Acquire Real Estate has launched a crowdfunding platform that is said to open up a new world of commercial real estate investments to accredited investors, allowing them access to institutional-quality deals that didn’t exist until now.
The firm has joined the growing momentum behind crowd investing, a variation of typical crowdfunding, with the only platform founded completely by real estate executives, who use their collective experience to bring the most sophisticated deals to investors. Acquire meticulously screens for the highest-quality investments, then pre-funds each deal to ensure that the firm’s interests are aligned with those of investors.
CEO of Acquire, Steven Bettinger stated,”Real estate is one of the largest and most secure investment asset classes but currently lacks the kind of market efficiency and accessibility of other asset types. We go beyond just facilitating transactions as a market maker. We are a private equity partner to our member investors – that’s what sets us apart. We source, underwrite, and purchase portions of prime real estate deals in partnership with some of the nation’s top operators and then we offer participation in those deals to our members.”
The JOBS Act has recently made it easier for accredited investors to gain access to private investments through general solicitation. While a number of real estate crowdfunding sites have seized opportunities under the JOBS Act to reach these investors, they have largely relied on basic technology to enter the marketplace.
What makes Acquire different is its coveted network of partnerships and in-house expertise in the real estate space. The firm, operating differently from typical crowdfunding sites, is comprised of executives with extensive experience in underwriting, acquisition, management, and financing in excess of $10 billion dollars.
Acquire’s founding members vet each deal through an extensive due diligence process; re-examining detailed underwriting data gathered from sponsoring companies. Using its in-house model, the firm reforecasts that data, taking into account market and demographic characteristics, historical operating performance and future projections and then makes any necessary adjustments to ensure the deals are meeting their high standards.
Acquire Chief Operating Officer Josh Klimkiewicz, who previously served as Vice President of Capital Markets at CBRE in Boston, where he was a senior member of a 25-person team responsible for underwriting, structuring, and advising on capital raising efforts for real estate transactions.
He noted,”Acquire’s leadership team has proven abilities in this space, successfully raising and deploying capital through various market cycles.”Real estate is a relationship driven business at its core. Our team has built the right relationships through years of hard work to ensure we have access to the best deals available,” said Mr. Klimkiewicz. “Each deal is subjected to our intense review process and must meet our high standards for stability before we offer it to our members.”
Acquire offers investors:
- Regular Distributions: The firm targets investments with existing cash flow resulting in regular distribution checks to investors.
- Diversified Portfolio: Investors can now allocate funds into various institutional-style properties around the country and achieve a diversified portfolio that serves as a significant hedge against stock market volatility.
Bettinger then added, “We are riding a change in the industry to place the flow of capital into the hands of millions of accredited investors who previously had no direct exposure to quality commercial real estate.”