Invitation Homes is a publicly traded real estate investment trust focused on single-family rental homes across major U.S. metropolitan markets. Investors gain exposure through publicly traded shares representing the company's broader rental-home portfolio.
Other real estate investment structures include public REITs, property-specific fractional ownership, private real estate funds, commercial real estate offerings, and real estate-backed debt. Each model differs in ownership structure, property type, eligibility requirements, investment minimums, distribution schedules, and liquidity.
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 provides property-specific fractional residential real estate exposure, allowing members to select individual properties held through investment-club structures
AMH is another publicly traded single-family rental REIT, with more than 60,000 single-family properties
Fundrise uses pooled private real estate funds across multiple underlying assets
Arrived and Lofty use property-level fractional structures, with different distribution and secondary-market models
RealtyMogul, CrowdStreet, and EquityMultiple provide private-market real estate structures, while Groundfloor includes real estate-backed loan and note products
Why Consider Invitation Homes Alternatives?
Invitation Homes provides exposure to a professionally managed portfolio of single-family rental properties through publicly traded shares.
Other real estate platforms and companies use different ownership and investment structures. Some are tied to individual residential properties, while others use pooled funds, public REITs, private placements, or real estate-backed debt.
Investor.gov's public REIT guide explains that publicly traded REITs are registered with the SEC and listed on national stock exchanges. Private-market offerings can use different eligibility standards, including the SEC's accredited investor definition.
The main structures include:
Property-specific ownership: Interests associated with an identifiable property or property-level entity
Public REIT exposure: Exchange-traded shares representing ownership in a real estate company
Private funds: Pooled investment vehicles holding multiple properties or strategies
Private placements: Individual private-market property or fund offerings
Real estate debt: Loans, notes, or other credit structures backed by real estate
1) mogul
Investment Model: Property-specific fractional residential real estate
Distribution Schedule: Generally monthly once a property is operational and has distributable net rental income
Historical Platform Performance: 18.8% average annual return, measured as IRR, as of June 1, 2026
mogul provides fractional access to individually selected residential properties. Members choose the specific properties associated with their investments, with each property held through a property-level structure and fractional membership interests offered through an investment club. Readers exploring the structure can also review mogul's guide to fractional real estate.
The company was founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate professionals with more than $10 billion in experience across institutional real estate.
Key Features
Individual property selection: Members choose specific residential properties
Institutional underwriting: Less than 1% of reviewed properties pass the full diligence process
Professional property operations: Property management teams handle leasing, maintenance, tenant coordination, and day-to-day operations
Monthly distributions: Distributable net rental income is generally processed monthly once a property is operational
Property-level structure: Each investment is associated with an identifiable residential asset
Institutional experience: The team has more than $10 billion in real estate investing experience
The property selection process covers sourcing, underwriting, diligence, and acquisition review. mogul also provides an investment property calculator for evaluating U.S. property addresses.
Invitation Homes Comparison
Invitation Homes provides company-level exposure through publicly traded shares representing its broader portfolio.
mogul provides property-level access that allows members to select fractional interests associated with individual residential properties.
Qualifying new members can also receive up to $10,000 loss protection for qualifying investments made during their first seven days, subject to the applicable promotion terms.
2) AMH
Investment Model: Publicly traded single-family rental REIT
Liquidity: Public-market trading
AMH owns, develops, renovates, leases, and manages single-family rental homes across multiple U.S. markets.
Key Features
Single-family rental portfolio: Residential rental homes form the primary property category
Development program: AMH develops rental homes through an internal development operation
Publicly traded shares: Shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange
Dividend structure: Shareholders can receive dividends declared by the company
Multi-market portfolio: Properties are located across several U.S. regions
Invitation Homes Comparison
AMH and Invitation Homes both operate publicly traded businesses centered on single-family rental properties.
Investors in either company gain exposure through publicly traded shares representing the company's overall portfolio.
3) Fundrise
Investment Model: Private real estate funds
Liquidity: Most funds review liquidation requests quarterly, subject to the applicable fund terms
Fundrise provides real estate exposure primarily through private investment funds. Its real estate strategies include single-family rentals, build-for-rent housing, multifamily properties, industrial real estate, and other real estate assets.
Key Features
Fund structure: Capital is invested across multiple underlying assets
Flagship Fund minimum: Starting at $10
Multiple property categories: Fund holdings can include residential and commercial real estate
Quarterly liquidation process: Most funds review eligible liquidation requests quarterly
Fee structure: Its real estate funds use a 0.15% annual advisory fee plus a 0.85% annual management fee
Invitation Homes Comparison
Invitation Homes provides public-market exposure to a large single-family rental company.
Fundrise uses pooled private funds that can hold multiple properties, markets, and real estate strategies.
4) Arrived
Investment Model: Fractional rental-property investing
Liquidity: Monthly secondary-market windows for eligible individual-property shares, with separate redemption structures for certain funds
Arrived provides individual rental-property investments and real estate fund products. Individual-property offerings allow investors to select specific properties and purchase fractional interests.
Key Features
Individual-property offerings: Investors can select specific rental-property investments
$100 minimum: Current offerings use a $100 minimum
Property management: Property management partners handle operating responsibilities
Secondary market: Eligible individual-property shares can be listed during monthly trading windows
Fund structures: Certain Arrived funds use separate quarterly redemption programs
Invitation Homes Comparison
Arrived uses a property-level fractional structure, while Invitation Homes provides exposure through publicly traded company shares.
The two models also use different liquidity mechanisms. Invitation Homes shares trade publicly, while eligible Arrived property shares can participate in scheduled secondary-market windows.
5) Realty Income
Investment Model: Publicly traded net-lease REIT
Distribution Schedule: Monthly dividends
Realty Income owns a commercial real estate portfolio primarily structured around long-term net leases. Its properties serve businesses across numerous industries.
Key Features
Publicly traded shares: Realty Income trades on the New York Stock Exchange
Monthly dividend schedule: Common-stock dividends are paid monthly when declared
Commercial property portfolio: The portfolio contains more than 15,500 properties
Net-lease structure: Properties are generally leased under long-term commercial agreements
Multiple industries: Tenants operate across a range of business categories
Invitation Homes Comparison
Both companies provide public-market real estate exposure through REIT structures.
Invitation Homes concentrates on single-family rental homes, while Realty Income primarily owns commercial net-lease properties.
6) RealtyMogul
Investment Model: Private commercial real estate platform
Property Types: Multifamily, office, retail, industrial, mixed-use, and other commercial real estate
RealtyMogul provides private-market real estate investments through individual commercial property offerings, non-traded REIT structures, and 1031 exchange opportunities. Section 1031 treatment applies to qualifying exchanges of real property held for business or investment, as outlined in the IRS guidance on like-kind exchanges.
Key Features
Commercial real estate: Offerings span several commercial property categories
Individual property offerings: Certain private placements are available to accredited investors
REIT structures: The platform includes non-traded REIT products
1031 exchange offerings: Certain properties use structures designed for qualifying exchanges
Online account management: Investors can access investment documents and holdings through the platform
Invitation Homes Comparison
RealtyMogul primarily provides private-market commercial real estate structures.
Invitation Homes operates as a publicly traded REIT centered on single-family rental properties, giving the two models different underlying asset and ownership structures.
7) CrowdStreet
Investment Model: Private-market investment platform
Relevant Real Estate Exposure: Commercial real estate and real-asset offerings
CrowdStreet provides access to private-market investments, including commercial real estate, private credit, private equity, and other alternative assets.
Key Features
Private-market structure: Investments are offered outside public stock exchanges
Commercial real estate offerings: Certain opportunities involve individual properties or real estate funds
Accredited-investor eligibility: Platform investments generally require accredited-investor status
Offering-specific terms: Minimums, structures, and holding periods vary by investment
Multiple asset categories: The platform also includes private-market investments outside real estate
Invitation Homes Comparison
Invitation Homes provides publicly traded exposure to a single-family rental operator.
CrowdStreet's real estate offerings are private-market investments with eligibility, investment minimums, and holding periods determined by each offering.
8) EquityMultiple
Investment Model: Private real estate investments
EquityMultiple provides private real estate investments using common equity, preferred equity, debt, fund, and note structures.
Key Features
Multiple capital structures: Investments can use common equity, preferred equity, or debt
Accredited-investor access: Platform investments require accredited-investor status
Individual offerings: Investors participate in specific properties, portfolios, or funds
Standard minimum: Generally $25,000 per offering
Alpine Notes: These note products use a $5,000 minimum
Invitation Homes Comparison
EquityMultiple provides private-market real estate investments through several capital structures.
Invitation Homes provides public-market exposure through common shares in a single-family rental REIT.
9) Groundfloor
Investment Model: Real estate-backed lending and private-market investments
Groundfloor provides real estate-backed loan and note investments alongside other private-market products.
Key Features
Real estate-backed loans: Individual investments can be tied to property-backed lending
Individual loan minimum: Starting at $10
Fixed-term notes: Note products use defined terms and interest rates
Product-specific minimums: Requirements vary by note type
Additional private-market products: Groundfloor also provides investments outside traditional property equity
Invitation Homes Comparison
Groundfloor's real estate products primarily provide credit exposure through loans and notes.
Invitation Homes provides equity exposure through publicly traded shares representing its rental-property business.
10) Lofty
Investment Model: Fractional property ownership
Lofty provides fractional interests in individual rental properties. Its marketplace includes single-family, multifamily, vacation-rental, commercial, and other property types.
Key Features
Property-specific ownership: Individual properties are held through separate LLC structures
Daily rental-income credits: Rental income is credited on a daily schedule
Property-share marketplace: Eligible interests can be listed through the platform's marketplace
Multiple property types: Offerings span residential and commercial categories
Invitation Homes Comparison
Lofty provides property-level fractional interests in identifiable real estate.
Invitation Homes provides company-level exposure through publicly traded shares representing its overall single-family rental portfolio.
Comparing Invitation Homes Alternatives
The options in this guide use several different real estate investment structures.
Public single-family rental exposure: Invitation Homes and AMH are publicly traded companies centered on portfolios of single-family rental homes.
Individual residential properties: mogul, Arrived, and Lofty use property-level structures that allow investors to select identifiable real estate assets.
Private real estate funds: Fundrise uses pooled funds that hold multiple properties and investment strategies.
Private commercial real estate: RealtyMogul, CrowdStreet, and EquityMultiple provide private-market real estate structures with offering-specific eligibility, minimums, and holding periods.
Public commercial real estate: Realty Income provides publicly traded REIT exposure through a commercial net-lease portfolio.
Real estate credit: Groundfloor provides loan and note structures backed by real estate.
Readers comparing these structures can also explore mogul's guide to real estate strategies and its overview of why real estate.
How mogul Approaches Residential Real Estate
Invitation Homes provides company-level exposure to a portfolio of single-family rental properties. mogul provides property-level access, allowing members to select fractional interests associated with specific residential properties.
Start With the Property
Each investment on mogul is associated with an identifiable residential property held through a property-level structure.
Members select the individual properties represented in their portfolios, creating direct visibility into the residential assets associated with their investments.
Institutional Experience Behind Selection
mogul was founded by former Goldman Sachs real estate professionals with more than $10 billion in experience across institutional real estate.
Its property-selection process includes:
Market and neighborhood analysis
Property-level underwriting
Acquisition analysis and negotiations
Property inspections
Investment-committee review
Less than 1% of reviewed properties pass the full diligence process. The broader property onboarding process covers the steps from acquisition review through operating preparation.
Professional Operations After Investment
Property management teams handle leasing, tenant coordination, maintenance, and other day-to-day property operations.
Once a property is operational and produces distributable net rental income, members generally receive monthly distributions based on property performance and their ownership interests. The platform's how it works page outlines the investment and ownership process.
Current Platform Scale
As of June 1, 2026, mogul has:
$90 million in assets
40,000+ users
An 18.8% average annual return, measured as IRR
A 2.6% record monthly yield
More than $10 billion in real estate investing experience across the team
First-Year Loss Protection
Qualifying new members can receive up to $10,000 loss protection for qualifying investments made during their first seven days.
If the combined total return on those qualifying investments is negative after one year, mogul covers eligible losses of up to $10,000 using its own balance-sheet capital, subject to the applicable promotion terms.
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
Which public Invitation Homes alternative also focuses on single-family rentals?
AMH also operates a publicly traded single-family rental portfolio. As of June 30, 2026, it owned 60,482 single-family properties, excluding properties held for sale. Invitation Homes and AMH both provide exposure through publicly traded company shares.
Which Invitation Homes alternatives let investors select individual properties?
mogul, Arrived, and Lofty each use property-specific structures. mogul allows members to select fractional interests associated with individual residential properties. Arrived provides individual rental-property offerings, while Lofty uses separate property-level entities whose interests can be traded through its marketplace.
Which alternatives include options for non-accredited investors?
Several structures in this guide include offerings available without accredited-investor status, including mogul, Fundrise, Arrived, certain Groundfloor investments, Lofty, and publicly traded REITs such as AMH and Realty Income. CrowdStreet and EquityMultiple generally require accredited-investor status. RealtyMogul eligibility depends on the specific product or offering.
How do fractional property platforms differ from public REITs?
Public REIT shareholders own company shares representing exposure to a broader real estate portfolio. Property-specific platforms such as mogul use structures associated with identifiable properties, allowing members to select the individual residential assets represented in their portfolios. For additional background, mogul's fractional investing guide explains the property-level model in more detail.
How is mogul different from owning Invitation Homes stock?
Invitation Homes shareholders own publicly traded shares representing exposure to the company's overall single-family rental business. mogul allows members to select fractional interests associated with individual residential properties held through property-level structures. The two models provide different forms of residential real estate exposure.
