Is blockchain the future of real estate transactions? So far, only a few contracts have closed through Bitcoin or other forms of cryptocurrency; however, with offerings being introduced, that could quickly change.
Aperture Real Estate Ventures, a real estate technology and investment firm based in Los Angeles, Calif., claims it has launched the first-ever real estate-backed digital currency, Property Coin. Aperture’s model relies on coin proceeds to power its real estate investment business, which focuses on acquiring distressed residential properties and rehabbing them, as well as writing loans to smaller investors who have the same objective.
“Unlike many cryptocurrency offerings, Property Coin’s proposition is straightforward,” said Andrew Jewett, co-CEO of Aperture, in a statement. “One-hundred percent of the net proceeds from sales of Property Coins will be used to invest in properties and loans identified by our proprietary software and our experienced team. Accordingly, Property Coin is designed to be 100-percent backed by real estate assets, giving each coin holder a fractional economic interest in the investments made by Aperture or its affiliates with the net proceeds realized from the sale of Property Coins.”
When buying Property Coins, investors are not only receiving a fractional percentage of assets owned by Property Coin and its entities, but coin holders will also own 50 percent of the net profits from the loan and property investments.
Built on Ethereum—another blockchain-based cryptocurrency not far behind Bitcoin in popularity—Property Coin is completely backed by U.S. real estate assets. Aperture asserts that all investments will be made using the experience of Wall Street and real estate investment professionals while also incorporating industry technology powered by data science.
Property Coin’s public sale began on Feb. 26 for its initial offering at 50 U.S. dollars each, or through the equivalent value of Ethereum or Bitcoin currency. Property Coin purchases are restricted to Accredited Investors who buy at least $1,000 worth of coins.
“We’re very excited to be able to offer this proprietary formula to cryptocurrency investors who want access to a diversified, tech-powered, professionally managed portfolio of real estate assets through Property Coin,” said Matt Miles, co-CEO of Aperture.
Of course, volatility remains an issue with blockchain technology. Aperture is relying on its reinvestment strategy to add token stability and to create renewed interest in the real estate investment market.
Stay tuned to RISMedia for more developments.
Liz Dominguez is RISMedia’s associate content editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at ldominguez@rismedia.com. For the latest real estate news and trends, bookmark RISMedia.com.
