Real estate has always been a tried-and-true way to build wealth. But for a long time, it was mostly reserved for people with deep pockets or the right connections. Platforms like Fundrise have changed the game by making it possible for everyday people to invest in U.S. real estate projects with as little as $10.
Now, there’s a new wave rolling in. Enter W3Assets: a platform using blockchain and tokenization to take real estate investing to the global stage. While both Fundrise and W3Assets aim to open up real estate to a broader audience, they approach this goal in distinctly different ways.
In this article, we’ll compare the two across key areas like ease of access, investment models, flexibility, global reach, and innovation.
Fundrise made real estate investing more approachable. With just $10, anyone in the U.S. can put money into professionally managed funds. It’s super simple, but you’re limited to the options Fundrise offers and manages.
W3Assets opens the doors even wider. Instead of being U.S.-only, it welcomes investors from around the world. Thanks to blockchain and ERC-1155 tokenization, each property is split into thousands of digital shares (NFTs). This means you can start small and grow your stake over time.
In short, Fundrise simplifies things for Americans. W3Assets removes borders entirely.
Here’s where things start to differ.
Fundrise: When you invest, you're buying into eREITs or eFunds. Think of them as private real estate portfolios. Fundrise’s team picks the properties and handles everything, and you own a share of the fund, not the actual properties.
W3Assets: Instead of funds, W3Assets tokenizes each property. You can pick the exact properties you want, whether it’s a rental, a hotel, or a development project. And you directly own digital tokens linked to those assets.
So, Fundrise is more like a real estate mutual fund, while W3Assets is like building your property portfolio, but in digital form.
Real estate is known for being illiquid. Fundrise makes that clear up front: your money is usually tied up for 5+ years. Early cash-outs are possible, but there are limits.
W3Assets flips the script. Since everything’s tokenized, you can buy and sell your property shares anytime, right on the platform. You can borrow up to 80% of your tokens' value without selling them.
That’s a big deal. W3Assets turns a traditionally locked-up asset into something you can actually move and leverage quickly.
Fundrise sticks to U.S. real estate, which is stable and familiar to many. But that also means your investments are tied to one country’s market.
W3Assets is built for a global audience. You could be in Nigeria and invest in a Miami condo, a commercial space in London, or a hotel project in Bali. That global reach helps spread out risk and unlocks more opportunities.
Fundrise is all about keeping things simple and accessible. W3Assets, on the other hand, is pushing the boundaries with features like
Basically, W3Assets is more than a platform; it’s a whole ecosystem combining real estate, crypto, and finance.
Both Fundrise and W3Assets want to make real estate investing more accessible. But the way they do it couldn’t be more different.
Fundrise helped start the democratization of real estate. W3Assets is taking it to the next level: borderless, flexible, and powered by tech.
✨ Real estate is no longer just for the wealthy. With platforms like W3Assets, the future of investing is global, open, and within reach for everyone.
