What Are The Top 5 Real Estate Platforms in 2024? Choose Wisely

There is no doubt that real estate is one of the best and most efficient ways to build long-term wealth. Everyone needs a roof over their head. However, it often takes a small fortune to purchase an investment property. The good news is that now, you can easily invest in real estate without ever owning any physical property.

How is this possible? The answer is real estate crowdfunding. Real estate crowdfunding allows investors to take smaller financial risks by investing small sums of money into the debt or equity of a real estate project. Now, you can invest in private real estate deals via crowdfunded real estate platforms and websites.

Did you know that according to Forbes, by 2025, the crowdfunding industry is expected to be valued at over $300 billion? This puts online real estate marketplaces in a great position to benefit from this explosive growth.

Investing in real estate offers a number of unique benefits compared to investing in the stock market. Some of these benefits include diminished volatility and risk, tangible assets, the ability for more diversification, and tax benefits.

Individuals and institutions invest trillions of dollars of capital in real estate, such as apartment buildings and shopping malls. A significant chunk of this institutional capital flows online to these real estate platforms and crowdfunding websites.

Here are the top 5 real estate platforms for your investments.

DiversyFund

DiversyFund is an excellent crowdfunded real estate platform. The platform is open to all investors, and you can invest in its private growth as well as income REITs. DiversyFund is an valuable platform if you do not fit the conventional real estate investor mold.

One of the best things about this platform is that you do not need to be accredited in order to invest. Also, you only need modest capital to begin. The platform is user-friendly and intuitive with a simple sign-up process.

The DiversyFund team is located in California, and they only invest in the best commercial real estate. You may invest in one of the company’s REITs with a minimum investment of $500. In contrast, investing in individual properties usually requires a larger initial investment.

DiversyFund directly buys properties, eliminating the middleman and lowering costs. DiversyFund also provides complete transparency on the value of all its available properties, making investments simple and hassle-free for beginners.

One of the aspects that differentiates DiversyFund from other real estate platforms is that the company’s REIT owns the properties. Because of this unconventional structure, the company offers investment opportunities with no fees.

With a great emphasis on making real estate investments accessible to most investors, DiversyFund has created a seamless and user-friendly experience perfect for new investors. We have an in-depth review about Diversyfund that you may want to check out. Click this Diversyfund Review.

Fundrise

Fundrise is another real estate platform that doesn’t require investors to be accredited. Fundrise allows you to invest in REITs regardless of your overall net worth.

The best thing about Fundrise is that you can start investing with only $500. This low barrier to entry means anybody can start investing in private commercial as well as residential crowdfunded real estate.

If you are a non-accredited investor, then Fundrise could be your best option. Also, unlike other real estate platforms, the company welcomes investors from all fifty states. However, unlike standard REITs that frequently trade on the open market, the company’s REITs aren’t publicly traded. This means that you can only redeem the shares quarterly.

Fundrise does not allow you to pick-and-choose your own real estate investments on its platform. Rather, all funds invested in the platform are allocated automatically across several Fundrise REITs.

This is why, as a Fundrise investor, you will have to trust the platform to make smart and sound real estate investment decisions. A Fundrise portfolio comprises qualified offerings that the SEC regulates, and the platform must follow all strict reporting requirements, such as annual audits and periodic financial reporting.

After signing up on the platform, you can invest either in one of the three Core Portfolio plans or the low-minimum Starter Portfolio. Fundrise invests your funds in a mixed bag of residential and commercial properties located throughout the US, which means more diversification.

Some of the property types you can invest in are:

Note that by investing in advanced plans, you earn a potential yearly dividend yield of as much as 12 percent. Also, you do not have to worry about the daily stock price fluctuations that you experience with most publicly-traded REITs. Not yet sure about Fundrise? This Fundrise Review may help you!

CrowdStreet

CrowdStreet has one of the biggest and most diverse selections of assets in the business. The platform specializes in CRE (commercial real estate) investments. You can choose from investing in a managed real estate portfolio or get direct access to many individual commercial investment opportunities. After that, you can review and compare real estate deals that meet your criteria.

Although the company’s main offering is reserved for accredited investors, it offers 2 REIT funds for non-accredited investors. This platform focuses on commercial real estate, as opposed to many other platforms that also invest in various types of residential properties.

CrowdStreet sources most deals from mediators. After that, the company makes these deals available on its site. Clients still have to pay remuneration and expenses that outside parties charge.

You will be pleased to know that the platform has enabled more than ninety commercial offerings. These offerings have an average project value per offering of $30,276,014. Also, CrowdStreet offers access to a competent team of in-house advisors to help you tailor your investments toward your financial goals and objectives.

CrowdStreet has more in store for you, read our CrowdStreet Review to know how good CrowdStreet is.

PeerStreet

Are you an accredited investor? If so, Peerstreet may be for you. PeerStreet is an excellent platform that specializes in debt investment loans for all accredited investors. Most of its loan terms are from six months to 36 months, with returns ranging from 6 percent to 9 percent.

As PeerStreet’s main focus is on debt financing, the company has created a marketplace that allows you to fund private real estate loans for some of the top-tier organizations throughout the US.  You can create your own real estate portfolio or allow PeerStreet to do all the work for you with its Automatic Investing feature.

You can also consider PeerStreet for short-term investments in different residential properties, and you can invest in multifamily and commercial deals. With PeerStreet, most loans are for residential and single-family homes.

One of the best things about this platform is that investors are guaranteed an average ROI (return on investment) of 6 to 12 percent. While most crowdfunded companies usually charge an annual administrative fee of 1 percent, PeerStreet usually charges between 0.25% and 1% for each investment. This makes it a low-price leader.

Want to know if PeerStreet is right for you? Check this PeerStreet Review to help you decide.

Patch of Land

Patch of Land is one of the original real estate crowdfunding websites. The company was founded by Jason and Brian Fritton and has been operating since 2013. The company’s website claims that you can earn as much as 12 percent in one year. You have a lot of choices, as you can invest in rehabilitation projects or new construction for residential or commercial properties.

The company aims to solve the problems of fragmented, inefficient, and opaque real estate private lending with the use of technology and data-driven processes.

Patch of Land looks to work with real estate developers that are improving current real estate projects. The company focuses on projects that most traditional lender and banks stay away from. However, one downside is that the company works with accredited investors only.

While most properties on the platform have a 12-month maturity term, a few also have a 2-year loan term. After your investment matures, you may reinvest the balance, or you may withdraw the amount to an interest-bearing bank account.

Need more information about Patch of Land? Learn more in this Patch of Land Review.

Final Thoughts

It is no secret that real estate investing platforms are an excellent place to start your journey toward passive income and financial freedom.  Real estate crowdfunding is now one of the best alternative investments for people looking to diversify their assets. You can now gain more exposure to real estate without the many obstacles typically associated with real estate investing

Real estate platforms provide a wide range of options for investors, with minimum investment amounts as low as $500. This relatively new world of real estate crowdfunding gives all investors simple access to opportunities outside of bonds and stocks.