accounts, and timely reports. A fractional controller or accounting manager ensures that your reporting is always investor-ready without breaking the budget.
Accounting Clerk (AP/AR Support)
As deal flow increases and multiple entities require tracking, even simple bookkeeping tasks can eat up a principal’s time. A fractional accounting clerk handles the day-to-day transaction activity such as paying bills, collecting receipts, and managing accounts payable and receivable. This role ensures that your back-office remains clean and current—without needing to bring on a full accounting team.
Underwriting Analyst
When you’re chasing deals, an extra set of hands-on underwriting can be the difference between winning a bid and missing a deadline. Especially when you have multiple deals in the pipeline, bringing on modeling support can help you move quickly.
Project/Construction Manager
Need someone to manage contractors, track budgets, or keep timelines in check—but not full-time? A fractional ops lead or development coordinator can free up significant time for the principal without having to make a long-term commitment.
Investor Relations / Marketing
Raising capital? You may need help building pitch decks, managing your CRM, or prepping investor updates. Fractional support here boosts confidence without hiring a full in-house IR team.
Why Fractional Works: Cost and Speed
Hiring full-time is slow, expensive, and risky—especially when deal volume is still lumpy. Fractional talent helps you:
Save money: Pay only for the work you need. Skip payroll taxes, benefits, and onboarding drag.
Move faster: Get someone in place in days, not months.
Access better talent: Tap senior professionals you couldn’t afford full-time.
Specialized expertise: Rather than hiring one person and expecting them to be a jack of all trades, fractional hires ensure you have the right level of expertise in each function.
Stay flexible: Scale up or down as your workload shifts.
 | A guest post by
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