CrowdStreet Real Estate Investment Trusts Review

Investment options

CrowdStreet is hard to match when it comes to investment options. It offers several funds and vehicles, which are a good place to begin for those who are new to real estate investing and want to diversify their portfolio quickly. It can also save you time because you don't have to do as much research as you would if you were trying to build a custom portfolio yourself. You have to create a CrowdStreet account in order to see the funds it offers, but creating an account is free and only takes a couple of minutes.

More experienced investors have the option to look through all of CrowdStreet's real estate investment options and build a custom portfolio if they prefer the hands-on approach. All of the investments are carefully curated by CrowdStreet and you can view key details about each investment opportunity right from the main Marketplace screen so you can quickly compare all the different options.

For those who want something a little more personalized than a fund yet lack the time or know-how to build a custom portfolio, there's the Advisory Services option. You'll meet with a CrowdStreet representative to discuss what your goals are with real estate investing and then the company will manage your funds for you. You need at least $250,000 if you are interested in this option.

Fees

CrowdStreet doesn't charge any investment fees to its customers for most of its services. A few of its portfolios have quarterly or annual fees, but the company is pretty transparent about these and the fees are not unreasonable. Investors who use CrowdStreet's Advisory Services can also expect to pay a fee, but that fee varies depending on the size of your investment. You will have to schedule a call with one of CrowdStreet's investment advisors to talk about your needs and figure out how much one of these professionally managed portfolios will cost you.

Accessibility

You can create a CrowdStreet account for free online to view your investment opportunities and adjust your portfolio as needed. CrowdStreet doesn't have any mobile apps at this time, but its website is mobile-friendly, so you can access it through your mobile web browser if you want to check on your investments on the go.

CrowdStreet's funds require at least $25,000, which is a higher minimum than some of its competitors, and some of its funds require at least $100,000. Those interested in CrowdStreet's advisory services will need at least $250,000. Those without that kind of money will have no choice but to look elsewhere and consider coming back to CrowdStreet in the future when they have more money to invest.

Educational resources

CrowdStreet has a pretty extensive selection of resources covering basic real estate investing, market trends, taxes, and more to help investors make the best decisions for their money. The company also occasionally hosts webinars that anyone can tune into to learn more about how to make money by investing in real estate. There are also some videos for those who prefer to watch rather than read. Few other real estate investment trust (REIT) investment platforms can match all of this, so CrowdStreet is a good source to turn to for information even if you're not investing with it.