Are you a non-accredited investor? Well, you still have options for real estate crowdfunding on a private basis. Here is the best real estate crowdfunding for non-accredited investors.
Either you’ve been living under a rock, or you already know what crowdfunding is. Still, most people are vaguely familiar with the term and don’t know what real estate group investing means.
Simply, crowdfunding is a situation where lots of people invest their funds into a single platform. Here’s where online real estate crowdfunding websites come in.
These platforms let multiple investors bring their money together to fund real estate projects. Mainly, they include commercial, residential, and industrial building projects that need outside funding.
Sounds like an exciting way to earn a passive income with real estate, right? It gets better.
Previously, after crowdfunding allowed people to diversify their investments apart from the REITs, it was only available for accredited investors.
But now, even if you’re a non-accredited investor, some platforms are willing to give you a chance.
If that’s what you’re looking for, we’ve listed the platforms that provide the best real estate crowdfunding for non-accredited investors in this article to help you make your decision.
Table of Contents
What is Non-Accredited Investing?
Before we begin listing the best real estate crowdfunding for non-accredited investors, you’ll need to know what non-accredited investing is if you’re not completely familiar with the term.
First of all, to be an accredited investor, you’ll need to have an income of at least $200,000 annually.
Also, earning this much for only this year won’t do.
You only get the status of an accredited investor according to financial laws if you’ve been earning the sum for the last two years, and are expected to earn the same in the present year as well.
Besides that, your net worth is also taken into account.
You should have more than $1,000,000 in assets, while your current residence does not count.
These requirements are mainly to make sure you can afford to lose the investments you’re making, or won’t end up bankrupt.
On the contrary, if you don’t fit the above-mentioned criteria, you’re in the non-accredited category. Needless to say, the options for non-accredited investors apart from the stock market are scarce.
Our Top Pick
We'll get into the top options shortly. But my top pick goes to Fundrise.
As one the leaders in the real estate crowdfunding space, you can get started for free and ultimately invest as low as $500 in a plan or fund.
Real Estate Crowdfunding Options for Non-Accredited Investors
Most popular real estate crowdfunding platforms, like YieldStreet, are designed for accredited users only. However, nowadays, the government is allowing more and more platforms to create options for non-accredited users as well.
But as an investor with minimum financial security, which platform should you choose?
We’ve listed the details for the leading investment platforms so you can choose one that fits your needs.
Fundrise
Fundrise is one of the best crowdfunding platforms for you if you’re a non-accredited investor. The platform offers products that can give you everything you aim for, from financial growth to a steady, passive income.
Min To Invest | Accredited Only? | Fees | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$500 | No | 1%/year | Sign Up | Read Full Review |
At Fundrise, you can start investing with only $500 at hand. Once you create an account and make your first investment, the platform will invest your money in multiple eREITs.
This way, no matter how nominal your investment is, it will be diversified and safe.
Most importantly, project scrutiny is a priority for Fundrise. They conduct rigorous research to make sure they only let the projects with maximum potential and minimal market risks into their investment programs.
The best part is, as far as our research goes, Fundrise is one of the cheapest investment options in terms of investment fees. They deduct only 1% of your assets annually, including a 0.15% management fee.
This means it ensures safe returns at an affordable price.
RealtyMogul
RealtyMogul has been a popular real estate investment option since its advent in 2013. Here, they have investment options to accommodate both accredited and non-accredited investors.
However, the initial investment threshold is pretty high and isn’t something everyone can afford.
Min To Invest | Accredited Only? | Fees | Next Steps | |
---|---|---|---|---|
$1,000 | No | 0.50%/year | Sign Up | Read Full Review |
What makes RealtyMogul more secure than other platforms is its property acquiring process. They only invest in land, property, or construction projects that generate steady cash flow.
Besides that, they stick loyally to the certain number of partners they’ve registered throughout the years. Apart from them, they rarely work or invest in other projects, which makes their investments a tried and tested process.
Lastly, they only approve projects that have include fully signed leases. This brings their risk factor down considerably while increasing the returns.
If you have $5,000 to invest, RealtyMogul has two investment options, namely, REIT I and REIT II.
The fee that’s deducted over your investments depends on the investment option you choose. This ranges from 0.50% to 0.60%.
Besides that, there’s a 1% annual fee on assets as well.
As far as fees go, it varies based on the investment. The platform gives out substantial monthly dividends, so it's a great option for someone who can afford the initial investment.
If you like what you hear above and want to learn more, you can read our in-depth RealtyMogul review for more information.
Roofstock
Roofstock deals with rental properties. Here, you can buy single-family rental properties at the low down payment. Once you signup, you can check out the options available in their real estate investment marketplace and make your choice accordingly.
If you are looking to retire on rental income from single-family properties, Roofstock can be a great deal source for you.
Their options display all the basic details you’ll need to know, such as the price, the monthly rent, and the location of the property.
After you invest in a property, you’re practically a partial owner, and you even get some leverage on the property management services.
Surprisingly, this platform has a money-back guarantee if you wish to withdraw your investment within a month.
If you invest in acquiring a property with the platform, and you feel you’re no more satisfied within a month, the company will refund your money.
See Related: How to Get a HELOC on a Rental Property
DiversyFund
At DiversyFund, they make a profit by acquiring real estate with steady cash flow. They allow you to invest in properties that they won themselves and give you a passive income according to the property appreciation.
The benefit of this system is that there’s no other project owner between the investor and the platform. This means the investment does not require them to take any fee from investors.
Most importantly, you can start investing with initial funding of only $500. However, this is a relatively new investing system, launched only three years ago.
This makes it a little less reliable than other tried and tested investment systems.
Want to learn more? Read more in our full DiversyFund review.
GroundFloor
GroundFloor is another popular real estate investment platform that lets you start investing with only $10. They work with short-term loans of around 6-12 month durations. This allows them to take minimum investments from their investors.
The platform itself is quite old but has confined its services to a few states initially. Only about two years ago, they opened up their investment opportunities to all US states.
Besides that, GroudFloor has a strict risk management policy. They put each project they intend to invest in through thorough investigation before funding it with their investors’ money.
It’s advertised on their website that only 5% of the projects they investigate pass through their scrutiny.
Another aspect that makes them different from other popular platforms is that they have no specific investment plans or REITs. You can choose from their array of single-family, residential projects yourself, and begin investing.
On the downside, as the company itself owns the properties, you do not have any part in the property rights or equity ownership.
You’re just loaning your money to an organization that buys a property for resale or renovation.
StREITwise
StREITwise is a real estate investment platform for non-accredited investors. Here, beginners can start investing with only $1000 and get 10% returns on their investments.
Although it is a reliable platform, they have a confusing fee structure. The website advertises 3 or 2%.
However, as you work with them, you’ll find lots of other covered fees taken from your profits in the form of financing, performance, or acquisition fees. That’s why in some programs, the 10% returns just aren’t worth it.
Besides that, the platform gives out their profits and dividends every quarter. Another thing is that if you’re planning to invest with StREITwise, your investments will be stuck for some time.
Also, they have no secondary options to invest your funds until one project is complete.
Nevertheless, you can choose to reinvest your dividends if you wish to earn more on your investment.
If you like what you hear above, read more about the platform in our stREITwise review.
Rich Uncles
These uncles give you a chance to become rich yourself. No matter how non-serious the name sounds, this site is one of the most reliable and fast options if you’re targeting immediate passive income.
You can start by investing as low as $5 and gradually increase the amount whenever you feel like it. Apart from mainstream commercial and residential properties, Rich Uncles has a REIT that lets you invest in student housing.
Founded back in 2012 by Uncle Ray, this platform was created especially for beginners in the investment area.
Uncle Ray launched this platform back in 2012. It mainly targets new investors and gives them a chance to start a passive income at low rates.
The platform offers two different REITs. While the student housing option is available all over the US, the national REIT is only available in certain states.
With the National REIT, you can invest in retail, commercial, and industrial real estate, but the starting investment is $500. The Student Housing REIT has a minimum investment rate that’s as low as it gets.
The best part is, their fee structure is formulated to benefit the investors only. As long as you get the benefits you signed up for, Rich Uncles will make a small profit out of that. If you don’t, the platform doesn’t make money either.
When the investment makes its first profit, the platform pays 6.5% to investors. After that, if the profits increase by 6.5%, the platform deducts 40% yearly.
See Related: How to Invest in Real Estate with Little Money
American Homeowner Preservation
The American Homeowner preservation is an affordable and accessible investment option for non-accredited beginners. They let you start investing with only $100 at hand.
Moreover, this platform has a completely different business structure. Instead of benefiting from distressed properties like GroudFloor, they work to preserve the properties for their original owners.
They use the investment and funding provided by their investors to finance the owners who have defaulted in their mortgage payments. This way, they enable them to make their payments and preserve their rights to their home.
But how do they generate profits to pay their investors?
You see, they purchase mortgages at discounted prices until the owners themselves can afford the payments.
Once that’s done, they sell the loan for more than they paid for it.
While this business structure aims to work for the greater good, it has yet to stand the test of time. It’s an unconventional investing program and does not have clear guidelines like other platforms, which makes it a little shady for large investments.
Anyway, it’s great for beginners who want to take a modest start at investments.
See Related: 10 Best Fundrise Alternatives to Consider
GridShare
GridShare offers a reliable investment platform for non-accredited investors, though not completely in real estate. On this platform, non-accredited investors can begin at only $100.
This platform works with debt and equity investments. They finance new ideas, most importantly, clean energy projects. These include solar and wind energy programs.
Through GridShare, investors can diversify their portfolios.
Their website advertises returns of up to 8-20%, without any service or management fee. However, the platform does take a defined percentage from the profit according to the investment program.
Cardone Capital
Unless you’re new to the finance world, you must be familiar with Grant Cardone.
He’s a writer and avid real estate investor who has gained a commendable fan following in the last few years.
Cardone Capital is his personally designed investment program that has approved SEC investor funds. Initially, the program was decided for accredited investors, but recently, it has been approved to work with non-accredited investors as well.
However, if you work with Cardone Capital, you’ll have to start with a high minimum investment of about $5000.
Attributing to Cardone’s amazing real estate portfolio, the investments on this platform are reliable and generate a steady income.
See Related: How to Underwrite Real Estate Investments
Conclusion
That’s our list of platforms for the best real estate crowdfunding for non-accredited investors. You must’ve noticed that while most of these offer investment programs for real estate, each of them has a different business structure.
Besides that, the returns and minimum investments also vary from program to program.
Therefore, even if you count yourself as a non-accredited investor, not all platforms that accommodate non-accredited investors will fit your needs.
The best way is to evaluate each platform from all its aspects to get the maximum benefits with the lowest risk factors.