How to invest in real estate — even without millions
To be sure, real estate isn’t just for the ultra-wealthy. Regular Americans can benefit from it, too — just ask homeowners.
Over the past five years, the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index has jumped by more than 50%, reflecting strong demand and limited housing supply.
Of course, purchasing a property requires significant capital — and finding the right tenant takes time and effort. But thanks to new investment platforms like Arrived, you don’t need to own a property outright to gain exposure to real estate.
With Arrived, you can invest in shares of rental homes with as little as $100, all without the hassle of mowing lawns, fixing leaky faucets or handling difficult tenants.
The process is simple: browse a curated selection of homes that have been vetted for their appreciation and income potential.
These are a few examples of properties from Arrived. Check out the full list of single family residential homes and vacation rentals currently available.
Once you find a property you like, select the number of shares you’d like to purchase, and then sit back as you start receiving rental income deposits from your investment.
Another option is Homeshares, which gives accredited investors access to the $36 trillion U.S. home equity market — a space that’s historically been the exclusive playground of institutional investors.
With a minimum investment of $25,000, investors can gain direct exposure to hundreds of owner-occupied homes in top U.S. cities through their U.S. Home Equity Fund — without the headaches of buying, owning or managing property.
With risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%, this approach provides an effective, hands-off way to invest in owner-occupied residential properties across regional markets.
Warren Buffett’s advice
While real estate clearly appeals to the ultra-wealthy, that doesn’t mean stocks are off the table.
Take car dealership owner Todd Green, who recently bought a $17.8 million slopeside vacation home in Vail, Colorado. Despite the market’s ups and downs, he’s still heavily invested in stocks — and unfazed by short-term volatility.
“It’s like Warren Buffett always said: If you’re thinking about the stock market over a period of a day or a week, you shouldn’t be in it,” he remarked. “I don’t plan on ever selling my stocks, so this is a little blip on the radar.”
Buffett has long championed the power of long-term investing — especially through one strategy that doesn’t require stock-picking skills or market timing.
“In my view, for most people, the best thing to do is own the S&P 500 index fund,” Buffett famously stated.
This approach gives investors exposure to 500 of America’s largest companies across a wide range of industries, providing instant diversification without the need for constant monitoring or active management.
Buffett’s belief in this strategy runs so deep, he’s built it into his own estate plan — directing that 90% of his wife’s inheritance will be invested in “a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund” after his passing.
The beauty of this approach is its accessibility — anyone, regardless of wealth, can take advantage of it. Even small amounts can grow over time with tools like Acorns, a popular app that automatically invests your spare change.
Signing up for Acorns takes just minutes: link your cards, and Acorns will round up each purchase to the nearest dollar, investing the difference — your spare change — into a diversified portfolio. With Acorns, you can invest in an S&P 500 ETF with as little as $5 — and, if you sign up today, Acorns will add a $20 bonus to help you begin your investment journey.
