12/21/2024: The platform is experiencing difficulties on numerous projects. Recovery rates are not yet known because sales are taking a lot (too much?) of time. Stay vigilant.
EstateGuru is the European leader in real estate crowdfunding. They have funded over 1 billion euros worth of projects. It's one of the first platforms I used. I have several ongoing projects with them and I've always appreciated the simplicity of their site. Most projects have first-rank guarantees. It's a very reliable platform. They have projects all over Europe, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Spain, etc... And they aim to develop 1 or 2 new countries per year. I interviewed their CEO on my YouTube channel.
There are many projects available. Not all are equal. Sometimes the rates are a bit low, but they eventually go up. Rates are around 10%. In 2022, I noticed quite a few delays on projects (about 20%). In the past, delays were less frequent. There are still very few defaults. I will continue to monitor this platform and keep my investments in it.
I interviewed the CEO of EstateGuru to try to understand the delays and defaults in 2022, mainly for loans in Germany.
Delays and defaults on projects increased significantly in 2022. 169 loans delayed and 6 in default out of 1361 open loans. In terms of funded amount, we're at 23% default and delay for 2022. That's a lot (too much).
The investor holds a simple fixed-rate bond. This is the most classic type of bond. It pays an interest, also called a coupon, which is permanently fixed at the time of issuance according to a predefined periodicity until maturity. A bond is a financial instrument regulated by the Financial Markets Authority (AMF).
ESCP (European Crowdfunding Service Providers)
ESCP (European Crowdfunding Service Providers)
ESCP is the European regulation for crowdfunding service providers. From November 2023, only crowdfunding service providers ("ESCP") are authorized to offer crowdfunding services within the scope of the regulation, whether they involve loans (crowdlending, excluding free loans) or securities (crowdequity). In France, this regulation replaces Crowdfunding Investment Advisors (CIP) and Crowdfunding Intermediaries (IFP).The list of authorized ESCP platforms
The average expected yield of projects is 10.5%
Yields are calculated based on the projects analyzed on this site and not on all projects.
⚠️ The higher the yield, the higher the risk.
The delay rate for more than 6 months at Estateguru is 17.00%.
The delayed time is computed based on the contractual date and not target date
The permanent loss rate at Estateguru is 0.01%.
The minimum amount to invest is 50€.
Estateguru has a low minimum amount to invest.
🌎 The financial income are taxable in the investor's country of tax residence.
In France, since January 1, 2018, income from movable capital as well as capital gains from securities sales are subject, when taxed, to a flat-rate withholding tax (PFU) of 12.8%, to which social security contributions of 17.2% are added, making a total rate of 30%.
However, you can choose, when declaring your income, for a global taxation of these income and gains at the progressive income tax rate by checking box 2OP. You may be exempted from the portion corresponding to the flat-rate withholding tax of 12.8% for income tax purposes if your reference fiscal income for year N-2 was less than €25,000 (€50,000 if you are married). When making your declaration, you have the option to maintain the choice for taxation at 30%, or to submit your capital gains to the progressive income tax rate (to which 17.2% social security contributions will be added).
➡️ Search for previous reviews of chez Estateguru
A real estate crowdfunding operation involves several categories of risks:
➡️ Operational Risk: human errors, incompetence, material shortages, delivery delays, poor management, accidents on site, provider bankruptcy...
➡️ Technical Risk: unpleasant surprises during soil and foundation studies, pollution, thermal, acoustic issues...;
➡️ Administrative and Legal Risk: difficulties in obtaining a fully cleared building or development permit, administrative authorizations, Financial Completion Guarantees, Construction Insurance, or All-Risks Site insurance, compliance of sales documents, poorly assessed urban planning authorizations;
➡️ Financial Risk: poor cost analysis, budget overruns, lower profit margins, obtaining bank credit, etc.;
➡️ Commercial Risk: insufficient pre-marketing, insufficient local market study (prices, needs, location...), delays in lot sales (commercialization), neglected suspensive conditions, unfavorable market evolution, risky sales strategy, overly optimistic exit prices, etc.
Beyond the analysis of the real estate project itself, crowdfunding platforms examine the financial and operational strength of the companies participating in the operation, which also face potential risks, mainly financial.
The evaluation thus focuses on numerous criteria, including:
➡️ Legal and Financial: capital structure, ongoing disputes, income statements and financial statements, solvency, profitability, liquidity, level of equity, etc.
➡️ Operational: organizational chart, experience of the executives, history of successfully completed operations, quality of previous programs, reputation, etc.
➡️ Financial Statements: financial statements (balance sheet and income statement) of the operator must be analyzed to determine its financial health.
➡️ Fraud: The operator may file for bankruptcy fraudulently or abscond with funds, which is why guarantees on cash flows are necessary.
Even with good preparation, it is impossible to anticipate climatic events (flooding, frost, storms...), macroeconomic factors such as sudden changes in property prices or interest rates, high inflation, etc., or legislative changes (regulatory modifications, taxation changes...), or situations of war. These risks are difficult to control. It is essential that operators have taken out the necessary insurance and that sufficient financial margin is planned to cope with potential contingencies.
En dehors des risques en lien direct avec l’activité immobilière, il existe également des risques attachés au type de titre financier utilisé pour la majorité des opérations de crowdfunding immobilier, à savoir les obligations :
➡️ Risque de perte en capital : les sommes investies ne sont pas garanties et peuvent subir une perte totale ou partielle ;
➡️ Risque d’illiquidité : par défaut, la revente ou le remboursement anticipé des titres ne sont pas possibles.
➡️ Risque de rendement inférieur : en cas de difficulté, il est possible que le rendement annoncé soit plus faible que prévu. Le capital est alors préservé, mais les intérêts obligataires versés sont moindres.
➡️ Risque de modification de la durée de l'emprunt : contractuellement, la société émettrice a la possibilité de rembourser par anticipation ou de prolonger l’emprunt (prorogation de 6 mois maximum en général). Les intérêts à percevoir peuvent donc être inférieurs aux prévisions initiales ou plus importants si l’échéance de l’emprunt est reportée.
Crowdfunding, also known as participatory financing, allows funding of projects with small amounts, generally starting from 100 or 1000 euros. The financing is done directly on a web platform and one can pay either by bank transfer or by credit card. You can invest in multiple projects and thus achieve good diversification, both in terms of project types and geographical areas. For real estate investors, it is a complementary tool to traditional physical real estate investment. Investing in crowdfunding projects requires analytical work to select the best projects.
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