The Coronavirus crisis has shaken our economy and destabilized the finances of many companies. In response to this situation, Swiss savers naturally seek safe investments that offer greater security. Among the options: real estate. A field until recently known for being accessible only to the wealthiest.
Recently, technological and economic innovations have enabled the launch of crowdfunding for income-generating buildings. The principle is simple: each investor becomes the registered owner of a portion of a building proportional to their investment (starting from CHF 20,000). This allows them to generate a monthly return proportional to their investment and to benefit from potential capital gains upon resale. All of this can be done simply and quickly, largely digitally.
Imvesters (imvesters.ch) is the new player from the French-speaking region in this promising sector. Based in Lausanne, this team of complementary profiles has already achieved numerous successes and convinced banks, which remain an essential ingredient for the real estate purchase operation to work.
Recently, the iconic Moulin de Cugy building was offered via crowdfunding. The success was evident, as this represents the largest fundraising (CHF 4,200,000) in real estate crowdfunding in French-speaking Switzerland.
The building attracted attention for its aesthetics and the highlighting of a historical heritage. The Moulin de Cugy includes several apartments and premises for well-known local businesses.
“The key to offering an attractive return to French-speaking Swiss who want to save a few tens of thousands of francs is to find a location that is already rented, well situated, and in good condition, providing significant investment security — which is the case with the Moulin de Cugy,” explains Gillian Nespolo, one of Imvesters’ founders. This thirty-something, who previously worked in banking before becoming an entrepreneur, is set to disrupt the traditionally secretive world of real estate in the French-speaking region. Indeed, the expected return is impressive enough to excite even the most skeptical, as it should reach 7.29% per year.
