Crowdfunding vs Turnkey -for passive investing/ wealth building

Crowdfunding vs Turnkey -for passive investing/ wealth building

Investor · Queens, NY · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 4 votes

Hello good people of BP!   I'm currently a armchair Crowdfunding RE investor and have been researching turnkey investments for passive income and wealth building.   I have had pretty good #s ( 8% cash on cash) on average on 8 deals over 24 months, plus appreciation (i hope)with crowdfunding, I tend to stick with the stricter platforms (RM) who vet the deals very tightly in my humble opinion so my survival chances are greater with each deal.  The only thing I'm not getting is leveraged appreciation you get with a mortgage which is a exponential wealth builder... which I would like.  That said, I have read a lot of the posts and learned a lot about turnkeys on here... and it seems like its not as "passive" as crowdfunding.   I have also called and spoken to a lot of the turnkey companies who post on here and from what I gather you are paying for a renovated house with all major problem areas ( roof, heat/ac systems, floors/walls, electric and plumbing) redone to new or almost new.  The price of this seems to be at market or a little over market prices.  If one buys at or a little above market prices then gets 3-5 months vacancy right off the bat they will be underwater fast... should the market also take a dip, even with 30-35% down ( which some turnkeys are asking for) you could be underwater in equity and will need to hold for 3-5 years to break even. ( also many other factors didn't mention, location.. location.. location)   On the positive side.. I think housing demand will go up. Recently Roofstock got a big round of funding and it will challenge the private costly turnkey model.  The one thing that sells me is the PM.. the independent turnkeys that have a good reputation of taking care of the house after the sale seem to be the most popular turnkey companies.... and that seems to be the deal closer for me. 

I believe the macroview is up, I want to leverage myself with 10-20 house in a few growth cities where a good turnkey can help me purchase, then have the rent pay me 6-8% cash flow, pay for expenses and mortgage while I ride the wave up and sell in 20 yrs....... but 10-20 houses will require me to keep up with PM, loans, fees, contracts, possible lawsuits.  Is it worth the time VS the truly passive, no legal recourse, crowdfunding R.E model even tho you don't get the leveraged appreciation?    Did anyone ever crunch the #s going back a few yrs  turnkey(leveraged up) vs crowdfunding ( all cash)..  any thoughts, opinions and comments welcome.. I am curious how real estate investors who do it part time or a few hours a week feel about this?

 My aim is to spend less than 10 minutes a day on my investments  =)  

Thanks for reading.. I can babble on, misspell and go on different train of thoughts all in the same sentence.. lol  

Thx!

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Mark RobertsonPro Member
Investor · Salisbury, NC · Member since 2014 · 314 posts · 386 votes
10y

I agree 100% with Ian.  You do get leverage and tax benefits with Crowdfunding.  I've made over 80 crowdfunding investments over the last 30 months and the average leverage is 65 to 70% (as high as 80%).  My cash flow has averaged 10%, but my taxable income has been less than 4% of my equity invested.

I have yet to lose any equity in a CF deal, but a couple have broken even and one looks like a 10% loss or so unless the platform steps up and covers the loss (promised but we shall see). I had one investment that more than double my money in less than 24 months. The key to me is I never gotten a phone call about plumbing or noise complaints etc ... that can happen with turnkeys.

The #1 advantage of crowdfunding is deal flow and diversification both geographically and by asset type.

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  • Property Manager · Orlando, FL · Member since 2015 · 257 posts · 58 votes
    10y

    Does crowd funding pay you monthly? I do trust deed investing and that pays monthly. Basically, Trust deed investing is you find a borrower and lend him money. The Borrower give you collateral worth more then what your giving in cash. The Borrower then pays monthly for the cash.

  • Investor · Stratford, CT · Member since 2015 · 258 posts · 230 votes
    10y

    The crowdfunding investments I have made pay either monthly or quarterly.

  • Specialist · Kiryat Motzkin, Israel · Member since 2014 · 266 posts · 159 votes
    10y

    @Tim C.- From my experience, having done both (Turn Key and CF) there is no real comparison from the point of view of "passive" investing. Admittedly my TK properties were in a very difficult city (Detroit) with all the risks and hassles that go with that, but I dont see how TK anywhere (that is worthwhile doing- ie giving you 2 figure CoC returns) is going to take up less than 10 minutes of your day. There are always issues to be dealt with and decisions to be made- maintenance, vacancies, etc etc. If you have a truly fantastic PM you may get near there but I doubt this is the norm.

    I am migrating all my long distance  holdings in the USA and UK to CF platforms at the moment and so far am very happy with the results. The only disadvantage I see with CF as you have already pointed out - is the inability to leverage (although I am finding already leveraged opportunities to buy into in the UK)

  • Investor · Queens, NY · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 4 votes
    10y

    @ saul 

    @Saul L.undefined  I'm also very happy with my crowdfunding investments takes 5 minutes a month to read through any updates after initial dd.   Thank you very much for sharing your insight... I like to hear what others think to see if i'm missing or not seeing something from the outside looking in.  I am still exploring TK and learning the rules of the game....l'm finding a possible pitfalls for newbies.

    @ isaac   

    @Isaac Blocherundefined depends on the deal..  debt deals are usually monthly, equity deals can be every Q usually.

  • Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2014 · 128 posts · 87 votes
    10y

    we have invested in Turnkeys. I like the fact that they build equity with other people paying the rent and they have tax benefits.

  • Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2014 · 128 posts · 87 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Isaac Blocher:

    Does crowd funding pay you monthly? I do trust deed investing and that pays monthly. Basically, Trust deed investing is you find a borrower and lend him money. The Borrower give you collateral worth more then what your giving in cash. The Borrower then pays monthly for the cash.

    Do you find your own deals or work through a broker for trust deeds? 

  • Property Manager · Orlando, FL · Member since 2015 · 257 posts · 58 votes
    10y

    Yes, we do find some of our own deals. I personally don't work through a broker but again sometimes a broker will bring us a loan to fund. 

  • Investor · Leesburg, VA · Member since 2015 · 54 posts · 19 votes
    10y

    I believe you are missing out on the tax advantages of depreciation with crowdfunding.

  • Lender · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2016 · 18 posts · 6 votes
    10y

    @Tim C. Both crowdfunding and turnkey offer distinct advantages, depending on your investing goals. Check out this blog article which lays out the distinctions. Both turnkey and crowdfunding are strong passive investment strategies for part-time investors--crowdfunding represents a new opportunity for diversification and liquidity, while direct real estate investing (i.e. turnkey) is a tangible, long-term investment. Just make sure in either case you can trust the team whom you're working with to find and vet the best investments for your portfolio. 

  • Investor · Queens, NY · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 4 votes
    10y

    @Brandon Romano  thanks!   Its a great article!    

  • Lender · Cleveland, OH · Member since 2016 · 18 posts · 6 votes
    10y

    @Tim C. You're most certainly welcome!

  • Investor/RE Broker · Eugene, OR · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 968 votes
    10y

    @Tim C. I have been investing in turnkey properties for several years, along with private lending. Much of crowdfunding is a form of lending, while other crowdfunding is equity based in property. I started crowdfunding late last year with a particular company that offers some of the same tax advantages of owning turnkey properties, and is definitely more passive. It involves buying into 10 property portfolios LLC that I co-own with the Managers. Although still early it has been providing double digit returns on rental income alone; and they pay quarterly. I wrote a blog article about my first investment with them. The disadvantage is that the investment can't be leveraged, but I do find it to be an excellent to include as part of my portfolio.

  • Investor · Fort Lauderdale · Member since 2014 · 51 posts · 15 votes
    10y

    Hi Everyone,

    Very interesting topic, I also like the idea of building equity along with the cash flow and tax advantages of the buy and hold strategy, but I also believe it's a good idea to diversify somewhere to have liquidity. Tim C. which CF platform are you using for your investiments? 

  • Investor · Queens, NY · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 4 votes
    10y

    @Larry Fried  very good article, can't underestimate how important the homework is to make a calculated investment.  Which platform are you speaking of... fundrise?  

    @Ariel G. I use Realty Mogul, Realty Shares and Real Crowd. I like Realty Mogul the best, they have a very good team imo, and vet the properties tighter( which is good for me since I'm still trying to figure it out) ...but they are also highest in fees. CoC returns on equity deals so far have been inline... one storage deal was under performing right out of the gate but was sold a year later for a 20% profit for all.

    If you have a business, or a high net worth individual (making >30k a month -not me!).  Would you find turnkeys as really a passive investment?  Would you want the added stress to invest in a Turnkey for 2-300/month and some possible appreciation? (possible lawsuits)   I would think they want something a lot bigger/more .. and to scale this model you would need to put in some time (I assume if you had 20 tunkey houses it would be some work from wear and tear of the houses, so managing the PMs would take up some time)   20 turnkeys ( say 100k a house financed @ 30% down, would need 600k to generate around $6,000/month  (assume you see $300 a month/house after expenses), CF platform put in / close to 800k to get those returns from the deals I see, but totally passive.  Time factor is pretty important to me... lots of other factors i'm not mentioning.. but this is just a top down big picture look at things.   I guess everyone has a different view based on ones own situation..  but I'm trying to see if I should add Turnkeys ( or just buying a rental and sticking a PM on it)  vs just staying with Crowdfunding.  I still have a lot of internal conflict i'm trying to resolve ( time vs money)    and I love to read all your views! ( please correct my assumptions if I am off, I am only going by what I see on TKs)    

     Thanks!!

  • Investor · Queens, NY · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 4 votes
    10y

    @Chris Strokes  the deals I have do pass on some depreciation on to investors with my equity deals .. not sure how much.. but I do see it... Can someone else chime in on this issue.   

  • Investor/RE Broker · Eugene, OR · Member since 2014 · 3k+ posts · 968 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Tim C.:

    @Larry Fried  very good article, can't underestimate how important the homework is to make a calculated investment.  Which platform are you speaking of... fundrise?  

    @Ariel G. I use Realty Mogul, Realty Shares and Real Crowd. I like Realty Mogul the best, they have a very good team imo, and vet the properties tighter( which is good for me since I'm still trying to figure it out) ...but they are also highest in fees. CoC returns on equity deals so far have been inline... one storage deal was under performing right out of the gate but was sold a year later for a 20% profit for all.

    If you have a business, or a high net worth individual (making >30k a month -not me!).  Would you find turnkeys as really a passive investment?  Would you want the added stress to invest in a Turnkey for 2-300/month and some possible appreciation? (possible lawsuits)   I would think they want something a lot bigger/more .. and to scale this model you would need to put in some time (I assume if you had 20 tunkey houses it would be some work from wear and tear of the houses, so managing the PMs would take up some time)   20 turnkeys ( say 100k a house financed @ 30% down, would need 600k to generate around $6,000/month  (assume you see $300 a month/house after expenses), CF platform put in / close to 800k to get those returns from the deals I see, but totally passive.  Time factor is pretty important to me... lots of other factors i'm not mentioning.. but this is just a top down big picture look at things.   I guess everyone has a different view based on ones own situation..  but I'm trying to see if I should add Turnkeys ( or just buying a rental and sticking a PM on it)  vs just staying with Crowdfunding.  I still have a lot of internal conflict i'm trying to resolve ( time vs money)    and I love to read all your views! ( please correct my assumptions if I am off, I am only going by what I see on TKs)    

     Thanks!!

     No, it is not Fundrise.  I will PM you the company.

  • Ian IppolitoBusiness Member
    Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    Unfortunately, lots of misconceptions and misunderstandings in the posts above.

    First, about leverage: most of the equity funds you invest in through crowdfunding are already leveraged. It's actually pretty rare to find a fund that isn't, because money is cheap right now and it's a way to boost returns.

    Second, some crowdfunding deals do pass on depreciation. So it's not accurate to say that this is always a difference. 

    3rd, there seems to be a bit of a misunderstanding with several people about what crowdfunding really is, and so they are comparing apples and oranges. Turnkey residential real estate properties are exactly what they sound like, and everyone understands what that is. On the other hand, crowdfunding can be many things. For example, you can use crowdfunding to invest in an equity fund that invests in residential real estate properties. So essentially, you are making a turnkey investment, but not having to do any of the oversight. Or you can use crowdfunding to invest in commercial properties. Or you can use it to invest in debt, instead of equity. 

    I understand why some people love turnkey investments, and yet for me personally, they don't make much sense. I have a problem with any investment where I won't know truly if the turnkey operator is doing a good job on my property until years later, when it may be too late. However, I do presume that there are some good operators out there. Even when you find one, the turnkey operator typically sucks out a huge amount of the profit that I can retain myself, if I simply invest in residential real estate locally.  (And I live in Tampa which is a good rental market). So  for me I choose to put both crowdfunding investments and direct residential real estate investments in my portfolio.

    However, if you don't have the time to do direct investment, and are comfortable with the increased risk, then turnkey might work for you.

    The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review
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  • Investor · Queens, NY · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 4 votes
    10y

    @Ian Ippolito   I never looked at CF as a form of TK but it is!   Thank you for your insight and clearing up any misconceptions!  I like your strategy and find myself agreeing with you on all fronts.   I would love to invest locally but it just doesn't make sense here in NYC.  Btw, you have a awesome website full of great articles I have been reading and learning!   Thank you!

  • Ian IppolitoBusiness Member
    Investor · Tampa, FL · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    My pleasure @Tim C. ! Glad I could be helpful and also that you enjoyed my site.

    The Real Estate Crowdfunding Review
    View Page
  • Mark RobertsonPro Member
    Investor · Salisbury, NC · Member since 2014 · 314 posts · 386 votes
    10y

    I agree 100% with Ian.  You do get leverage and tax benefits with Crowdfunding.  I've made over 80 crowdfunding investments over the last 30 months and the average leverage is 65 to 70% (as high as 80%).  My cash flow has averaged 10%, but my taxable income has been less than 4% of my equity invested.

    I have yet to lose any equity in a CF deal, but a couple have broken even and one looks like a 10% loss or so unless the platform steps up and covers the loss (promised but we shall see). I had one investment that more than double my money in less than 24 months. The key to me is I never gotten a phone call about plumbing or noise complaints etc ... that can happen with turnkeys.

    The #1 advantage of crowdfunding is deal flow and diversification both geographically and by asset type.

  • Investor · Queens, NY · Member since 2014 · 16 posts · 4 votes
    10y

    @Mark Robertson   thank you for being outspoken on this model of passive investing  and sharing your investment results with everyone.  I have taken your lead and gone in heavy with CF... thank you for answering my questions on CF investments via email the past year.. I'm still learning how to vet deals!  CF is for real and a great alternative to buy and hold. 

     Earlier I was trying to figure out if the turnkey model was for me.. at first when I heard it, I was like.. wow, how easy..  then I read almost every post on here regarding TKs,  spoke to most of the bigger players on the phone but was never comfortable pulling the trigger for all the reasons most people mention.. most importantly, I don't want to be involved in any decision on the investment after I have made it..  I'm a really lazy investor and I rather not be a landlord myself.....  As for now.. I'm happy with just CF.  

    Off topic..  fundrise now says if they don't hit 20% on the equity fund each year over the life of the fund, they will pay you!  Seems like a great deal...    Anyone bite? 

  • Investor · Leesburg, VA · Member since 2015 · 54 posts · 19 votes
    10y

    @Mark Robertson can you provide more insight into the tax benefits of crowdfunding?  Which sites offer this benefit?

  • Bellevue, WA · Member since 2016 · 154 posts · 57 votes
    10y

    @Tim C. I just wanted to thank you for starting this thread. You verbalized so well the debate that has been going on within my own household. After getting on Bigger Pockets I got really excited to try some TK investing, but my husband really wants to minimize time and hassle, so we have started with CF instead. Well, we've pledged for the next Realty Mogul equity deal, anyway. No money has changed hands yet. 

    I will keep learning about the more hands-on types of real estate investing such as rental properties, because I still have the notion that owning properties outright would be a good way of further diversifying our investment portfolio (beyond mutual funds and now CF investments).

    Keep us up to date on your future choices! I'd love to hear if you ever pull the trigger on a TK. 

  • Mark RobertsonPro Member
    Investor · Salisbury, NC · Member since 2014 · 314 posts · 386 votes
    10y

    @Chris Strokes Any of the CF sites that offer equity investments pass through the depreciation in the K1's.  The ones I still use are Real Crowd, Crowd Street and Realty Shares. Realty Mogul has equity deals as well, but they charge a 2% annual fee on most deals.  I invested in a few RM investments that only had a 1% fee and a couple that seemed very very solid even with the 2% fee.

  • Rental Property Investor · Honolulu, HAWAII (HI) · Member since 2011 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    10y

    Crowdfunding and Notes loses the hidden way you make money with rental real estate. 

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/7810/50044-the...

    What I don't like about the crowdfunding is how the website takes a huge cut. Its like Uber taking a big piece of their drivers fees.

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