Connect Invest Review

Connect Invest Ratings at a Glance

Connect Invest Product Offering

Connect Invest specializes in collateralized debt via real estate Short Note investments. A Short Note investment has a brief maturity duration, offering investors a quicker return than longer-term securities. In addition, investors can earn interest over a shorter period while minimizing exposure to interest rate fluctuations. Connect Invest provides short-term investments in real estate development projects that yield high monthly returns without overhead, account fees or maintenance charges. Once you invest in the Short Note, the platform diversifies your funds across various real estate projects spanning different stages from acquisition to development and construction. 

By diversifying your funds across multiple projects of varying sizes and types nationwide, Connect Invest significantly minimizes risks. Typically, the platform tailors your investment according to risk tolerance, investment amount and term duration. This also determines your return on investment (ROI) or yield, which often ranges between a 7.5% and 9% annualized rate of return. You can select any of the three Short Note term lengths of six, 12 or 24 months. Each has a precise exit date, and you can withdraw your investment before maturity if you meet the eligibility requirements — the platform is very liquid. Its low minimum investment of $500 means this high-yield real estate investment is attainable even if you're an undercapitalized real estate investor. Plus, you can have multiple Short Note accounts. 

How to Invest

You must register or set up a Connect Invest account to start investing. Once you've created an account and verified your email, you'll undergo identity verification by providing your personally identifiable information, like your Social Security number. The platform uses third-party integration through Dwolla for this purpose. Upon completing your identity verification, you proceed to the final step, linking your bank account to your Connect Invest wallet. This is your account's digital wallet, where your funds are held when you receive interest and principal payments or transfer funds from your bank accounts. 

Typically, it takes one to two business days to move funds from your bank account to your Connect Invest wallet via Plaid — the platform's payment processing partner. Once you've got the funds in your wallet, you can explore the investment listings. Each listing represents a real estate developer and sponsors seeking project funding and includes details such as the minimum investment amount, term length or duration, activation and maturity date. This helps you select projects that best fit your investment goals and risk tolerance. 

Once you find such projects, select Invest Now, input your investment amount, sign the subscription agreement and confirm your investment. Subsequently, Connect Invest will send a copy of your signed subscription and note purchase agreement to your email with your investment details. You'll also regularly receive regular updates on project progress and can monitor your investment performance via the platform. Connect Invest manages all legal and administrative tasks, ensuring a seamless investment experience for investors and developers. 

You're responsible for managing your account on the portal to enable you to add funds, make investments and collect interest and principal payments. Interest payments on your investment begin the month after activation and are independent of the number of deals funded via Short Notes; the notes are obligated to pay your interest regardless of utilization. Investing in Connect Invest is that simple, and you have the flexibility to choose from multiple investment accounts, including personal cash accounts, individual retirement accounts (IRAs), trust accounts or business accounts. Keep in mind that you must be at least 18 years old and a permanent U.S. resident or citizen. 

Connect Invest offers responsive customer support across multiple channels, including LiveChat, phone (866-795-7558) and email. This provides investors with a flexible means of connecting to the team and resolving complaints. The LiveChat and phone options are ideal if you want an immediate response or a one-on-one conversation with a customer service representative. You can send emails for less urgent inquiries requiring detailed explanations. Connect Invest is open from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday.

You can more easily resolve your complaint by visiting the FAQ page, which contains direct answers to various questions. Connect Invest offers a collection of educational and learning resources to help beginners and experienced investors navigate real estate investing. The new investor's guide provides a constructive overview of the platform and an in-depth explanation of Short Note, the project behind it and how to start investing. 

The blog contains a carefully crafted collection of articles on real estate investing and investing generally. The platform also maintains a presence on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, providing an alternative means of connecting with the support team. Connect Invest is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau with a rating of 5/5 from three reviewers. While this isn't significant enough to constructively assess its customer service efficiency, it is undoubtedly an indication of the company's impressive product and service offering. 

Connect Invest prioritizes the security of investors' funds and personal data via various security measures ranging from robust encryption protocols to advanced server security. For account protection or to prevent unauthorized access, you can implement two-factor authentication (2FA). When you invest in real estate via Connect Invest, you're acquiring a note from a Regulation A Tier 2 offering qualified by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The platform conducts extensive due diligence or reviews of all real estate projects on its website, partnering strictly with experienced and reputable real estate developers or sponsors with a proven track record and commitment to quality project delivery. 

Details of projects are published alongside the listing to enable you to select projects that fit your risk tolerance and enhance transparency. By adhering to rigorous investment criteria, Connect Invest seeks to mitigate risks for investors while maximizing potential returns. The platform will not sell or share your data with a third party except when given consent or in line with judicial requirements. Connect Invest follows its regulatory obligations and compliance requirements judiciously, abiding by all relevant laws and regulations to maintain a secure and transparent investment environment.

Connect Invest is transparent regarding the cost of your potential investment and the yield. These details are provided with the listing so you know before you invest. The minimum investment or account minimum is $500, with no overhead fees, account fees or maintenance charges. The annual rate on the listed Short Note offering is realized without additional charges. Fund deposits are via the standard ACH banking process, except for amounts over $100,000, which necessitates a wire transfer.

Connect Invest offers one of the most simple and hassle-free private real estate investing approaches. Sign up, verify your investor profile, fund your Connect Invest wallet and explore the investment listings to make your first investment with minimal effort. The platform keeps you updated on progress and key milestones regarding your investment. You can also monitor things from your portal or the dashboard. 

No fees are involved, and an account minimum of $500 means diverse investors can take advantage of the platform, whether accredited or nonaccredited. Investing has never been easier, regardless of the asset class. Projects or investment opportunities listed on the platform are evaluated based on market conditions, project viability and financial projections to ensure they meet the required standards. This also significantly reduces the chances of a project failing. 

There might even be a contingent plan like project restructuring to minimize the impact on investors' investment if a project fails. Remember,  you can also liquidate or withdraw your investment before maturity if you satisfy the eligibility criteria. The platform's educational resources and responsive customer service across multiple channels are perfect for what seems to be an impressive and user-friendly investment platform. Benzinga considers Connect Invest highly recommendable. 

Connect Invest vs. Competitors

Connect Invest has many competing online real estate platforms like CityVest, Collab Home, CrowdStreet, EquityMultiple and Groundfloor. Connect Invest beats these platforms in various ways. For instance, unlike Connect Invest, CityVest, CrowdStreet and EquityMultiple target strictly accredited investors, which limits accessibility to these platforms. In addition, these three platforms require a high account minimum: $25,000 for CityVest and CrowdStreet and about $10,000 for EquityMultiple compared to $500 for Connect Invest. Collab Home is basically for student housing investors. While it has a similar account minimum as Connect Invest, it has a significantly lower cash dividend ranging from 4% to 5% (annualized) compared to 7.5% to 9% for Connect Invest. 

With up to a 10% annualized return on a six- to 12-month term, Groundfloor matches or even beats Connect Invest, especially considering it also charges zero fees and has an account minimum of $100. Unlike Connect Invest, Groundfloor has a high rate of uncured default and doesn't offer bankruptcy protection. Connect Invest's overwhelming transparency, excellent customer support and educational resources are additional factors to consider when comparing this great investment platform with other similar services. 

Connect Invest is a viable option to explore if you're considering private real estate investments. The platform offers a secure, transparent and user-friendly investment environment at zero cost, allowing investors of different levels to diversify their portfolios and earn attractive passive income. To ensure investors are presented with high-quality real estate projects or investment opportunities, Connect Invest takes adequate steps to vet the experience of developers or sponsors via thorough due diligence. The platform also offers excellent customer service, ensuring complaints are addressed immediately when the need arises.

Frequently Asked Questions