Real Estate And Prop-Tech

Property buyers today, whether of residential homes or commercial properties, are not only younger but more tech- savvy. It makes sense, then, that technology in real estate and construction is on the rise.

Property tech (or prop-tech for short) has been making buying and selling property easier and more accessible. The leading trend in prop-tech is augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), which enable investors, developers and prospective buyers to see even the smallest detail in and around a building before it’s built, as well as enhance a real estate agent’s ability to sell to their clients. According to a 2021 survey by Capterra, 20 percent of homebuyers surveyed visited their property virtually before purchasing.

Fintech has also dominated the list of emerging trends in real estate, making the purchase of, and investment in, properties more attainable. Oshawa, Ont.-based AcreageWay’s platform, for example, has been enabling anyone — not only wealthy investors — to get in the commercial real estate investing game through fractional ownership.

“Investment is a luxury for most people and so many miss out on growing their wealth long-term,” says co-founder
Shaily Srivastava. “Regular people don’t get the option to invest nor participate in worthwhile projects because they’re seen as ‘high risk.’ I’ve always wanted to break this barrier and make social projects affordable and accessible to anyone. Giving this power to all people was the vision behind, and reason for, building AcreageWay.”

In 2018, Srivastava and co-founder Aditya Koparde joined forces to develop AcreageWay, which utilizes bulletproof blockchain technology and AI to tokenize traditional real estate assets. It enables anyone to diversify real estate portfolios, mitigate risk and have access to real estate deals without the need for large capital outlays and, for sole investors, without the need for a mortgage or having to become a landlord. By breaking down investments into small pieces, small-to-medium-sized investors can participate in a micro-investment strategy, choosing how much and when to invest without proving funding or credit scores. It also provides short-term investment portfolios in institutional level commercial and industrial opportunities with both rental and capital gain benefits.

What makes AcreageWay even more unique is that its a digital exempt market dealer (EMD), which connects all players in one unified, transparent and secure ecosystem, ensuring that each client’s personal, financial and investment profile is understood and confirmed prior to any trading activity. It also secures and stores all transactions in a way that cannot be tampered with. This transcends the concept of crowdfunding, enabling investors to invest larger amounts depending on their suitability.

“Every opportunity on AcreageWay undergoes a detailed due diligence
process before onboarding to protect the best interest of the investor,” co-founder Aditya Koparde says. “With this unique model, investors stand shoulder to shoulder with the builders and property owners as equity holders to their projects.”