- Real Estate
HomeUnion Review
HomeUnion is an update on “turnkey” rental property investing, offering managed rental properties in 11 different markets across the US.
Pros
- Free to search and browse listings and use calculators and return projections
- Integrated financing options (via subsidiary company)
- Integrated property management (optional)
- Services available across the entire US, catering to various property types.
Cons
- Buying a rental property typically requires at least 20% of the purchase price
- HomeUnion currently operates in limited markets
- Selection is dependent on HomeUnion's sourcing (excludes MLS-listed properties, for example)
- Insurance costs are separate from the management fee.
Overview
This HomeUnion Review will help you learn more about HomeUnion's investment offerings, including how the alternative investments on HomeUnion are structured, and what your potential returns might be. You can read more about the criteria we use to review investment platforms here.
HomeUnion is an updated take on “turnkey” rental properties. They source the properties and handle all ongoing property management. The benefit to the investor is that it’s easy to browse and search for a rental property, and requires far less hands-on management then going out and finding, buying, and managing a rental property yourself. The main disadvantages are that you pay for that service, and overall you may be able to find a better deal by working directly with a broker or agent to find a property and/or managing the property yourself. HomeUnion provides handy calculators for estimating your monthly cash flow and overall return, and the projections include deductions for standard expenses like maintenance and vacancies.
Types of investments HomeUnion offers
HomeUnion is an online marketplace for buying and selling single-family rental properties.
What do you get when investing with HomeUnion?
can help you locate and purchase rental properties, but if you choose to invest, you will be purchasing a physical property, not a security.
How does HomeUnion make money?
Home Union charges an “Asset Acquisition Fee” of 3.5% of the purchase price when you buy a home through their platform, and then an ongoing “Asset Management” fee of 10.5% of the monthly rent (which is in line with other property management companies).
Potential returns and cashflow
The specific returns from any particular property will vary quite a bit on factors like maintenance expenses, rent amounts, and vacancy rates. Investability provides a number of useful calculators to analyze and model cash flow and return scenarios for each property.
Regulatory framework
Because you’re purchasing an actual property, rather than a security, the transaction is not governed by SEC rules as with most of the investment crowdfunding and online alternative investment platforms we review. Instead, a purchase via HomeUnion is subject to the particular laws of the state and county where the property is located.
While some other platforms offering rental properties provide a customized search on top of MLS listings, HomeUnion takes a more curated approach. From the HomeUnion FAQ:
We go through a rigorous due diligence and certification process to find the investment properties we recommend. We analyze over 50 criteria when selecting an investment location- such as crime, schools, employers, median income, rent to price ratio; availability of local resources for management and more. Furthermore, we deploy boots on the ground in the form of local managers; some have as many as 20+ years in their location to make sure the properties are sound and remain that way through the lifetime of your investment. There is no guarantee that any investment will reach any barometer of performance.
This review was first published on 25 March 2017.
Our Rating
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