Investing Simple Logo
Menu
Get 1 Free Stock Worth Up To $200 From Robinhood!
Sign up with Robinhood, deposit any amount and get 1 Free Stock. It takes less than 3 minutes to sign up and claim your Free Stock Bonus.
Earn 5.00% APY with M1 High-Yield Savings Account
M1 Plus members can earn 5.00% APY on their deposits with no minimum balance required.
Get Access To Institutional Quality Real Estate Deals
CrowdStreet is the nation's largest online real estate investing platform. Offerings include diversified funds, individual real estate deals, professionally managed portfolios and even opportunity zone investments.
Written by Sam Pennington on February 20, 2022
Category: 
FTC Disclosure: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. Read our full disclaimer here.

CrowdStreet vs Cadre 2023: Commercial Real Estate Platforms Compared

There are many ways to become involved in real estate. From a more traditional path of buying a property directly to crowdfunding, investors can participate in real estate with varying levels of capital and time required.

Crowdfunding has become highly popular in the last few years as more and more platforms have come into existence. Crowdfunding is a great way to invest in real estate as you can often participate in deals you could not otherwise invest in on your own.

In this article, we will be comparing and contrasting two platforms that focus on commercial real estate. While they have many similarities, they also have many differences. This is CrowdStreet vs Cadre.

Crowdstreet vs Cadre: The Basics

CrowdStreet is a crowdfunded real estate investing platform that provides investment opportunities focused on commercial real estate. This platform has a minimum investment of $25,000 and is limited to accredited investors. CrowdStreet offers investors the ability to pick and choose individual deals or funds. These deals are highly vetted and represent the top 5% of deals CrowdStreet receives.   

Cadre is another investing platform focused on commercial real estate limited to accredited investors. Like CrowdStreet, Cadre also offers investors access to both their fund and direct deals. The minimum investment with Cadre is $25,000. Cadre is unique in that it is actually not a crowdfunded platform, rather the company commits all funds to a deal and allows investors access to them.

Best Real Estate Platforms

PlatformMinimumLink
AcreTrader farmland investing platformVaries, Invest In US FarmlandView Investments
Fundrise real estate investing platform$10 Minimum Real Estate PortfoliosView Investments
Realty Mogul real estate crowdfunding site$5,000 Minimum Private Commercial REITsView Investments
EquityMultiple Logo new$5,000 Minimum Short Term NotesView Investments

Summary: CrowdStreet vs Cadre

  • CrowdStreet and Cadre both offer direct investing in individual deals and more passive investing in funds
  • The minimum to invest with CrowdStreet is $25,000
  • Cadre's minimum investment is $25,000
  • CrowdStreet’s fees vary from 0.50% to 2.5%
  • Cadre charges an annual management fee (1.5%), an administration fee (~0.25%), and a one time commitment fee based on check sizes
  • The holding period with CrowdStreet varies by deal but typically ranges from 3-10 years
  • CrowdStreet also does not offer early liquidation
  • Cadre's holding period is typically 6-8 years, but they do offer a secondary market
  • CrowdStreet and Cadre are both limited to accredited investors

What Is Crowdstreet?

CrowdStreet is a crowdfunded real estate investment platform. The company focuses on commercial real estate and has a highly rigorous vetting process to ensure investors have access to high-quality deals only.

The company is essentially a marketplace that connects developers, or sponsors, with investors. These sponsors bring deals to Crowdstreet, who then carefully reviews the offerings and determines whether or not the deal is a good fit for the platform. If a deal makes it to the site, then investors can begin funding a project.

Since its launch in 2014, CrowdStreet has listed over 524 commercial real estate investment offerings. Of those 524 offerings, 54 of those have been fully realized. Over $2.25 billion in capital has been raised and over $245 million has been distributed to investors.

Check out our full Crowdstreet review for more.

Investment Strategy

CrowdStreet allows investors to invest in one of three ways: Individual Deals, Diversified Funds & Vehicles, and Tailored Portfolios. Let’s dive in and discuss each of them. 

Individual Deals

Within the CrowdStreet marketplace, investors have the opportunity to browse individual projects. This is a great feature as many real estate investment platforms are limited to funds. 

On the website, members can analyze a number of different options from apartment complexes in college towns to new developments in up-and-coming cities. As an investor, you can do all the research necessary to make you feel comfortable before diving in. 

These individual deals are all unique, meaning the fees, targeted return, and holding period will be different. Regardless of the deal, there is a $25,000 minimum investment.

Diversified Funds

In addition to being able to select individual deals on your own, you can also choose to invest in a fund. With trained fund managers, you can access a quicker path to diversification, a tried and true strategy, and an average lower per deal upfront investment. 

Within these funds, you can choose between single-sponsor funds or CrowdStreet funds. Single-sponsor means that one real estate firm is leading the charge and will usually focus on that firm’s specialty within a certain region or asset type. 

On the other hand, CrowdStreet funds are managed and constructed by CrowdStreet employees and are set up with a variety of locations and property types. 

These funds have a much higher minimum investment usually between $150,000 and $250,000.

Tailored Portfolios

If you are looking for a more personalized experience, then a custom-built portfolio might be best. These portfolios are designed by a CrowdStreet advisor specifically with your goals in mind. 

These advisors will take your goals and bring them to life by investing in properties that line up with your objectives. This obviously comes with a fee, which varies depending on the size of the investment. It also comes with a hefty minimum balance of $250,000. 

CrowdStreet Returns

Since its inception, CrowdStreet has demonstrated a strong track record with an average return of 17.1% IRR and a 1.39 equity multiple. These are the results from 56 fully realized deals that had an average holding period of 2.3 years.

Each deal listed on the site features a different targeted IRR and equity multiple. It is important to note that a target is just that, a target. So a deal may have a targeted IRR of 20% but actually realize a return of 17% or 23%.

CrowdStreet Fees

Crowdstreet fees really depend on the deals that you choose; however, they generally range from 0.50% to 2.5%. There is no fee to sign up, meaning investors can create an account and start browsing potential deals before ever committing funds.

CrowdStreet Holding Period

When investing with CrowdStreet, investors should be prepared to leave their money with the company. The holding period varies by deal but typically ranges from 2-10 years.

Since the company does not offer any early redemption or early liquidation, you will have to leave your money in the investment until the maturity date.

CrowdStreet Pros

  • Flexible investment options
  • Hand-picked properties
  • Personalized portfolios available
  • Diversified funds available as well
  • Commercial property focused
  • High deal flow

CrowdStreet Cons

  • Minimum investment of at least $25,000
  • Accredited investors only
  • Complex fee system
  • No early redemption or share buyback program

What Is Cadre?

Cadre is a real estate investment company that is focused on commercial real estate. The company puts an emphasis on high-quality deals over higher volume. They achieve this through their management team with years of experience and data science to ensure each deal matches certain criteria.

The company has skin-in-the-game with every deal as they commit funds for the life of the investment. After an asset is acquired, they then offer investors access to invest. This is unlike many crowdfunding platforms that either have low skin-in-the-game or none at all.

Since its launch in 2015, the company has amassed over $3 billion in assets. This number alone speaks to the quality of their investments.

Investment Strategy

Like CrowdStreet, Cadre offers investments in a fund or individual deals. Regardless of investment, the minimum is $25,000 and both options are reserved for accredited investors. Let's look at both options.

Deal by Deal

When Cadre acquires a property, they split up the equity with the majority going into their Direct Access Fund. A smaller portion will be designated for investors who want to select individual investments. Suppose they purchase an asset and have $30 million in equity to syndicate. First, $25 million would be allocated to their fund and the remaining $5 million would be available for direct investment.

Once $5 million is reached, that investment will be closed.

Deals range from multifamily residentials, industrial, office buildings, and hotels.

Cadre Direct Access Fund

For many, the option of analyzing and choosing individual deals represents a large amount of time. With this in mind, Cadre offers investors their Direct Access Fund.

Cadre's fund seeks to have 50% of the assets be multifamily real estate and the other 50% be office buildings and hotels.

This fund offers investors a chance to leverage a team of experts. It can be difficult to build a portfolio on your own; Cadre works hard to create a well-diversified fund that has both strong cashflow and appreciation.

Cadre Returns

Since 2015, the company has had an impressive track record with a historical IRR of 18.2% and over $168 million in distributions.

Investors can expect to receive quarterly payout from property cashflow.

Cadre Fees

Investing with Cadre comes with 3 fee types:

  1.  A commitment fee (usually 1.0% of the investor’s pro rata share of deal capitalization); this is included in the investor’s funding amount for each transaction 
  2.  An annual asset management fee (1.5% on investor equity value once an investment is funded); this is deducted from distributable cash flow.
  3. An administration fee (0.50% - 0.25% on investor equity value once an investment is funded); this is deducted from distributable cash flow.

There is also a transaction fee for investors that sell their asset in a secondary market. This is a 1.5% transaction fee that is paid to Cadre at the time of the sale. 

Cadre Holding Period

Cadre targets holding an investment for 6-8 years. This time is essential in order for a property to appreciate. While many real estate investing platforms lock your money in for the duration of the investment, Cadre offers special access to their secondary market. 

For each deal, Cadre allows investors to begin selling their shares after 6 months. After those 6 months, Cadre holds a specific 2 week window each quarter where investors can sell their investment.

When selling, an investor can sell their holdings at a specified discount to the market value. This value is assessed by Cadre quarterly. 

This is an awesome feature as large commercial deals like this would typically require a lock-up period. An investment with Cadre is more liquid than other commercial real estate deals, and therefore provides you with discretion, flexibility, and choice not found on other platforms. There is a caveat however: if there are no buyers interested, then you will not be able to sell the asset. You will also pay a 1.5% transaction fee at the time of sale. 

Cadre Pros

  • Access to a secondary market for early redemption
  • Ability to pick individual deals
  • Access to a fund created by real estate experts and data science
  • Skin in the game on every deal

Cadre Cons

  • Limited to accredited investors
  • Large minimum investment of $25,000
  • Low Deal Flow (Typically 1-2 new deals per month)

CrowdStreet vs Cadre: Final Thoughts

While both of these platforms offer access to both funds and individual deals, there are a few key differences to be aware of. In addition to some of the more obvious differences like fee structure, and properties, these two platforms also have a few important differences that may impact your investing strategy.

First, Cadre offers investors access to a secondary market, which means that early liquidation is possible. With CrowdStreet, investors should be prepared to hold their investment for the life of the loan.

Second, the deal flow varies greatly. CrowdStreet typically has a larger number of deals available at any given time. Conversely, Cadre typically has 1-2 deals available per month.

Third, Cadre fully commits to every deal listed on their site. This means that they have high skin-in-the-game with every deal. For some, this is highly important as it demonstrates the platform also believes in the investment.

Both platforms are reserved for accredited investors and come with a large minimum investment. Before deciding which platform to invest with, be sure to check out their websites and dive in deeper!

Article written by Sam Pennington
Sam is a personal finance writer. While in college, he dedicated his spare time to learning about personal finance, investing, and real estate. Sam currently works as a business analyst for one of the top food manufacturers in the world.

Read more

Power Your Investing

Choosing the right product and service is essential for your investing. Here are some of the tools and services to help your portfolio grow.
Robinhood
Robinhood provides an easy-to-use free trading platform for beginner investors. Robinhood has $0 account minimums. Get a free stock when you open an account below.
Try Robinhood
M1 Finance
M1 Finance offers a free investing platform where users can build portfolios of stocks and ETFs. Users can also choose from a variety of pre-built portfolios offered for free.
Try M1 Finance
Fundrise
Passively invest in private real estate deals with as little as $10. Fundrise allows you to own residential and commercial real estate across the U.S. starting at a 1% annual fee.
Try Fundrise
Copyright © 2018 – 2023 Investing Simple LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Investing Simple is a financial publisher that does not offer any personal financial advice or advocate the purchase or sale of any security or investment for any specific individual. Members should be aware that investment markets have inherent risks, and past performance does not assure future results. Investing Simple has advertising relationships with some of the offers listed on this website. The information on Investing Simple could be different from what you find when visiting a third-party website. All products are presented without warranty. For more information, please read our full disclaimer.
Website managed by Stallion Cognitiveâ„¢
magnifiermenuchevron-downcross-circlechevron-down-circle

Get 1 Free Stock Worth Up To $200 From Robinhood!

Don't Miss This Opportunity!

Investing Simple readers can claim a free stock from Robinhood worth up to $200 when they open a brokerage account and deposit any amount.

For US Residents only. Investing Simple is affiliated with Robinhood, and we may earn a commission when you sign up for Robinhood.

18749
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram