Real estate crowdfunding solutions today with crowdbulls.com: 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 additional information on real estate crowdfunding tracker.
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 raises capital for real estate investments. When developers or real estate professionals find investment opportunities, they may not want to fund the entire investment themselves (or they may not be able to). Thus, they turn to crowdfunding to let individual investors help finance the project. The process enables investors to invest in real estate without owning, financing, or managing properties. Real estate investment platforms connect investment opportunities with funding. Most real estate crowdfunding deals have a sponsor, a crowdfunding platform, and investors. Here’s a quick rundown of how it works: The sponsor is the individual or company responsible for the project. The sponsor acquires, manages, and sells the investment. The crowdfunding platform connects the sponsor to interested investors. It explains deals to potential investors, handles regulatory issues, and collects money from the investors on behalf of the sponsor. The investor contributes to the project’s funding in exchange for a share of the profits.
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.
Given a recent boom and interest and publicity around real estate crowdfunding sites, many firms are now competing for your investment dollars, including many new startups and market entrants. No two platforms are created equal either, with any given individual site offering its own feature set, opportunities, potential return on investment, and suite of tools for maintaining and keeping track of your investments. As a general rule, noting that real estate crowdfunding also remains a relatively new practice, it pays to do your research here, look at user commentary and feedback, and consider the pros and cons associated with each online vendor before committing to an investment. Following though, you’ll find a list of several of the most popular and/or well-established sites that offer access to real estate crowdfunding opportunities.
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 more details at https://www.crowdbulls.com/.