Lofty.ai Review 2024
Lofty offers fractional property ownership in the form of blockchain-based tokens that allow investors to earn rental yield and profit from value appreciation. Lofty is an online real estate investment platform that enables you to purchase a fraction of a property starting with as little as $50. At Lofty, fractional property ownership comes in the form of tradable, blockchain-based tokens that allow investors to earn rental yield and profit from a potential increase in the value of the property, thus opening up the real estate market to smaller investors who cannot afford a 20% down payment on a rental property. OPEN AN ACCOUNT Pros & Cons Pros Provides small investors access to real estate investments Pays out rental yield on a daily basis Allows investors to purchase fractional real estate using a credit card Cons Blockchain token aspect may be a hurdle for non-crypto native investors A secondary market for Lofty tokens only exists on Lofty’s marketplace No mobile app Regulatory uncertainty around tokenized real estate investments Pros Explained Provides small investors access to real estate investments: Starting with as little as $50, Lofty users can invest in real estate properties and gain exposure to real estate as an asset class. Pays out rental yield on a daily basis: Rental yields are paid out daily to token holders. Allows investors to purchase fractional real estate using a credit card: Alleviating the need to fund a wallet with cryptocurrency to purchase real estate tokens on the Lofty platform, users can make purchases with credit or debit cards (albeit with a 2.9% to 3.9% transaction fee). Cons Explained Blockchain token aspect may be a hurdle for non-crypto native investors: Lofty provides fractional asset ownership in the form of crypto tokens on the Algorand blockchain, potentially creating knowledge hurdles among users without crypto investing experience. A secondary market for Lofty tokens only exists on Lofty’s marketplace: Lofty real estate tokens are not traded on major digital asset exchanges, limiting the secondary market liquidity of these tokens to Lofty’s own marketplace. No mobile app: Lofty can only be accessed using a web browser; there is no mobile app version of the platform. Regulatory uncertainty around tokenized real estate investments: There is no clear regulatory framework covering tokenized fractional real estate investing, creating a certain degree of regulatory risk for investors. Company Overview Founded in 2018 by Jerry Chu, Mark Keane, and Max Ball, Lofty’s mission is to make investing in real estate as easy as investing in stocks or crypto. The Miami-based real estate tokenization startup has raised over $6 million from venture capital firms, such as Y Combinator, Rebel Fund, Jason Calacanis, and Hustle Fund, to build a marketplace on the Algorand blockchain that enables investors to purchase crypto tokens that represent a fractional share in a tokenized rental property. Investors from across the globe benefit from gaining access to the illiquid real estate market with as little as $50, while property owners in the U.S. can submit their rental properties to be tokenized and sold on the Lofty marketplace. Lofty At a Glance Open to Non-Accredited Investors? Yes Fees 2.5% Account Minimum $50 Investment Selection Limited to U.S. residential rental properties Rental Yield Frequency Daily Transparency High Available Customer Support Email, Chatbot How Does Lofty Work? Lofty is a marketplace offering fractional ownership in tokenized rental properties. Users can buy (and sell) fractional ownership in the form of digital tokens operating on the Algorand blockchain. The company’s investment team vets each property on Lofty’s marketplace before it’s under contract by a newly formed DAO LLC. Individual tokens are tokenized on the Algorand blockchain and are worth $50 each. After a professional property inspection company has inspected the property and provided a report to ensure the quality of each listed property, the house will be listed on Lofty’s marketplace. Once the real estate property is fully funded, the DAO LLC will purchase the property, and transfer the deed to the new DAO LLC, providing fractional ownership of the property to each token holder. The token holders of that property start to immediately earn rental yield, paid out daily. Additionally, token holders may benefit from an increase in the property’s value. What’s more, tokens of each fully funded property can be freely traded on the Lofty marketplace. OPEN AN ACCOUNT Key Features Lofty provides a unique offering, enabling investors to purchase fractional ownership in U.S. residential properties by buying tradable digital tokens representing a fraction of a specific property. Lofty’s tokenized real estate marketplace is open to both accredited and non-accredited investors, allowing retail investors to start investing in real estate with as little as $50. A simple sign-up process that only takes five minutes opens up the U.S. real estate market to a global audience. Available to non-accredited investors: Lofty enables non-accredited investors to gain access to the real estate market without requiring them to make a 20% down payment on a property, thus opening up the real estate market to a much broader investor base. Investment minimum: Investors can start by purchasing as little as one token worth $50 to start their real estate investing journey. Ease of use: The sign-up process is incredibly straightforward, with a seamless Know Your Client (KYC) check that only takes minutes to complete. However, for non-crypto-savvy investors, dealing in tokens using the platform’s native digital wallet may be a new experience. Accredited investment minimums: Accredited investors can start investing in rental properties starting at $25,000. Non-accredited investment minimums: Non-accredited investors can start investing in rental properties starting at $50. Curated portfolios: Investors can choose from a range of curated properties to invest in to build a diversified portfolio of U.S. rental properties, but there are no pre-defined real estate portfolios you can invest in. Customizable portfolios: Each user chooses which rental properties to invest in by purchasing each property’s individual tokens representing fractional ownership. Portfolio customization is, therefore, entirely up to the user. Reinvestment opportunities: Investors can reinvest their daily rental income by purchasing more tokens in the same or other properties listed on the marketplace. Countries: Lofty can be used by investors from across