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December 2023 by Nick Costi
The main issue with Fundrise is that they GREATLY downplay the risk of what these investments are. The site's API makes it seem like you just pump money in there and a little return comes out. What they don't tell you is that return is highly volatile and using their service at any time during the past five years has probably been a complete waste of time for most people.Real estate investment trusts are generally a diversification tool, i.e. if the market crashes you still have some returns because the real estate market is doing OK. Well, in the past year certain sectors of the real estate market have taken a MAJOR beating and Fundrise makes no mention of the risks, their website making it look like you're going to get a below-average but steady rate of return. I had started in 2017 as it seemed like a cool idea for someone who had very little money at the time and I am so glad I invested less than $10,000.The problem with Fundrise is not that the investments go up and down, as this is true of all investments, the problem is that they post the dividends and appreciation daily to make it seem like you're getting steady gains when in reality most of it can (and has) been wiped out in a matter of a few days. It's completely legal to take on a risky investment as long as the investor is aware of the risks. But realistically, if you have a highly risky investment that is not even going to beat inflation and has the potential to wipe out the entirety of your investment, there is no upside to it. The only upside is the manipulative API and design that gives the impression that you have a low risk investment when in fact these investments are as risky, if not more risky than just regular stocks.Now Fundrise has posted a note about this that these are investments for "the long term" but what has to be noted is that you aren't going to see highly volatile upswings like you see in the stock market, so really if you're five years in and lost money, you are really just five years away from getting back to where you were. Right now you could put that same money in an interest bearing savings account and get a GUARANTEED 4-5%, so using Fundrise at all right now is a completely idiotic idea.Lastly, the way REITs work is that you have to wait until the end of a quarter to withdraw your funds. Imagine that you're on a car that's almost guaranteed to crash into a brick wall, but you can't open the door until after it's hit the wall. Yeah, unlike stocks, if things are going bad, you can't do anything about it, and if all the other investors are freaking out too, you're going to legally be forced to wait until they withdraw their funds in the order that the request was made.Since Fundrise was a unique crowdfunding platform to open people up to investments, it might have seemed like a cool or innovative idea. But the reality is that if you have a net worth of under $300,000 you shouldn't be taking on all this unnecessary risk. And they continue to downplay the risk because otherwise nobody would use their horrible service. Instead of Fundrise open a savings account, pay down your mortage, buy bonds, do things that are guaranteed a return because this thing is high on the risk curve and low on the return curve, the exact opposite of what you want an investment to be.
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December 2023 by Nicholas Deroshia
They only allow selling in quarters...I tried to sell the first week of October and was told I had to wait until January for the sale to happen, and so far I've lost $150 because of it... definitely not a good place to invest money.
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December 2023 by Lee Mebel
Buyer beware. I've invested with fundrise for a little over a year. although my performance is significantly worse than the REIT market that's the cost of trusting a third party.i'm in issue is the liquidation process. it is the beginning of December and they said they will review the process in January. this likely means it will take close to two months to get any sort of funds from them. this would never happen with any financial institution. they will likely be investigated for this so glad I am getting out while I can!
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December 2023 by Sean Gilliland
I invested over 2 years ago with this company I could have made more money in a savings account.... Please fundrise I own many properties they've went up in value but my portfolio with you guys seems to just keep going down.... Huh?
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December 2023 by Lacey Crawford
I began investing in Fundrise in 2019, telling friends what a great investment it was, even though we're locked in for three years. I made a few bucks, would've done much better had I invested those funds in the stock market but wanted to try a REIT program.A few weeks ago I requested my complete portfolio from Fundrise but got an alert that it would be REVIEWED in January. I'm now at 0:0 and feel it's their responsibility to simply send my money back rather than continue losing it as they've been doing with me and other customers.It ISN'T THEIR MONEY, I waited the 3+ years (per initial agreement) to pull my investment out; they are not honoring their the agreement I signed on with. I would never have committed funds, nor recommend them to anyone, considering how they're treating me and their other investors.
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November 2023 by Ali Zinat
Residential real estate has not gone down, stock market is up, savings/cd rates are up....fundrise has performed poorly past 2 years and you take a decent hit if you have to sell before 5 years in.
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November 2023 by Elaine Diaz
I've been investing with Fundrise since early 2020. I regret doing this so bad. I would have been better off just putting my money in a high yield savings account. You would think with the real estate market doing pretty decent that there would be some kind of gains but it's been downward since I started basically. It's very difficult to get your money out. This is done quarterly so I can't even withdraw my money for another few months and of course they'll take their fee since it's before the required 5 years. Lesson learned. Do yourself a favor and put your money anywhere else. I've lost about $500 and I expect to lose another $500 before I'm able to pull out. Super disappointing.
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November 2023 by Nathan Fugate
Just not for me. Do your own due diligence. I invested 10k in January, and when I withdrew in July I was pulling out $8,100. I'm -minus $1,900. I understand the market fluctuates, so the small loss does not mean the end of the world, but if you are a new nvestor I absolutely would not start here.
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November 2023 by xXxTRIBUTExXx
I started investing in 2919 with Fundrise and until the past year I have had a good return. The last year however has been the exact opposite. The entire amount made from roughly today's date to last year at the same time has been lost. Now the amount lost has not been that much considering I have only invested about 1k. I have contacted Funrise more than once and I am only given excuses about high inflation causing the problem. I find this very hard to belive considering the amount invested in Funrise by all its investors. Seems to me the executive's at the top of Fundrise are makeing HUGE amounts of money at the exspense of its smallest investors. ? If they can do this they can also do it to the largest investors as well.
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November 2023 by N C
I've just lost money consistently over the past two years. Don't choose this company, it's just a waste and is set up so you are trapped for five years. Of all of my investments, this one is the worst performing, by far. No dividends, just negatives. Don't make my mistake that I will be paying for, for three more years.
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October 2023 by Harrison Cordeiro
Put your money elsewhere. I wouldnt tie it up in this all. I put $150 in 01/2023 and got $0.48. Bitcoin is a way better option. Im up over 100%. Dont feel comfortable putting large amounts of money with fundrise if its not liquid
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October 2023 by norbert chrostowski
Did not have good experience the company lost so much money on me I’m calling it.It is a scam I understand you can lose and gain but I just lost a lot of money.I do not recommend getting into this.
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October 2023 by Dan K
Put in a $1,000 and set-up my portfolio, about a year or two later, I was down to ~$870. If you have a busy schedule and need your money to work for you, then is not for you.
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October 2023 by Grant Arons
Investor since 2018. Better off placing money in a high interest savings account. Don’t tie your money up with these clowns
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October 2023 by John S McSpadden
Beware! I generally agree with the Fundrise’s investment philosophy. It’s been a tough year for REITs. My investment timing was bad, but that’s on me. The reason for one star is the difficulty liquidating funds. Reading other reviews, I see this is common. Fundrise liquidates your account and then hold your funds for three months with no interest applied and charges an administrative fee. They keep the float. Not cool.