Real Estate Platform Comparison· Updated May 5, 2026
A side-by-side breakdown of returns, liquidity, fees, and trustworthiness to help you decide where to invest your money.
Landa pioneered $5 fractional shares of single-family rentals across Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando and other Sun Belt markets — but as of 2026 the platform has paused new offerings, deposits, and secondary trading. Existing investors do not appear to have an on-platform secondary market until Landa resumes trading, and the company has not published a public restart timeline.
Roots offers an unusual win-win structure where renters earn shares of the REIT alongside investors, with $100 minimums, quarterly distributions, quarterly liquidity, and a 12.02% trailing twelve-month return as of April 2026 — but investors hold REIT shares rather than direct property ownership.
At a Glance
Pros & Cons
Lowest historical entry price
Landa's signature feature was $5 share prices, which made it one of the most accessible fractional real estate platforms ever launched.
Sun Belt single-family focus
Landa concentrated on stable, cash-flowing single-family rental markets — Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Charlotte, Birmingham, Jacksonville, Brooklyn — that are popular with rental investors.
Series LLC liability protection
Each Landa property is held in its own series LLC, isolating liability from one property to another for investors.
Polished mobile app
Landa's mobile-first app made browsing properties and tracking distributions easy for first-time real estate investors.
New offerings, deposits, and secondary trading are paused
Landa's website confirms there are currently no active offerings on the platform, and that deposits and secondary trading are temporarily paused. The company says it is working to resume but has not published a public timeline.
Existing investors are effectively illiquid
Because the secondary market is closed, current Landa investors have no on-platform path to exit their positions until trading resumes.
Mixed historical performance and disclosures
Even before the pause, dividend yields on Landa properties varied widely and several properties reduced or suspended distributions due to vacancies or maintenance costs.
No public restart timeline
Landa's website confirms the pause and says the team is working to resume operations, but no public restart date has been published. Investors and prospective investors don't have a clear horizon for when the platform will reopen.
$100 minimum, open to non-accredited investors
Roots is open to both non-accredited and accredited investors with a $100 starting minimum, making it one of the more accessible REIT-style platforms for first-time real estate investors.
Quarterly liquidity
Roots offers investors the ability to redeem shares every quarter — meaningfully more flexible than the multi-year lock-ups common at Arrived, CrowdStreet, and Cadre. After the first 12-month holding period there's no early-redemption penalty.
Strong reported track record
Roots reports a 12.02% trailing twelve-month return (4/10/25 – 4/10/26) and a 17.17% average annual return since inception in July 2021. Returns are not guaranteed, but the published track record is competitive with peer REIT funds.
Renters build wealth alongside investors
The 'Live in it Like You Own It' program gives Roots renters quarterly equity grants for behaviors that improve property value (paying rent on time, keeping properties in good condition). Roots reports more than $1.7M saved and invested by renters under the program.
Low transaction fees
Only a $5 transaction fee to get started and no penalty to cash out after the first year — light fees compared with Fundrise's 1% AUM or Arrived's variable sponsor markups.
REIT shares, not direct property ownership
You own units of the Roots REIT, not fractional ownership of a specific property. That's simpler and more diversified than per-property models, but it means investors don't pick individual properties or vote on property-level decisions.
Geographically concentrated
Roots is heavily concentrated in the Atlanta metro and a small number of additional Sun Belt markets. That focus is part of the brand but means less geographic diversification than national platforms.
Quarterly (not daily) distributions
Distributions are paid quarterly rather than daily or monthly. Investors waiting on real estate income for cash flow may find quarterly cadence inconvenient.
Less property-level transparency than per-property platforms
Because Roots is a fund, individual property underwriting and rent rolls are aggregated rather than fully exposed to investors.
Deep Dive
What You're Investing In
Historically, fractional shares of single-family rental homes in U.S. Sun Belt markets. New offerings are paused as of 2026.
A single REIT — the Roots REIT — focused on residential real estate in Atlanta and select other Sun Belt markets.
Property Locations
Atlanta, Tampa, Orlando, Charlotte, Birmingham, Jacksonville, and Brooklyn portfolios.
Primarily Atlanta metro, with select expansion into adjacent Sun Belt markets.
Expected Returns
Historical dividend yields on Landa properties ranged roughly 3–6% annually depending on the property, with variable monthly distributions. Several properties reduced or suspended distributions due to vacancies or maintenance costs. Current returns are N/A while the platform is paused. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Roots targets 12–15% annual returns and reports 12.02% trailing twelve months (4/10/25 – 4/10/26) and 17.17% average annual return since inception (7/1/2021). Past performance does not guarantee future results — read the offering circular before investing.
Fees
Landa historically did not charge an investor-facing platform fee, but earned revenue through property management markups and series-level operating expenses. The full fee picture for any future restart has not been re-disclosed.
Roots charges a $5 transaction fee to get started and no early-redemption penalty after the first year. There is no investor-facing AUM fee disclosed; the REIT covers operating expenses internally before distributing returns.
Liquidity
Indefinite while the secondary market is closed. Investors who already hold shares cannot sell on-platform until trading resumes.
12-month minimum holding period to avoid an early-redemption penalty. After year one there is no exit penalty.
Who Can Invest
Open to U.S. investors who can pass identity verification. International availability has historically been limited. While the platform is paused, no new investors can deposit funds.
Open to both non-accredited and accredited U.S. investors aged 18 or older. International availability is limited.
The Verdict
Landa was a pioneering low-minimum fractional real estate platform, but as of 2026 it has paused new offerings, deposits, and secondary trading. There is no public on-platform path for new investment or secondary-market selling today. Investors looking for an active fractional real estate platform should compare alternatives such as Lofty (24/7 marketplace, daily rent payouts, $50 minimum), and current Landa holders should plan around an uncertain timeline until the company announces when trading will resume.
Full Landa review →Roots is one of the most differentiated REIT options in 2026. The win-win renter-equity model is genuinely unique, the $100 minimum is accessible, quarterly liquidity is meaningfully better than most private real estate platforms, and the published 12% trailing return is competitive. The trade-offs are REIT (not direct property) ownership, a heavy Atlanta concentration, and quarterly (not daily) distributions. A solid hands-off pick for investors aligned with its mission.
Full Roots review →Bottom Line
Roots scores higher (3.5/5) and edges out Landa on our investment quality criteria.
Roots offers an unusual win-win structure where renters earn shares of the REIT alongside investors, with $100 minimums, quarterly distributions, quarterly liquidity, and a 12.02% trailing twelve-month return as of April 2026 — but investors hold REIT shares rather than direct property ownership.
Frequently Asked Questions
Based on our scoring criteria — returns, fees, liquidity, transparency, minimums, and track record — Roots (3.5/5) scores higher than Landa (1.5/5). Roots offers an unusual win-win structure where renters earn shares of the REIT alongside investors, with $100 minimums, quarterly distributions, quarterly liquidity, and a 12.02% trailing twelve-month return as of April 2026 — but investors hold REIT shares rather than direct property ownership.
Landa's minimum investment is $5 (when active). Roots's minimum investment is $100.
Landa: Indefinite while the secondary market is closed. Investors who already hold shares cannot sell on-platform until trading resumes. Roots: 12-month minimum holding period to avoid an early-redemption penalty. After year one there is no exit penalty.
Landa reports average yearly returns of Historical dividend yields ranged ~3–6%; current returns N/A while platform is paused. Roots reports average yearly returns of 12.02% trailing 12 months (4/10/25 – 4/10/26); 17.17% average annual since inception 7/1/2021. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
One of the most flexible ways to invest in real estate
$50 minimums · Daily rent payouts · No lock-up periods · 24/7 exchange