Top real estate crowdfunding platforms tracker right now: 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. Find even more info at real estate crowdfunding platforms tracker.
As seminal book “The Crowdfunding Bible” explains, crowdfunding refers to the process of asking the general public to contribute money or startup capital to help fund new ventures. Using this form of online fundraising, in which open calls to potential investors are posted on websites alongside prospective investment opportunities, concepts can be pitched straight to everyday Internet users. These individuals, who contribute to a pool of capital that is collectively sourced from others with similar interests, can provide a means of financial backing for current or prospective real estate investments. Such opportunities can take the form of residential or commercial holdings, and include either the development of new housing, retail, or office space, or partial ownership in a share of existing holdings.
DiversyFund’s model is unique in the real estate crowdfunding space. Instead of serving as a broker that connects investors with projects, DiversyFund buys, develops, and manages a portfolio of properties, collects the cash flow, and divvies up the profits amongst its investors. Unlike some crowdfunding platforms, it doesn’t charge any management or broker fees. Currently, you can invest in the DiversyFund Growth REIT ($500 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.
CrowdStreet: One of the more well-known real estate crowdfunding sites, CrowdStreet provides accredited investors with access to commercial real estate projects that look to deliver high returns on investment. CrowdStreet also provides some minimal due diligence for investors in the form of conducting background and reference checks on developers wishing to solicit their financial contributions. Nonetheless, whether you’re looking to invest in funds (which hold a variety of different real estate projects within them) or individual properties, many offerings require a minimum investment of $25,000. Likewise, any sums that you choose to invest may remain illiquid and have to sit untouched for a period of years.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has since lifted the restrictions that banned non-accredited investors from investing in crowdfunding activities. Although there are limitations, non-accredited investors can participate in crowdfunding for equity transactions as well as real estate transactions. Current Real Estate Crowdfunding: Prior to the JOBS Act, real estate investors could only invest in real estate by buying a physical property or investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs). However, crowdfunding has opened up a whole new method for investing in real estate. See even more details at https://www.crowdbulls.com/.
How to invest in real estate crowdfunding process? First of all, an investor should select a preferred platform, where he or she wants to invest. A broader description and comparison of various platforms could be found here. Secondly, each regulated platform applies a KYC procedure, which usually contains a self onboarding process with taking a picture of yourself, filling up a questionnaire and supplying additional information. Onboarding process can take from 15min mins to 24 hours depending on the platform and KYC provider platforms are using. After onboarding yourself, you can select the preferred project and invest. Depending from the platform, minimum investments start with as little as 100 EUR.