Table of Contents
What is Fundrise?
Fundrise allows you to choose investments in real estate portfolios or several properties in one investment. In theory, this diversifies your investment risk while providing you access to several properties simultaneously. To date, the most popular real estate investment platform offering a portfolio approach is Fundrise. This investment platform provides several options for you to review and invest your money. Their available portfolio options include:
- The Starter Portfolio – This option allows investors to start investing in real estate with as little as $10.
- Core Portfolios (Supplemental, Balanced, and Long-Term Growth) – Each of these “Core Portfolios” comes with a higher minimum investment of $1,000 and targets a different investment objective. Supplemental aims to provide additional passive income from real estate investing on the Fundrise platform. Long-Term Growth invests money for the primary goal of capital appreciation. At the same time, Balanced focuses on both of these investment objectives. By offering these investment portfolio options, investors can choose which investment objective best aligns with their financial goals.
- Regardless of your net worth, you can now benefit from real estate’s unique potential for generating consistent cash flow and long-term gains with Fundrise starting as low as $10.
- Enjoy set-it-and-forget-it managed portfolios with standard Fundrise accounts, or actively select the funds you want to invest in with Fundrise Pro.
- Diversify your portfolio with real estate, private tech investing, or private credit.
- Low minimum investment ($10)
- Accredited and non-accredited investors welcome
- IRA accounts available
- Highly illiquid investment
Best Fundrise Alternatives for Accredited Investors
1. First National Realty Partners (Grocery-Anchored Commercial Real Estate)
- Minimum Investment to Start: $50,000
- Type of Real Estate Investment: Grocery-anchored commercial real estate
- Type of Investor: Accredited Investors
- FNRP is the leading sponsor for grocery-anchored commercial real estate.
- FNRP has a nationwide focus and leverages relationships with the best national-brand tenants to bring accredited investors exclusive access to institutional-quality deals.
- FNRP provides partners with institutional-quality investments that achieve exceptional, risk-adjusted returns (12%-18% targeted average annual returns, of which, 8% is the targeted average annual cash distribution.)
- Uses the Dragnet Acquisitions Model - strong due diligence. FNRP looks at 1,000 deals and chooses just one. FNRP chooses only the best deals they believe offer the highest return for the absolute lowest risk.
- FNRP's entire investment cycle is 100% in-house and not outsourced like traditional private equity sponsors.
- Strong performance track record
- Unique investment niche (grocery-anchored CRE)
- High total shareholder return
- Only accessible to accredited investors
- High investment minimum ($50,000)
2. EquityMultiple
- Minimum Investment to Start: $5,000
- Type of Real Estate Investment: Commercial Real Estate
- Type of Investor: Accredited Investors Only
- EquityMultiple is a commercial real estate platform for accredited investors, providing investment opportunities in real estate funds, individual properties, and savings alternatives.
- EquityMultiple has a team boasting decades of real estate transaction experience. Their due diligence process whittles down a large selection of properties, accepting only 5% as target investments that they use to build a variety of portfolios that suit numerous investing objectives.
- The company has made $379 million in distributions since its founding.
- Makes commercial real estate Investments accessible
- Intuitive website design
- High net total returns and distributions paid to investors
- Only available to accredited investors
- High investment minimum to begin
- Fee structure varies by investment, complex at times
3. YieldStreet
- Minimum Investment to Start: $2,500
- Type of Real Estate Investment: Commercial Real Estate
- Type of Investor: All Investors
- art finance
- real estate
- commercial finance
- legal finance, and more.
- Yieldstreet offers portfolio diversification through building passive income streams with alternative investments
- Typically have low stock market correlation
- Have short durations (6 months to 5 years)
- Low minimums (as low as $2,500)
- Backed by collateral to help protect your principal (over $600m in principal and interest payments returned to investors since 2015)
- Access to several alternative asset classes
- Low stock market correlation
- Low minimums compared to other accredited investment platforms
- Illiquid investments
- Some investments have lost money
- Most investments only available to accredited investors
4. CrowdStreet
- Minimum Investment to Start: $25,000
- Type of Real Estate Investment: Commercial Real Estate
- Type of Investor: Accredited Investors Only
- CrowdStreet is a real estate investment platform available exclusively to accredited investors looking to invest in commercial real estate for long periods.
- CrowdStreet comes with a high minimum investment of $25,000.
5. FarmTogether
- Minimum Investment to Start: $10,000
- Type of Real Estate Investment: Farmland
- Type of Investor: Accredited Investors Only
- FarmTogether is a technology-powered investment platform w/direct access to institutional quality farmland.
- The FarmTogether team sifts through hundreds of opportunities to select only the best ones. Opportunities vary by type, expected return and location.
- Accredited investors can get started with just $10,000.
Best Fundrise Alternatives for Non-Accredited Investors
6. Streitwise → Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
- Minimum Investment to Start: ~$3,500
- Type of Real Estate Investment: Commercial Real Estate
- Type of Investor: All Investors
- Begin earning passive income in private real estate for ~$3,500.
- Streitwise REIT provides investors with access to stable, institutional-quality commercial properties.
- As of 4Q2023, Streitwise paid a quarterly dividend at an annualized rate of 7.2% since 2017, net of fees. This roughly doubles the average paid by public REIT alternatives.
- Strong performance track record vs. industry peers
- Lower fees than other funds (2%/yr., w/o syndicator fees)
- DRIP program
- High investment minimum (~$3,500)
- Illiquid
- Penalty for redeeming shares within five years
7. RealtyMogul
- Minimum Investment to Start: $5,000
- Type of Real Estate Investment: Commercial and Residential Real Estate
- Type of Investor: All Investors
- The Income REIT: Pays monthly dividends at a 6% – 8% annualized rate (net of annual management fee) and focuses on income-generating assets more than growth-oriented investments. This fund invests in commercial real estate investment options like office buildings and retail space and residential real estate investment options like multifamily properties.
- The Apartment Growth REIT: A more balanced approach between income and growth, this REIT offers the ability to earn passive income at a lower annualized rate than the monthly dividends from The Income REIT, but with an eye toward capital appreciation as well. This fund differs in the holdings held within the portfolio, opting instead to invest solely in residential apartment buildings.
- RealtyMogul is an online real estate crowdfunding marketplace for real estate investing
- RealtyMogul specializes in commercial real estate and private real estate assets
- The service has a $5,000 minimum investment threshold and offers two REITs aimed at different investment objectives: The Income REIT and The Apartment Growth REIT
9. Groundfloor → Investing in Fix and Flips
- Minimum Investment to Start: $1,000
- Type of Real Estate Investment: Residential Real Estate
- Type of Investor: All Investors
- Groundfloor is a crowdsourced real estate investing platform which offers high-yield, short-term real estate debt investments.
- Offers collateralized, secured real estate debt with 1-month, 3-month, and 12-month terms.
- Has delivered consistent 10%+ returns over past eight years with repayments received in 6-9 months on average.
- Offers after-tax and IRA investment options.
- Special offer: When you fund your account with at least $1,000, you will receive a $50 credit to invest on Groundfloor*.
Who Are Fundrise’s Competitors?
The most direct competitors to Fundrise are fellow non-accredited investing platforms offering access to both commercial and residential real estate investment portfolios. This hybrid asset allocation approach makes Fundrise unique compared to its competitors, providing a differentiated investment offering. The service doesn’t allow individuals to select individual units unless choosing a residential real estate developer’s project, commercial real estate project or multifamily offering (e.g., apartment buildings).
Can You Get Rich from Fundrise?
Fundrise has achieved competitive yields in their industry, making investors significant profits during their history. The company targets returns between 8-13% per year, offering stable returns that stand to compound well over time if you remain invested in the service. While not recommended for allocating most of your portfolio to any crowdfunding service, this could serve as an outlet to consider outside of learning how to get rich off stocks or picking stocks for the long-term. Related: 10 Best Stock Picking Services, Sites, Advisors and Subscriptions
Do Real Estate Crowdfunding Platforms Have a Minimum Investment?
Some Fundrise alternatives for real estate require you to have a minimum investment to participate on their real estate crowdfunding platform. The minimum investment may vary between non-accredited and accredited investors. However, you might have different minimum investment requirements based on the type of investment you make. Private placements might have a higher minimum investment than if you invested in real estate loans as an accredited investor to earn rental income. Likewise, purchasing equity in real estate crowdfunding investments like residential real estate or commercial properties could require you to meet different minimum investment obligations. Make sure you check with the Fundrise alternatives in real estate crowdfunding to see if you have interest meeting and maintaining a minimum investment amount as a non-accredited or accredited investor.
Can You Participate in Commercial Real Estate Investing Through Crowdfunding Platforms?
Yes, you can invest in commercial properties through real estate crowdfunding platforms like Fundrise and several Fundrise alternatives. While services like DiversyFund offer access to multifamily residential real estate investments, Fundrise alternatives like First National Realty Partners, YieldStreet, EquityMultiple, CrowdStreet, RealtyMogul and others offer commercial real estate investments. These often allow you to earn passive income in private market offerings or participate in several real estate projects through direct investing or opportunity zone investing. Real estate investors should understand how options like a Growth REIT might affect their taxes. Considerations include payments toward property taxes, how they can defer capital gains taxes and whether these interest payments can provide the returns they seek. Commercial real estate carries a different risk profile than residential real estate, so make sure you understand the risks involved.
What are Accredited Investors?
While this definition recently changed, from one which usually meant high-net-worth/high-income individuals, to now one which focuses on investor experience and knowledge, it typically skews more towards investors with financial wherewithal and familiarity. That said, the new amendments from the SEC allow investors to qualify as accredited investors based on defined measures of professional knowledge, experience or certifications in addition to the existing tests for income or net worth. These tests for financial resources include having an aggregate net worth of over $1,000,000 and earning over $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with that person’s spouse over $300,000 in each of those years with a reasonable expectation of reaching the same income level in the current year. Related: Best Quicken Alternatives