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Interview with Fred Bristol CEO of Brick Owner.

We had our last interview in April 2017.  What are the key developments for Brickowner since then?

Since April 2017 when we soft launched our property crowdfunding platform, we have been busy developing and testing. New features on the backend include an automated dividend system as well as amending and refining the on-boarding process and customer account interface. Brickowner developed its crowdfunding platform from scratch to better meet our customer’s needs and remain independent from third-party providers, who may not be as focussed on our investors interests as we are.

Also, we have been cultivating relationships with property managers with the intention of partnering with a selected few on new crowdfunding investments over 2018

How many property investments have been funded in the last six months?

We have opened a total of six property investments totalling £2 million. Throughout 2017 month on month growth in funds raised through the platform has been 16%.

What are the trends that stand out in terms of the property listings and the investors needs?

There is little doubt that crowdfunding is changing the way people invest in property. As the market grows two trends, we will see more of are, consumers looking to diversify their portfolios both geographically and via the different investment vehicles away from the buy to let model to reduce risk.

Did the projected returns for the listed properties turn out as expected?

Partnering with established property managers ensures that very comprehensive due diligence is carried out on each investment, these findings are then independently verified.
As a result, to date across the board, all investments are in line with projections quoted at the point of initial investment.

What are the key factors that differentiate Brickowner from similar platforms?

How to invest in property? This is one of the critical questions Brickowner aims to answer. In the UK there is a wealth of experience and expertise that answers this question in the form of established asset managers and property developers that are underutilised within the property crowdfunding market.

Brickowner partners with property asset managers allowing consumers to invest as little as £100 into residential, commercial and property development sub-sectors across the UK using a number of vehicles ranging from Bonds, Loan Notes, Asset-Backed Loans to straight up equity in the property itself. Until we launched most of these opportunities were not available to investors below £25,000. No other platform combines this wealth of experience with such diverse investments.

There have been some regulatory changes recently in terms of taxes and stamp duty. How does this impact investors and is the impact the same on UK residents and international investors?

The changes to stamp duty and uncertainty over Brexit have stalled the top end of the residential market, especially in London. The days of relying on ever-increasing property values are coming to an end. In addition, buy to let is coming under rising levels of taxation.

Diversifying investment across different property sectors will help negate these issues.
For international investors the low pound eases some of these problems and domestically housing crisis is helping to underpin the market. From a residential perspective, the North of England is where we see most the most growth in 2018.

For more information please visit: https://brickowner.com

We thank Fred Bristol for the interview.