Prexfo in comparison #
Data standards already exist in the real estate industry. Each serves a niche — and leaves exactly the gap that Prexfo fills.
The existing landscape #
OpenImmo is the de-facto standard for marketing data in Germany. Its strength — the focus on sale and rental — is at the same time its limit: the operational lifecycle (management, maintenance, finances) does not appear.
IBPDI is the most ambitious counter-design: a global “common data model” for everything. That is precisely what makes it problematic — enormous complexity, a high implementation barrier, and, through the close Microsoft cooperation, questions about vendor independence.
BIM/IFC describes the physical properties of a building — invaluable in planning and construction. For the daily operational and financial management it is simply overkill.
MSCI, GREIX and the like are not exchange formats but analysis platforms. They are the potential consumers of consistent data — and thereby prove the demand that Prexfo covers.
The strategic gap #
Between the highly detailed building model (BIM) and the superficial sales listing (OpenImmo), the standard for the property as a living, economic asset is missing. Prexfo combines two traits that no other offers in this form:
- Granular lifecycle data — all operational, financial and legal events, structured and historized.
- Absolute data sovereignty — the data stays under the owner’s sole control, exchange only on a need-to-know basis.
The comparison table #
| Feature | Prexfo | OpenImmo | IBPDI | BIM/IFC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Use case | Operational management & exchange across the lifecycle | Marketing | Benchmarking & performance | Planning & construction |
| Data scope | Full lifecycle | Transaction-related | Comprehensive (everything) | Physical building data |
| Data model | Decentralized, file/folder-based (PDF/A-3 & XML) | XML, future JSON/REST | Centralized, monolithic | Object-based (SPF, XML …) |
| Complexity | Low to medium, modular | Low, focused | Very high | Extremely high |
| Data sovereignty | Full control with the owner | Data to portals/third parties | Platform-oriented | Project-based (central CDEs) |
| Extensibility | High (xs:any, free folders) | Limited | Modular within a fixed frame | High, but complex |
| Target group | Managers, banks, insurers, providers | Agents, portals | Large portfolio holders | Architects, builders |
Not a replacement, but a complement #
Prexfo does not position itself as a “killer” of the other standards, but as an intelligent, often superior complement:
- To BIM/IFC — the operational management layer on top of the digital twin. A Prexfo folder can reference the building’s IFC file.
- To OpenImmo — the “mother of all data”, from which an OpenImmo export is generated for marketing when needed.
- Versus IBPDI — the pragmatic path: 80% of daily requirements with 100% data control instead of 100% of all conceivable cases with a monolithic system.
The core message. Prexfo does not compete with the building model and is more than a sales listing. It is the standard for operation — the longest and most expensive phase in the life of any property.