Historically, Real Estate has always been perceived as a safe market to invest in, but it has never been accessible to the ordinary individual. So, why has it been so challenging for the common investor to access this market? The answer to this question is its high entry costs.
That is why, in order to eliminate this barrier, a new means of investment was developed: Real Estate Crowdfunding.
Promoted by the evolution of technology, Crowdfunding platforms allow many individuals to invest small amounts of money, through a digital platform, enabling substantial amounts of money to be raised for a single company or project. Said, it is now possible to invest as little as 50€ in a Real Estate property. This means of investment is favorable to smaller investors and for project developers (sponsors), which earn the opportunity to have access to the required capital, which they eventually could not be able to raise.
It is possible to invest as little as 50€ in a Real Estate property.
How does it work?
The critical element of this investment method is the existence of online platforms. These platforms work as intermediates between the project developers and the investors, creating an opportunity for both to seek out their needs. Developers and respecting companies seek financing to the online platforms, which later let available those opportunities to eventual investors. Through this tool, investors can now search for pre-curated investments online, accessing its financial data and legal documents. This strongly benefits the investor since he does not have to do diligence on several Real Estate transactions to choose his investment because that is already taken care of by the platform. Besides this, it is also possible to access investor’s dashboards to monitor how assets are performing.
What type of Investment can I do?
There are many forms of Real Estate Crowdfunding investments, but they can be subdivided into two categories:
Equity-based Crowdfunding
Through this type of investment, the investor gets the opportunity to become a shareholder in a company or a real estate property. Essentially, the investor will receive returns based on the property’s rental income. Usually, these payouts are done quarterly and, in case the property is sold, the investors earn a share of the property’s appreciation value. Generally, equity investments pay higher returns than debt investments; one factor is the higher risk linked to the ownership of an equity stake of the property, which can decrease in value.
Debt-based Crowdfunding
Through debt investing, investors lend funds to the project developers, who, in return, pay a fixed rate based on the owner’s mortgage loan and the amount invested. This is considered a more straightforward way of investing and these payouts are usually done monthly or quarterly until the end of the given maturity.
Crowdfunding has emerged as an alternative form of investment compared to Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), which holds and/or manages income-producing commercial real estate. The big difference between the two is that in a REIT investment, the investor is buying part of the company that owns and manages rental properties. While in a Crowdfunding investment, the investor is buying the right of part of the commercial property.
So, what makes Crowdfunding so attractive?
1. Accessibility
Crowdfunding allows small non-accredited investors to purchase stakes in properties that, otherwise, would be very hard, if not impossible, to do it by themselves. [This creates the opportunity to own part of a Hotel or a Villa to multiple small investors without substantial investments otherwise necessary to buy them independently.]
As stated before, it also allows sponsors to acquire large amounts of capital that they could not get from traditional investment sources. These platforms make this process easier, faster, and many times less expensive.
2. Higher Transparency
When investing in a REIT, shares of a company are bought, which then buys and manages the properties. The underlying assets are the strategies or even their financials. On the other hand, when investing in Real Estate Crowdfunding, we know exactly what we are buying, we have access to the business plan (that should always be analyzed) and its financials.
Therefore, investors have more information available, and there is more disclosure between both parties.
3. No landlord effort
Unlike the unpleasant maintenance and landlord responsibilities that appear when buying and renting a property, such as bad tenants or broken pipes, Crowdfunding eliminates these problems because the investor will never have to worry with managing the properties.
4. High Potential Returns
Since the platforms are not heavily regulated, sponsors need to offer higher returns to attract investors that feel insecure due to that lack of regulations. In fact, in Europe, the average ROI is 12% - 14%, which is also caused by the very low or even nonexistent investment fees [in investments such as REITs, these fees are much higher]. Real Estate Crowdfunding can also be a steady passive stream of income because investors receive a share of the rental income and the payout from the sponsor selling the property.
Even though it seems the perfect investment, it is not flawless since the investor needs to acknowledge possible threats to make an informed decision.
Crowdfunding and its drawbacks
1. Untested platforms
One of the problems is that the trading platforms are relatively recent; therefore, it is tough for governments to properly establish regulation, supervision and rules for operating and testing their trustworthiness and transparency. Since the rules are still changing as the industry grows, it creates uncertainty in investors’ minds.
Moreover, many of them back down from these investments because they feel uncomfortable putting money on such platforms.
2. Illiquidity
One of the most significant drawbacks of these investments is the difficulty to turn them into money as quickly as other investments. This is due to the association between the title and the property and the effort to find a buyer. Most crowdfunding contracts require investors to sign a commitment at least for a year, and some require it be from five to ten years.
However, sometimes some provisions allow investors to withdraw earlier, but they may have to pay a penalty fee.
Recommended Platforms
Conclusion
Even though the high returns associated with Real Estate Crowdfunding may seem very appealing, it is crucial for the investor to recognize that they are related to certain risks and liabilities. So, we advise you to explore the various platforms and make a conscious and educated decision that suits your best interest.
Authors: João Miguel Rodrigues and Miguel Mendes
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