Is it possible to live off passive income?
Surely, if we were to ask anyone what their dream is – economically speaking – their answer would be to live off passive income. This practice is not new and has been present throughout history. Groups such as nobility, landowners, aristocracy, and more recently, property investors and other asset holders, have depended on passive income to live or maintain their lifestyle.
Challenges to start living off passive income
Living off passive income involves the ability to generate sufficient income from investments, assets, or properties to cover all expenses and enjoy a comfortable life without depending on a traditional job.
The most popular way to do this is by buying various properties to rent them out. However, this is not accessible to everyone and requires careful financial planning, accumulation of assets or significant investments, and in many cases, time for these assets to generate enough passive income to maintain a desired lifestyle. These are some of the reasons why this way of living off passive income can be challenging:
Requires initial investment: generally, a substantial amount of money is needed to invest in income-generating assets. Asset management: efficient management and maintenance of these assets are necessary. This may require time and specialized knowledge. Taxes: taxes can have a significant impact on passive income. It is important to understand the tax implications and take steps to minimize the tax burden.
Real Estate Crowdfunding
Real estate crowdfunding has emerged as an attractive alternative for investors looking to generate passive income through real estate without needing to buy properties directly. It is a financing model that allows a group of investors to lend money to real estate project developers in exchange for interest. Ultimately, instead of acquiring a physical property, investors participate from moderate tickets in loans that support construction, renovation, or real estate development projects.
This formula has changed the paradigm of the popular way to live off passive income as it does not require large outlays to invest – in the case of Urbanitae, from €500 – and the investor does not have to manage the property, simply monitor the progress of their investments and dividend distribution. The investor does not need previous experience to make these types of investments, which greatly facilitates the process. Additionally, this way the investor can diversify their portfolio significantly by accessing various projects, which helps mitigate the risks associated with any type of investment.
At Urbanitae, we have financed 4 rental projects in different cities in Spain. Among them, we can find projects like the Barakaldo Supermarket project, which involved the acquisition of a commercial space leased to the Dia supermarket chain. This project offered an annual net return of 5.5% with an estimated investment period of 5 years, where dividends were expected to be paid every three months. 822 investors participated in this project, starting from €500.
For all these reasons, real estate crowdfunding has established itself as a good opportunity for those investors who want to live off passive income but do not have much capital or experience in property management.