A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Property Play newsletter with Diana Olick. Property Play covers new and evolving opportunities for the real estate investor, from individuals to venture capitalists, private equity funds, family offices, institutional investors and large public companies. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.
Roughly a decade ago, cryptocurrency began to show up in the residential real estate market. There were stories of the first bitcoin home sale, but really it was just people buying in the currency and then converting it back to dollars.
Now crypto is being used more for leverage. Lenders like Propy are using it as collateral for both residential and commercial property loans, so buyers don’t actually have to sell their bitcoin or other digital currency in order to buy. They want to keep the crypto, because it generally appreciates far faster than the housing market.
Investors can certainly use cryptocurrency to buy commercial real estate assets, but it’s the blockchain, where crypto lives, that the CRE industry is finally, albeit slowly, adopting.
“Commercial is definitely right around the corner from really embracing it, so we’re on the edge,” said Tony Giordano, founder of the Opulent Agency.
