Seven top real estate crowdfunding platforms named.

“You don’t need to dream of owning a glorious skyscraper in New York: The vision of real estate ownership has been expanded to give small (and large) investors the opportunity to choose the location and type of real estate investment property for their portfolio,” writes Barbara Friedberg for U.S. News & World Report.

Until a few years ago crowdfunding was limited to online donations for small creative or entrepreneurial projects, and investing in real estate development was reserved for wealthy individuals and investment funds. The introduction of the JOBS Act in 2012 changed all that. Regulated crowdfunding became available to businesses and this led to changes in how real estate development could be funded and who could have access to real estate investment opportunities. Specifically, it became possible for anyone over the age of 18 to invest, regardless of their net worth or income.

Crowdfunding in real estate is growing rapidly. Investors can now pool their money in a previously unavailable market and seasoned investors can use it as a way of diversifying a portfolio, or to make a long-term investment in commercial real estate equity or debt. The ‘crowd’ gets to invest their money in a wide variety of projects, from single-family homes and multi-family units to commercial properties.

And, Small Change, which focuses on positive impact projects, has been named as one of the seven best real estate crowdfunding platforms in 2020.

Image courtesy of Small Change