Choosing the right fractional real estate platform determines how effectively you build long-term wealth through property ownership. mogul, Arrived, and Roots represent three distinct approaches to making real estate accessible: mogul delivers institutional-quality single-family rental investments through property-specific LLC structures with monthly income distributions, Arrived offers broad geographic diversification with a large property selection, and Roots provides a pooled vehicle taxed as a REIT and focused on workforce-oriented housing. Understanding how each platform handles property selection, fee structures, returns, and liquidity helps investors identify which approach aligns with their capital, income goals, and time horizon. Browse mogul's current properties to see mogul's underwriting standards in action.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this guide is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed professional before making any financial or investment decisions.
Key Takeaways
mogul's team of former Goldman Sachs executives applies institutional-quality underwriting, with less than 1% of reviewed properties passing its selection process, resulting in an 18.8% average annual IRR across platform investments
mogul distributes available net rental income monthly once a property is operational, while Arrived's individual properties pay monthly once they generate income and Roots distributes quarterly
mogul covers up to $10,000 in losses on investments made within a new member's first 7 days if those investments show a loss after year one, a first-year protection feature we are not aware of elsewhere among fractional real estate platforms
mogul's blockchain integration on the Avalanche network delivers independently verifiable ownership records, with property valuation and performance information updated separately on a monthly basis
mogul charges no recurring annual AUM or asset-management fee (a 5% fee capitalized into the deal and calculated on the property purchase price, plus an ongoing 2.5% fee on rental income), while Arrived applies product-specific quarterly asset-management fees equivalent to roughly 0.6% to 1.2% annually, plus 8% property management on long-term single-family rentals
All three platforms accept non-accredited investors, subject to platform eligibility rules and, for Reg A offerings, statutory investment limits
mogul vs. Arrived vs. Roots: A High-Level Overview of Real Estate Investment Platforms
Each platform serves a specific investor profile with distinct investment models, fee structures, and ownership mechanisms.
mogul is a fractional real estate platform club founded by former Goldman Sachs executives, focused on single-family rentals across short-term, mid-term, and long-term rental strategies. The founding team brings more than $10 billion of deal experience from Goldman Sachs' real estate business, and the platform reports $90M+ in assets invested through mogul, 40,000+ investors, 600+ units, and 65+ properties managed by mogul. Each property is acquired and held by a property-specific LLC structure, and investors purchase membership interests in the property-specific investment-club LLC tied to an individually identifiable home. That provides property-level economic and governance exposure rather than individually deeded fractional title.
Arrived has built substantial scale, reporting approximately 993,000 registered investors, $459 million total invested, 589+ funded properties, and 67+ active markets nationwide. The platform offers individual property investments plus fund options, using Series LLCs for individual-property offerings and allowing investors to diversify geographically by allocating across multiple homes, markets or diversified funds.
Roots operates a pooled vehicle focused on workforce-oriented residential real estate. Legally, Roots Real Estate Investment Community I is a Georgia limited liability company that has elected REIT tax treatment, and investors purchase units of membership interest rather than ownership interests in individual properties. Roots currently operates across Atlanta, Augusta, Oklahoma City, Nashville, and Charlotte, with the portfolio still heavily weighted toward Atlanta. Roots added Charlotte, North Carolina in Q2 2026 and reported 626 properties and 761 doors as of July 10, 2026. The platform reports an 85.30% cumulative return and 13.13% compound annual growth rate from July 1, 2021 through July 10, 2026.
The fundamental distinction: mogul enables investors to choose specific, individually identifiable properties and hold membership interests in the LLC structure that owns each one, Arrived offers broad market exposure across hundreds of properties, and Roots provides pooled simplicity with a social mission focus.
Investment Accessibility: Real Estate Investing for Beginners Across All Three Platforms
Entry Points Compared
All three platforms accept non-accredited investors, though entry points, eligibility rules and investment limits differ:
mogul's accessibility:
Average investment of approximately $10,000, with a typical portfolio allocation of $17,321 per property
90% of investors make a second investment; when they do, it averages roughly 3x their initial allocation
$90M+ in assets invested through the platform and 40,000+ investors, with professionally vetted and managed properties
Investments are available from $250, though most members allocate closer to the platform average
Non-accredited investors are accepted, subject to platform eligibility rules
Arrived's accessibility:
$100 minimum investment across current offerings
4.8/5 app store rating with polished mobile experience
Individual property selection plus fund options
Arrived has reported that more than half of its investors were repeat investors as of March 2025
Investors must be at least 18, be U.S. citizens or green-card holders, and reside in one of the 50 states
Roots' accessibility:
Investing starts at $100
$5 standard transaction fee, $3 for recurring investments, and no transaction fee for Roots Growth
Pooled structure eliminates property selection decisions
Limited quarterly redemption program subject to holding-period rules, caps, cash availability and manager discretion
Non-accredited natural persons are generally limited under Reg A to no more than 10% of the greater of annual income or net worth
User Experience and Support for New Investors
mogul's platform enables investment execution in under 30 seconds, with Google and LinkedIn authentication options. The platform offers four free investment calculators, the Investment Property Calculator, Rental Property Calculator, Airbnb Calculator, and Real Estate Calculator, which analyze potential returns for any U.S. address, plus a help center for members.
For investors new to real estate, mogul's $10,000 first-year protection provides meaningful downside coverage: if your total return on investments made within your first 7 days results in a loss during year one, mogul covers up to $10,000 from its own balance sheet capital.
Diving Deep into Property Types: Short-Term, Long-Term, and Beyond
Short-Term Rental Opportunities
mogul's rental strategies include:
Short-term rentals (Airbnb-style stays of fewer than 30 days at high-end homes) with higher yield potential
Mid-term rentals (stays longer than 30 days and shorter than one year) addressing workforce housing demand, with room-by-room leases of 12 weeks or longer
Long-term residential rentals with stable tenant relationships
Sale-leaseback arrangements
This variety enables investors to match strategies to market conditions. mogul targets roughly 8% to 10% NOI yield (10% to 12% levered) for short-term rentals and roughly 10% to 12% NOI yield (12% to 14% levered) for mid-term rentals, for a target weighted average of roughly 9% to 11% NOI yield and a 15% to 20% target levered return. mogul reports that its mid-term model has operated at approximately 94% occupancy.
Arrived's property focus:
Long-term single-family rentals
Vacation rental properties
Real-estate-backed credit exposure through its income fund
Roots' property approach:
Workforce-oriented residential real estate through a pooled vehicle. Roots' SEC disclosure describes a diversified portfolio consisting primarily of single-family and multifamily residential properties and development projects, and permits other U.S. markets, real-estate-backed loans and related assets
Concentrated in Atlanta, Augusta, Oklahoma City, Nashville, and Charlotte
"Live In It Like You Own It" resident rewards program, through which qualifying renters earn quarterly rewards they can invest in the Roots fund
Geographic Diversification
mogul invests across multiple U.S. residential markets, targeting high-growth secondary markets with strong price-to-rent dislocation and growth fundamentals, including Charlotte, Atlanta, Nashville, Phoenix, Houston, Dallas, and Denver, where five-year rent increases have averaged +32.1% and five-year value increases +58.9% (Sources: RealPage, Redfin Price Index, Case-Shiller Home Index). Current featured offerings include properties in Texas, Arizona and California, and mogul publishes metro-level analysis for individual markets such as Houston and Austin, alongside statewide guides for markets like Texas. Market selection is property- and submarket-specific rather than a blanket regional bet, with a buy box focused on supply-constrained submarkets, superior locations within each market, and already-operational assets. Arrived offers broad geographic coverage across 67+ active markets nationwide, while Roots focuses primarily on Atlanta with expansion to Augusta, Oklahoma City, Nashville, and Charlotte.
Investment Performance and Returns: Analyzing Historical Results
Reported Returns Across Platforms
Performance data reveals distinct return profiles. Note that the three platforms publish different metric types (IRR, dividend yield, and total return), which are not directly interchangeable:
mogul's performance:
18.8% average annual IRR across platform properties, the highest average IRR of platform assets among fractional real estate platforms
Target annual returns of 15% to 20% IRR, which are targets rather than promised outcomes
A 12% minimum return threshold applied in underwriting for each property
Monthly distributions of each investor's proportionate share of available net rental income once a property is operational, after applicable expenses, debt service, fees, capital expenditures and reserves
Arrived's performance (Q2 2026 average annualized dividend yields):
Individual single-family rentals: 3.5%
SFR Fund: 4.9%
Real Estate Income Fund: 8.7%
Vacation rentals: 2.9%
Arrived filed updated NAVs with the SEC on July 28, 2026. NAV is not a realized sale price and is considered together with distributions already received
Roots' performance:
85.30% total return since inception and a 13.13% compound annual growth rate from July 1, 2021 through July 10, 2026
12.01% trailing 12-month return through July 10, 2026
Reported NAV per unit increased from $150.81 at the January 10, 2026 Q1 valuation to $153.07 at the April 10, 2026 Q2 valuation, and Roots subsequently reported $155.30 as of July 10, 2026
Quarterly distributions; a $1.50 per unit distribution was declared on January 9, 2026
mogul's focus on single-family rentals targets an asset class that combines monthly income with long-term appreciation potential. From 1993 to 2023, single-family rentals delivered a 13.8% IRR versus 9.8% for the S\&P 500, with a 2.3% standard deviation versus 4.2%, and across a 30-year hold the asset class averaged 190% higher returns with 45% less volatility (Sources: NAREIT, US Federal Reserve, Case-Shiller Home Index, Bloomberg). Against that backdrop, mogul reports an 18.8% average annual return, and each property is underwritten to a 12% minimum return threshold before it reaches the platform.
Fee Structures and Transparency: What Investors Pay on Each Platform
Understanding Total Cost of Ownership
Fee structures significantly impact net returns over multi-year holding periods. Because each platform calculates its fees on a different base (investor contribution, property purchase price, NAV, or rental income), the fee stacks are best compared by structure rather than by a single blended dollar total.
mogul's fees:
A 5% fee capitalized into the deal and calculated on the property purchase price, described in mogul materials as a 3% platform/onboarding component plus a potential 2% setup component where the property requires rent-ready preparation. Offering-specific documents govern
No recurring annual AUM or asset-management fee
An ongoing fee equal to 2.5% of rental income
Property management handled through mogul's operating structure, which benefits from economies of scale and wholesale property management pricing negotiated with its partners
Arrived's fees:
Sourcing fee of 3.5% of the series property's purchase price for individual long-term SFR offerings; other products are governed by their own current offering documents
Product-specific asset-management fees: individual SFRs at 0.15% of purchase price per quarter (0.6% annually), the SFR Fund at 0.25% of NAV per quarter (1.0% annually), the Real Estate Income Fund at 0.30% of NAV per quarter (1.2% annually), and vacation rentals at a variable rental-income-based fee
Property management of 8% for long-term single-family rentals and 15% to 20% of gross rental income for vacation rentals
6% to 7% disposition expenses calculated on the property sale price
Roots' fees:
$5 transaction fee on standard contributions, $3 on recurring contributions, and none for Roots Growth
Property- and fund-level fees and expenses are paid by the REIT and therefore reduce fund-level cash flow, NAV and amounts available for distribution. The May 2026 offering circular describes items such as acquisition fees, management and property-management compensation, leasing fees, maintenance reserves, capital-improvement costs, disposition fees, and operating-expense reimbursements, with the specific figures set out at the fund level
First-year withdrawals are subject to a reduced redemption rate, expressed in the offering circular as a 92% effective redemption rate for units held under one year and 100% at one year or more
Comparing Fee Structures by Fee Base
Because Arrived calculates percentage fees on property purchase price or NAV, mogul capitalizes its fee based on property purchase price, and Roots absorbs most costs at the fund level, a single "$10,000 investment" fee total is not derivable from published percentages. The table below compares the fee categories themselves.
Fee categorymogulArrivedRootsUpfront / transaction5% capitalized deal fee calculated on property purchase price (3% platform/onboarding plus a potential 2% setup component where rent-ready work is required)3.5% sourcing fee on the series property's purchase price for individual long-term SFRs; other products per their own offering documents$5 standard transaction fee, $3 recurring, none for Roots GrowthRecurring investor-level asset managementNone (no traditional annual AUM fee)0.15% of purchase price per quarter (individual SFRs), 0.25% of NAV per quarter (SFR Fund), 0.30% of NAV per quarter (Real Estate Income Fund), variable for vacation rentalsNo separate investor-level AUM fee; fund-level compensation and expenses are paid by the REITIncome-based2.5% of rental income8% property management (long-term SFRs); 15% to 20% of gross rental income (vacation rentals)Fund-level management and property-management compensation as disclosed in the offering circularExit-relatedGoverned by the applicable offering documents6% to 7% disposition expenses on property sale priceFund-level disposition fees as disclosed in the offering circular
mogul's structure front-loads a one-time property-level fee and avoids a recurring annual AUM charge, which is where the multi-year cost difference against percentage-of-NAV or percentage-of-purchase-price annual fees accumulates. Actual dollar outcomes depend on investment amount, rental income, hold period and product-specific assumptions.
Liquidity Options and Exit Strategies: Accessing Your Capital
Each platform approaches holding periods, income timing and exits differently:
mogul's liquidity approach:
Properties intended to be held for 3 to 10 years, subject to the specific offering documents, with monthly distributions of available net rental income once a property is operational
Monthly third-party valuation data updating property performance in the dashboard, viewable any time in the investor portfolio
Multiple exit avenues monitored at the asset level, including traditional marketed sale, private sale to inventory partners, cash-out refinance, and platform sale to members, plus a secondary trading market planned on mogul's blockchain infrastructure
Arrived's liquidity:
5 to 7 year target hold for individual long-term rentals, and an estimated 5 to 15 years for vacation rentals
Secondary market officially launched in November 2025. Eligible individual-property shares trade during a one-week window each month, liquidity is buyer-dependent, and Arrived's executing broker may charge up to 2.5% on each side of a transaction
For fund investments, shares become eligible for redemption after six months, with four redemption windows per year, subject to limits. For the SFR Fund specifically, materials from April 2026 cite a 1% cost for liquidation earlier than three years
Roots' liquidity:
A limited quarterly unit-redemption program subject to holding-period rules, aggregate and individual caps, cash availability and manager discretion
The circular specifies a 92% effective redemption rate for certain sub-one-year redemptions and 100% at one year or more, and notes that during the ongoing offering ordinary redemption requests are generally available to members who have held units for at least one year
Roots units do not currently trade on a secondary market, and quarterly redemption operates as a contractual program
Comparing the mechanisms objectively: Arrived pairs a monthly, buyer-dependent secondary-market window for eligible individual-property investors with quarterly fund redemptions after six months; Roots offers a quarterly redemption program governed by its program terms; and mogul pairs monthly income distributions across a longer intended hold with several monitored exit avenues at the asset level and a planned, blockchain-enabled secondary market. For investors whose priority is regular income during the hold, mogul's monthly distribution schedule is the most frequent of the three.
Underwriting and Due Diligence: How Properties Are Selected
mogul's Property Selection Process
mogul applies institutional underwriting, using the same analytical framework its founding team used for large institutional deals at Goldman Sachs. The concrete mechanics behind that approach include:
Less than 1% of reviewed properties pass selection criteria, so only the top 1% of the pipeline reaches the platform
Proprietary underwriting models combining automated valuation models (AVMs) and comparative market analysis (CMA) tools
A 12% minimum return threshold, underwritten as a bear-case hurdle, required for each listed property
Off-market and pre-market sourcing through programmatic relationships, with target acquisitions 8% to 10% below market value and verified operating actuals
Inspections, scenario analysis and internal investment-committee review
Capitalized reserves at the property level, including 12 months of operating reserves per asset, plus property and business-interruption insurance
mogul invests in every property alongside platform investors, placing its capital next to investors' capital
This process supports mogul's 18.8% average annual return: when fewer than 1 in 100 properties meet underwriting standards, only the strongest opportunities reach investors.
Arrived's selection process:
Standard review process for individual properties
Fund-level diversification across multiple assets
Property management partner network
Roots' approach:
Pooled portfolio management, with Roots' manager making investment-selection, acquisition, financing and disposition decisions
Focus on workforce-oriented residential properties with renovation potential
"Live In It Like You Own It" operates as a resident incentive and rewards program
Unique Features and Value Propositions: Beyond Standard Fractional Ownership
mogul's $10,000 First-Year Protection
mogul offers a notable risk mitigation feature: coverage of up to $10,000 in losses on investments made within a new member's first 7 days if those investments show a loss after year one. For example, if a new member invests $20,000 across five properties in those first 7 days, for $100,000 in total, and that $100,000 stands at $90,000 after one year, mogul trues the member up to $100,000. This protection is funded from mogul's own balance sheet capital, demonstrating confidence in its underwriting quality, and we are not aware of a comparable program elsewhere among fractional real estate platforms.
Community Features and Member Rewards
mogul is an investment club, and community features like mogul Clubs distribute up to 2% in rewards to members. Members can also take part in a Give $50, Get $50 referral: refer a friend and get $50 when they invest. Alongside those features, members receive monthly dividends, real-time appreciation, and the tax benefits of property-level ownership, which together make real estate investing more accessible and headache-free.
Blockchain Transparency
mogul's integration with the Avalanche network provides ownership records that are independently verifiable on-chain, while rental performance and monthly third-party valuation data are presented separately in the dashboard. Blockchain also functions as a more efficient back office, reducing operational costs so more of the return flows to members. This infrastructure maintains a USD-based investor experience (no cryptocurrency knowledge required, and this is not crypto) while enabling future secondary market trading capabilities.
Tax Treatment
mogul's property-specific LLC structures are partnership-taxed and may allocate depreciation and other property-level tax items to investors on a K-1, one of the reasons the tax code has long favored direct property investment. How those items apply depends on each investor's circumstances, including basis, at-risk and other loss-limitation rules, land allocation, state taxation, and depreciation-related gain on a later sale.
Arrived's structure differs. Although Arrived investors hold interests in property-specific Series LLCs, those series generally qualify separately as REITs for federal tax purposes, and Arrived's offering disclosures state that losses are not passed through to U.S. investors to offset other income. Depreciation may instead affect the tax character of REIT distributions, potentially causing some distributions to be treated as return of capital.
Roots distributions may be characterized as ordinary REIT dividends, capital gains, or return of capital depending on the distribution, with the majority of recurring distributions paid from current or accumulated earnings and profits generally taxed at ordinary-income rates. Because Arrived's individual-property series also use REIT tax treatment, the platforms are best compared structure by structure rather than as a simple LLC-versus-REIT contrast. Individual outcomes depend on tax bracket, account type, distribution character and basis, so investors should consult a tax advisor.
Why mogul Stands Out for Fractional Real Estate Investors
When comparing fractional real estate platforms, mogul delivers distinct advantages for investors seeking rigorously underwritten property investments with property-level ownership exposure:
Performance track record: mogul reports an 18.8% average annual return across platform properties, the highest average IRR of platform assets among fractional real estate platforms. Arrived's currently reported Q2 2026 average annualized dividend yields range from 2.9% for vacation rentals to 8.7% for the Real Estate Income Fund, and Roots reports a 13.13% compound annual growth rate with a 12.01% trailing 12-month return. These are different metric types and are not directly interchangeable, but the underwriting discipline behind mogul's number is concrete: fewer than 1% of reviewed properties pass, and only deals meeting a 12% minimum return threshold reach the platform.
Fee efficiency: mogul charges no recurring annual AUM or asset-management fee. The other platforms in this comparison apply recurring asset-management or fund-level fees alongside property management, which compound across a multi-year hold. Because each platform's fees are calculated on different bases, dollar comparisons depend on the specifics of an individual offering.
Income frequency: Monthly distributions of available net rental income enable more frequent reinvestment and compounding than a quarterly distribution schedule. For investors prioritizing regular cash flow, mogul delivers income four times more frequently than quarterly alternatives.
Risk mitigation: The $10,000 first-year protection for new members provides downside coverage we are not aware of elsewhere among fractional real estate platforms. Combined with capitalized reserves at the property level, property and business-interruption insurance, and mogul investing its own capital in every property, that structure creates financial alignment between mogul and its investors.
Ownership structure: Investors purchase membership interests in property-specific LLC structures tied to individually identifiable homes, providing property-level economic and governance exposure rather than shares in a blind pooled fund. Investors can select specific properties and see exactly where their capital is deployed, with full visibility into each property's performance.
Institutional expertise: Former Goldman Sachs executives with more than $10 billion of deal experience bring the same rigorous analysis used for institutional acquisitions to individual property selection. The 90% repeat investor rate, with follow-on investments averaging roughly 3x the initial amount, demonstrates investor confidence in this approach.
For investors seeking headache-free real estate with monthly income potential, disciplined property selection, and property-level ownership exposure in single-family rentals, mogul represents the superior approach to building a real estate portfolio.
Ready to explore fractional real estate? Review live offerings on mogul's properties page, see how mogul works, or schedule a call to discuss your objectives.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this guide is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Always consult with a licensed professional before making any financial or investment decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do investors typically commit on mogul, Arrived, and Roots?
On mogul, the average investment is approximately $10,000, with a typical portfolio allocation of $17,321 per property, and 90% of investors choose to invest again, averaging roughly 3x their initial commitment. Arrived's minimum is $100 and Roots' investing starts at $100. All three platforms accept non-accredited investors, subject to platform eligibility rules (Arrived requires investors to be at least 18, U.S. citizens or green-card holders, and residents of one of the 50 states) and, for Reg A offerings such as Roots, statutory investment limits of no more than 10% of the greater of annual income or net worth for non-accredited natural persons.
How do the fee structures of mogul, Arrived, and Roots compare?
mogul charges a 5% fee capitalized into the deal and calculated on the property purchase price, plus 2.5% of rental income, with no recurring annual AUM or asset-management fee. Arrived charges a 3.5% sourcing fee on the property's purchase price for individual long-term SFRs, plus product-specific quarterly asset-management fees equivalent to roughly 0.6% to 1.2% annually and property management of 8% for long-term SFRs or 15% to 20% of gross rental income for vacation rentals. Roots charges a $5 standard transaction fee ($3 recurring, none for Roots Growth), while property- and fund-level fees and expenses are paid by the REIT and reduce cash flow, NAV and amounts available for distribution. Because the three platforms calculate fees on different bases (purchase price, NAV, rental income and investor contribution), a single blended dollar total is not derivable from headline percentages.
Which platform offers the best liquidity for fractional real estate investments?
It depends on the product and your holding period. Roots operates a limited quarterly redemption program subject to caps, cash availability and manager discretion, with a 92% effective redemption rate for certain sub-one-year redemptions and 100% at one year or more, and Roots units do not currently trade on a secondary market. Arrived launched its secondary market in November 2025, with eligible individual-property shares trading during a one-week window each month and fund shares eligible for quarterly redemption after six months; typical individual long-term rental holds remain 5 to 7 years. mogul properties are intended to be held for 3 to 10 years with monthly distributions of available net rental income throughout the operational period, several exit avenues monitored at the asset level, and a planned secondary market supported by mogul's blockchain infrastructure. For investors prioritizing regular income over exit flexibility, mogul's monthly distributions provide cash flow four times more frequently than a quarterly schedule.
What types of properties can I invest in on each platform?
mogul offers the broadest rental strategy diversity: short-term rentals (Airbnb-style stays under 30 days), mid-term rentals (stays longer than 30 days and shorter than one year), long-term residential rentals, and sale-leaseback arrangements, all within the single-family rental asset class. Arrived offers long-term single-family rentals, vacation rentals, and real-estate-backed credit exposure through its funds. Roots focuses primarily on workforce-oriented single-family and multifamily residential real estate through a pooled vehicle, and its governing disclosures allow a broader set of residential investments, development projects and related real-estate assets. mogul's variety enables investors to match strategies to market conditions, with mid-term rentals targeting 10% to 12% NOI yields versus roughly 8% to 10% for short-term rentals. If you are still mapping the landscape, mogul's guide to types of real estate investments is a useful starting point.
Do any of these platforms offer investor protection?
mogul provides notable downside protection: the platform covers up to $10,000 in losses on investments made within a new member's first 7 days if those investments show a loss after year one. This protection comes from mogul's own balance sheet capital, demonstrating confidence in its underwriting quality, and we are not aware of a comparable program elsewhere among fractional real estate platforms. Because outcomes are never certain in any investment, mogul's combination of first-year protection, rigorous underwriting (less than a 1% pass rate), capitalized property-level reserves, and co-investment in every property provides meaningful risk mitigation for investors entering fractional real estate.