Firm lowers real estate investment barrier
CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM
Rexford Hibbs, center, is a co-founder and the chief executive of RealtyReturns, which allows people to invest in real estate with as little as $1,000. With him are Kian Chew Khoo, left, the company’s director of international relations and marketing, and Alexandr Larionov, a co-founder and chief technology officer.
For most looking to invest in real estate on Oahu, the cost of ownership is steep — in December the median sale price for a condo on the island was $390,000 — but one crowdfunding startup is offering partial ownership in property starting at $1,000.
San Francisco-based RealtyReturns provides the opportunity to own a fraction of a condo and receive a monthly income for the share. RealtyReturns — one of the companies chosen to be a part of a Honolulu- based Blue Startups, a startup support program that was founded by Henk Rogers, owner of the rights to “Tetris” — currently lists two properties on its website located in Honolulu.
“A lot of people have this illusion of real estate investors as super wealthy, and I really don’t see real estate in that way,” RealtyReturns founder Rexford Hibbs said. “It should be something everyone can invest in. It’s a safe investment, and you can get some great returns off of it and I don’t think it should be reserved for the super wealthy.”
By becoming a member and investing, RealtyReturns offers partial ownership of individual units — unlike a real estate investment trust, or REIT, which offers ownership of a portfolio of properties.
The platform offers two options of investment.
One service offered is similar to peer-to-peer lending but for developers who are flipping homes, Hibbs said. The investors get the monthly interest paid by the developer and get their investment back when the property is sold.
“Our investors will provide a loan for that at a set interest rate. … The entire time, (the developer) will be paying interest on the loan that we have provided, and that interest will go to the investors in monthly checks. Up to 12 months later they can get their entire investment back.”
The other investment allows members to own equity in properties that generate an income from rent.
“(Investors) might own property with 100 or more (investors) when it is rented out, and they get a check each month from RealtyReturns,” Hibbs said.
Hibbs’ company sends a check in the mail monthly from the rent that is paid at the property for the equity option. According to an example provided by RealtyReturns, putting down $5,000 on a condo in Waikiki can result in a monthly check of roughly $25 and a yearly return of roughly $300, or 6.1 percent.
“People are looking for a safer place to put their money,” Hibbs said. “So I kind of figured that combining that with my background in real estate with the crowdfunding component was a great way to accomplish that.”
The rate is higher than a CD. The average CD has a one-year yield of 0.33 percent or five-year yield of 0.85 percent, according to BankRate.com. The REIT indices, FTSE/NAREIT All REIT Index, posted a total return of 9.3 percent for 2016, according to REIT.com.
But the crowdfunding option does come with risk.
RealtyReturns said on its website the investment cannot be sold off for a minimum of one year, and investors shouldn’t opt for the platform if they aren’t prepared for the money to be invested for a minimum of five to seven years.
Hibbs said the company was opening an office in Hawaii, and more than 2,000 investors with an 808 area code have signed up.
“We are here in Hawaii and are planing on staying here for a long time and hope to give back to the community,” Hibbs said. “A lot of people want to invest in condos but cannot afford to do so.”
There are three team members, including Hibbs, working with Blue Startups on Oahu.
RealtyReturns also operates on the West Coast, in Washington, Oregon and Arizona; RealtyReturns said it has more than $1 billion in real estate projects.
Chenoa Farnsworth, managing partner at Blue Startups, said the fractional ownership RealtyReturns offers its investors is a good fit for the state.
“What they have found is Hawaii is a great real estate market for them. … There are a lot of people who want to invest in real estate here but can’t afford to buy an entire property themselves.” Farnsworth said. “That means they are going to stay here and grow roots here. If they’re a good fit for the Hawaii market, and this one is a good fit, we’re happy to see that.”
4 responses to “Firm lowers real estate investment barrier”
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Mahalo for putting a roof over their heads.
What a bunch of idiots. In essence this is a “different” version of time sharing a condo. In condos in Hawaii, many AOAOs have restriction on partial rentals less than 60 days to prevent time sharing and maintain the residential nature of our residential condos from turning in to hotels. By claiming that there is “ownership” of a different nature, these kids are trying to circumvent these restrictions and legal hurdles. They probably thought that if Uber and Lyft could get around taxicab regulations, so can they avoid legal hurdles. In any case, keep their “bright ideas” in San Francisco and leave us out of their grand plans.
Also, their “investment” options violate various state and federal laws on the public sale of unregistered securities. Both violations are felonies. Welcome to OCCC and see how they like sharing their cells with Hawaii’s finest citizens.
I don’t think you understand their business model. There is no rights to ‘time share’ any of the investment properties. You just share in the equity. What’s so hard to understand? They do all the paperwork and escrow of funds. Did you even bother to read their web site and prospectus?
No wonder you confused and trying to go fishing in the valley. Try Ala Moana or Waikiki instead.
You don’t understand. This is not a route to homeownership. It is an investment, pure and simple. The model they have is similar to that was the fad in the 1980’s of the sale of limited partnership interests. Nothing new here and the fact that these folks expect unsophisticated investors to take a chance on these guys “expertise” is foolhardy. As for my fishing in Manoa, the smallmouth bass are always biting and my biggest fish was a 625 lb. Blue Marlin off of Kona.