Lofty is a fractional U.S. real estate investing platform where visitors can browse property shares, learn about rental property investing, review calculators and guides, and access support for marketplace orders and account activity.
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Real Estate Platform Comparison· Updated July 15, 2026
A side-by-side breakdown of returns, liquidity, fees, and trustworthiness to help you decide where to invest your money.

CrowdStreet is a credible way for accredited investors to access vetted commercial real estate deals, but $25,000 minimums, sponsor-driven fees, and 3–10 year holds put it out of reach for most retail investors. The 2022 Nightingale fraud case is also a sobering reminder that sponsor risk on crowdfunding platforms is real.

Landa pioneered $5 fractional shares of single-family rentals, but the platform has been effectively frozen since spring 2025: no deposits, no secondary trading, and halted dividends for many investors. A New York court placed 119 Landa properties under an independent manager in February 2025 amid a lawsuit over $35M+ in defaulted loans, and Landa's own SEC filings have since flagged substantial doubt about its ability to continue as a going concern. Do not deposit new money. Existing investors should treat this as a wind-down and monitor SEC filings.
At a Glance


Pros & Cons

Institutional-quality commercial deals
CrowdStreet curates commercial real estate deals: multifamily, industrial, hospitality, medical office, data centers, that retail investors typically cannot access directly.
Comprehensive deal documentation
Each offering ships with a detailed business plan, sponsor profile, financial model, and a project launch webinar. Documentation depth is among the best in the space.
Long track record
Founded in 2014, CrowdStreet has facilitated more than 600 commercial real estate deals worth over $4 billion since launch. The platform publishes performance data on realized deals and an investor portal that aggregates across the portfolio.
Vetted sponsors
CrowdStreet approves only a small percentage of sponsor applicants (publicly cited ~2–5%) and runs background, asset, and offering-terms reviews on each listing.
$25,000 minimum
Most offerings require a $25,000 commitment, which prevents proper diversification for all but high-net-worth investors. Spreading capital across 5+ deals (the typical recommendation) requires $125k+.
Accredited investors only
CrowdStreet is closed to non-accredited investors. You must verify $200k+ income ($300k for couples) or $1M+ net worth excluding primary residence.
Long lock-ups, sponsor-controlled exits
Hold periods are typically 3–7 years and CrowdStreet warns investors may be forced to hold for 10+ years. Sponsors decide when to sell. There is no secondary market.
Sponsor risk and the Nightingale case
In 2022–2023, Nightingale Properties offerings on CrowdStreet were the subject of a high-profile fraud case. In February 2025, Nightingale CEO Elie Schwartz pleaded guilty to wire fraud involving roughly $54 million raised from CrowdStreet investors. The episode forced the platform to overhaul its escrow controls and remains a key cautionary tale about sponsor risk on crowdfunding platforms.
Returns reported before fees
CrowdStreet's headline 18.3% historical IRR is calculated before sponsor fees. Sponsor fees can be substantial and vary deal-by-deal, materially reducing what investors actually receive.

Lowest historical entry price
Landa's signature feature was $5 share prices, which made it one of the most accessible fractional real estate platforms ever launched, and proved real demand for low-minimum property investing.
Sun Belt single-family focus
Landa concentrated on cash-flowing single-family rental markets that remain popular with rental investors: Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Charlotte, Birmingham, and Jacksonville, plus a Brooklyn portfolio.
Publicly documented offerings
Landa raised capital through Regulation A offerings, which means its financials and current wind-down activity remain publicly documented in SEC filings that investors can still monitor today.
Series LLC structure
Each Landa property is held in its own series LLC. In the current wind-down, that structure is what ties each investor's claim to a specific property rather than to the parent company alone.
Platform frozen: no deposits, trading, or withdrawals
Landa's app and investor portal have been effectively non-functional since around April 2025, per TechCrunch's investigation. The site states there are no active offerings and that deposits and secondary trading are paused. Many investors report halted dividends going back to late 2024, and 130+ complaints have been filed with the Better Business Bureau.
$35M+ lender lawsuit and court-appointed independent manager
In November 2024, lenders Viola Credit and L Finance sued Landa in New York State Supreme Court over more than $35 million in defaulted loans. In February 2025 the court placed 119 Landa properties under an independent manager, and court filings allege Landa diverted roughly $724,000 in tenant rent to accounts outside the court's injunction.
Going-concern doubt in Landa's own SEC filings
Landa's SEC filings through 2026 include a steady stream of foreclosure and property-disposition reports, and its auditors have flagged substantial doubt about the company's ability to continue as a going concern.
Existing investors have no exit and no timeline
With the secondary market closed, current holders cannot sell shares on-platform, and Landa has published no restart timeline. Practically, existing investors are positioned closer to creditors in a wind-down than customers of a functioning platform.
Deep Dive
What You're Investing In
Individual commercial real estate deals (multifamily, industrial, hospitality, office, retail, medical office, data centers, parking) and the C-REIT diversified fund. Most carry a $25,000 minimum.
Nothing, currently. Historically: fractional shares of single-family rental homes in U.S. Sun Belt markets. No offerings are active as of 2026.
Property Locations
Deals span the U.S. with concentration in growth-market metros: Texas, Florida, Arizona, Georgia, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and the Mountain West. Each project's location is disclosed in its offering documents.
Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Charlotte, Birmingham, Jacksonville, and Brooklyn portfolios, 119 of these properties are now under court-appointed independent management.
Expected Returns
CrowdStreet reports a historical realized IRR of approximately 18.3% before fees across exited deals. After typical sponsor fees, real net IRR is meaningfully lower and varies deal-by-deal. Some realized deals have lost all investor capital, a reality CrowdStreet discloses in its annual performance report.
N/A, dividends have been halted for many investors since late 2024 or early 2025, and no returns are being generated for shareholders while properties are foreclosed or sold in the wind-down. Historical dividend yields ranged roughly 3–6% and varied widely by property. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Fees
Reported returns are gross of fees. Sponsors charge investors whatever they see fit, fees can exceed 20% of invested capital over the hold period. CrowdStreet itself charges sponsors 0.5–2% to list, indirectly built into deal pricing.
Landa historically earned revenue through property management markups and series-level operating expenses rather than an investor-facing platform fee. Fee structure is moot while the platform is frozen.
Liquidity
Hold periods are typically 3–7 years. CrowdStreet's own disclosures warn investors may be forced to hold for 10+ years if sponsors delay sale.
Indefinite. The secondary market is closed and there is no on-platform way to sell.
Who Can Invest
Accredited investors only. Verification of income ($200k+ individual / $300k+ couple) or net worth ($1M+ excluding primary residence) is required before investing.
No one, currently, Landa is not accepting new investors or deposits while the platform is frozen.
The Verdict

CrowdStreet is a credible option for high-net-worth, accredited investors who want curated access to institutional commercial real estate. Documentation is strong, the sponsor vetting is real, and historical IRRs look attractive. But the $25,000 minimum, sponsor-controlled exits, lack of secondary market, and the lessons of the 2022 Nightingale case make this a platform that demands sophistication and diversification. Retail investors and anyone looking for liquidity will find better options elsewhere.
Full CrowdStreet review →
Landa is not an investable platform in 2026. The app is frozen, dividends are halted for many holders, 119 properties sit under court-appointed management amid a $35M+ lender lawsuit, and the company's own SEC filings flag going-concern doubt. Prospective investors should not deposit money. Existing investors should document their holdings, monitor SEC EDGAR and the New York court docket, and treat recovery as uncertain. Investors who still want fractional single-family exposure should evaluate platforms on the exact points where Landa failed: investor liquidity that doesn't depend on the platform's discretion, current audited disclosures, and clean separation between investor assets and platform debt. See how Lofty compares on those criteria, or review alternatives like Arrived and Ark7.
Full Landa review →Bottom Line
CrowdStreet scores higher (3.0/5) and edges out Landa on our investment quality criteria.
CrowdStreet is a credible way for accredited investors to access vetted commercial real estate deals, but $25,000 minimums, sponsor-driven fees, and 3–10 year holds put it out of reach for most retail investors. The 2022 Nightingale fraud case is also a sobering reminder that sponsor risk on crowdfunding platforms is real.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on our scoring criteria, returns, fees, liquidity, transparency, minimums, and track record, CrowdStreet (3.0/5) scores higher than Landa (1.5/5). CrowdStreet is a credible way for accredited investors to access vetted commercial real estate deals, but $25,000 minimums, sponsor-driven fees, and 3–10 year holds put it out of reach for most retail investors. The 2022 Nightingale fraud case is also a sobering reminder that sponsor risk on crowdfunding platforms is real.
CrowdStreet's minimum investment is $25,000. Landa's minimum investment is $5 (historical, no new investments accepted).
CrowdStreet: Hold periods are typically 3–7 years. CrowdStreet's own disclosures warn investors may be forced to hold for 10+ years if sponsors delay sale. Landa: Indefinite. The secondary market is closed and there is no on-platform way to sell.
CrowdStreet reports average yearly returns of ~18.3% historical IRR before fees on realized deals. Landa reports average yearly returns of N/A, dividends halted; historical yields were ~3–6% and highly variable. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
One of the most flexible ways to invest in real estate
$50 minimums · Daily rent payouts · No lock-up periods · 24/7 exchange