Real estate crowdfunding solutions in real time from CrowdBulls: What is a real estate crowdfunding? Real estate crowdfunding is a capital raising process, during which capital for real estate project financing is being raised from the public via open sources. Developers are using real estate crowdfunding process, when bank financing considers this as of a higher risk project and other alternative capital raising sources are not available. A typical element in real estate crowdfunding is real estate pledge as a security for the investors. Read extra information on tracking real estate crowdfunding platforms.
Another aspect to look into from which countries investors are eligible to invest into real estate crowdfunding platform. Unless the platform is country specific, most of the platforms are allowing users from all over EU to invest. Some are accepting investors from countries outside EU, however this should be checked in every real estate crowdfunding platform. User experience: The first user experience, which could be noted – onboarding process. Most of the platforms are using third party suppliers to do onboarding process, but they have different integration levels and is some it could take a few days, before the user is approved and could start investing. Secondly project descriptions and ease of use, while navigating between the projects. This is not a deal breaking process, but certainly saves time, while selecting a project as the investment process itself is quite time consuming.
On the flip side, real estate crowdfunding invites investors to pool their money using online financial technology (fintech) or crowdfunding sites to fund real estate investments, with an eye toward making an eventual one-time or ongoing profit. A few hundred dollars is often all it takes to get started with these internet-powered investment solutions. Monies are commonly paid into Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and similar financial vehicles, which effectively serve as holding companies that own and operate various real estate investments. These properties can take the form of houses, apartments, condos, retail space, malls, hotels, offices and more. Unlike many publicly traded REITs though, crowdfunded investments are typically privately held. These REITs also tend to pay regular earnings our to investors in the form of dividends.
Real estate crowdfunding platforms offer entry into real estate to a wide range of people, from experienced, accredited investors to individuals who are just starting out. The right platform for you depends on your needs and expectations. If you’re an accredited investor and you need access to institutional-quality offerings, CrowdStreet might fit the bill for you. DiversyFund is a good pick for those seeking zero management fees and a reasonable entry points. Accredited investors will also find a good selection and low fees at EquityMultiple. Investors who are not accredited and need a low entry point will find it at Fundrise. If you’re an accredited investor who needs low interest rates, Peer Street is a good choice for you. RealtyMogul is a good option for investors who are not accredited and are looking for a reasonable investment minimum.
Risk profile: Real estate crowdfunding platforms are regulated by central banks and one of the requirement is to have a risk scoring methodology which typically ranges from A to D-E. Risk assessment methodologies are not publicly available but the general scale – A contains the lowers risk, whereas D-E, the highest risk. Risk methodologies are approved by central banks. Crowdbulls does not include this ratio in the comparison tables as scale is not available and B from one platform could not be compared to the B in other platform.
Fundrise: Fundrise allows even nonaccredited investors to quickly get started with real estate crowdfunding and start buying into both residential and commercial properties by teaming up with other investors. Any sums that you wish to invest are pooled into REITs, and used to purchase properties, buy land, develop real estate, and otherwise pursue private real estate deals. A simple to use and intuitive website makes the process of online real estate investment approachable. However, be aware that the privately held investments it offers may be highly illiquid and will largely appeal to long-term investors. Noting the speculative nature of these opportunities, any investments should accordingly be subject to due diligence up-front.
Traditionally, equity crowdfunding was only open to accredited investors. Accredited investors include banks, pension plans, insurance companies as well as affluent, sophisticated investors. For an individual to qualify as an accredited investor, the person had to earn $200,000 or have a net worth that exceeded $1,000,000.1 One of the benefits to crowdfunding is that it doesn’t take a large amount of money for investors to get in—and in some cases—the minimum is $1,000 dollars to invest in a company. Also, if the company eventually goes public, meaning they issue new stock via an IPO or initial public offering, there could be an enormous potential for investment gains. See additional information at https://www.crowdbulls.com/.