[4] The institute itself owns a major proportion of the property it manages,[6] and is one of the largest owners of real estate in Germany.

[10] As Germany is a member of NATO, there are foreign military forces permanently stationed in the country, which require space for their activities.

[10] BImA has shifted from strong profit-orientation towards greater support of social and environmental goals in the 2010s, after being allowed to sell land to municipalities at lower than market value for public purposes in the federal budget plan.

[5] The division's real estate management operations include renting, handling invoices for services, and executing construction projects.

[15] Approximately half of this land is used by the federal armed forces (Bundeswehr),[17] for instance as training areas, and as protective barriers for civilian population adjacent to military installations.

[18] The portfolio management division analyses the property assets of the Institute for Federal Real Estate, and is responsible for evaluating their economic viability.

[19] It adds economic value to the properties being sold through deciding on demolition, land parcellation, site development, and by obtaining building permits.

[19] The sales division is responsible for commercially selling real estate that the federal government no longer requires.

[20] The properties sold are often subject to follow-up investments,[20] such as converting former military areas into residential estates and recreational facilities.