Doctors face two problems when investing on their own:
- Want to invest in real estate but the stressful 16-hour shifts at the hospital leave them no time or energy to do it.
- Left with no choice, they invest in index funds because that’s the advice you hear everywhere online.
The problem with index funds is you’re getting average returns, you’re the most exposed to recessions, and you get zero tax benefits.
That’s why so many physicians are turning to EquityMultiple, an online syndication platform, that allows you to passively invest in private million-dollar real estate deals.
What exactly do they like about it?
1. Access to commercial real estate deals exclusive to small wealthy groups
Syndications work in 3 steps:
- A professional investment firm (the sponsor) finds a good real estate deal and needs investors.
- EquityMultiple makes the deal available to the +59,000 individual investors just like you on the platform. Only 5% of deals make it here.2
- If you’re interested, you can buy an ownership stake in the investment.
By pooling your money with other investors you can get exposure to high-value commercial properties (like apartment complexes and industrial buildings) worth millions of dollars.
It isn’t easy to both find and afford these commercial deals all by yourself.
2. Diversify away from index funds to protect your portfolio from recessions
Multifamily real estate was the asset class with the lowest default rate in 2008.3
It’s probably why real estate is perceived4 as more reliable for building a nest egg than stocks. And that’s for good reason.
Have a look at this chart:
Stocks have higher returns when everything is going well but at any sign of an economic downturn? Stocks are the first asset class getting sold.
People need a house to live. It’s the last thing they give up in a recession, unlike stocks.
And when you invest in curated high-quality deals you can get double-digit returns that are less likely to get hit in a recession.
EquityMultiple has an all-time net return of 11.9% on over 250+ deals totaling over $9.6B capitalization and $478M in returns distributed to investors.5
3. Sit back and get professional investment research done for you
Syndications are 100% passive investments.
They add zero extra work to your day-to-day and professional life.
The sponsor will hunt for deals where they see opportunities to take advantage of market inefficiencies, changes in supply/demand, and manufacturing value. The goal is to later exit at the right time.
Sponsors are professional private investment firms typically already managing millions of dollars in assets and with decades of experience.
They will manage the property for you from the first investment to the exit.
EquityMultiple will stay on top of the sponsor to see if everything is going as expected over the years. And they will let you know through regular reports so you can have a look as well.
4. Better than REITs
Now you may say REITs are also passive, but the truth?
REITs are more liquid than syndications but don’t diversify away from stocks, don’t counteract inflation, and have zero tax benefits. As this doctor said:
“I’ve been underwhelmed by the performance and volatility of REITs, which has been the main way I’ve invested in real estate outside of our actual home(s). I believe the fund I’m in, a popular index fund, lost 78% in the last recession. I’ve started to shift some of the money I’ve had in REITs to debt and equity deals in the crowdfunded real estate space.”6
Once you invest in a REIT you have no control of the investments they take on.
5. Invest only in deals you want and build a portfolio you’re comfortable with
Unlike a REIT, you can choose what properties to invest in.
You’re not giving your money to a fund and letting them take the lead.
Here are some of the deals currently available (March 2025):
Mixed-Use Building in Manhattan’s East Village
Total capitalization: $11.8M
Investment type: Equity
Target net IRR: 20.6%
Target hold: 3 years
Minimum investment: $5,000
81,250 sq ft Class B Industrial Warehouse in Connecticut
Total capitalization: $7.3M
Investment type: Senior loan
Net interest rate: 12%
Target hold: 3 years
Minimum investment: $10,000
120-Unit Class A Multifamily Property in Philadelphia
Total capitalization: $33.9M
Investment type: Equity
Target net IRR: 17.5%
Target hold: 3 years
Minimum investment: $5,000
New Mixed-Use Development in Denver’s Thriving Berkeley
Total capitalization: $18.7M
Investment type: Preferred equity
Net total preferred return: 15%
Target hold: 2 years
Minimum investment: $5,000
96% Occupied, 107k sq ft Shopping Center in Charleston, SC
Total capitalization: $20M
Investment type: Equity
Target net IRR: 20.3%
Target hold: 3 years
Minimum investment: $15,000
6-Unit Multifamily Building with Ground-Floor Retail in Brooklyn
Total capitalization: $6M
Investment type: Equity
Target net IRR: 17.1%
Target hold: 3 years
Minimum investment: $5,000
Short-Term Industrial Property Investment in Florida
Total capitalization: $7.5M
Investment type: Equity
Target net IRR: 21.3%
Target hold: 2 years
Minimum investment: $20,000
For accredited investors only ($200,000 individual income, $300,000 joint income, or $1 million net worth).
You’ll notice the focus on high-grade commercial real estate, whereas other platforms feature single-family and sub-institutional properties.
With an account, you can scroll through the deals and see all the details of how million-dollar investment firms run their due diligence.
It’s like having a free masterclass on how to analyze real estate deals.
6. Similar tax benefits to direct real estate ownership
You will benefit from depreciation and interest deductions, which are the most valuable.
The only difference is direct ownership over a long time (decades) allows you more write-offs as you’re more involved with the property and 1031 exchanges. It also minimizes capital gains taxes compared to syndications, which are essentially real estate flips.
Additionally, with syndications investment losses can only offset passive income (other investments), not ordinary income.
You can ask all of this directly to the EquityMultiple team:
7. Clear-as-day transparency supported by industry-leading customer service
I always encourage people to test out any platform.
If they are unresponsive or unhelpful or you find anything fishy, don’t expect a better result once they have your money.
So sign up for EquityMultiple and see how responsive the support team is with any questions you have about the sponsor or the deal itself.
Their CEO said7 if you are interested, go to the EquityMultiple website or pick up the phone and call. “We’re an internet-based business but also a traditional business with real estate experts who want to speak to customers, help them screen investments, and help with asset management.”
You can also see all the details about a deal, including the fees and other investors involved, before taking on the deal.
Using the Mixed-Use Building in Manhattan deal as an example, EquityMultiple shares all the nitty-gritty details to help you decide if you want to invest.
Also, EquityMultiple has a “skin in the game” approach, meaning they invest alongside you. It’s in their interest to give you the best performance possible.
8. Low minimum investment so you can test the waters
The typical minimum investment is around $5k.
It can reach $30k but it depends on the deal.
The CEO of EquityMultiple said7:
“Our customer base is mostly individuals, which may include doctors, lawyers, as well as finance, technology, and media people. The first step is signing up for an account, which looks like a brokerage account on our website. Then you can browse the types of investments that are available.”
In the same article, he says you can choose your own properties as a self-directed investor or call the company to discuss various investment options.
Take the example of Dr. Jordan Frey, a plastic surgeon and financial educator who went from $500k in debt to financial freedom:
“We started with 1/3 of our savings going to paying off debt, 1/3 to investing in the stock market, and 1/3 to real estate. Now if you look at our net worth about 80% is real estate and it also generates $10,000 of cash flow a month. So it all started out even but real estate has now become a very big part of our wealth. I still invest in stocks, max out my retirement accounts, and invest in a taxable account, but real estate certainly has accelerated that path for us so I think it’s very reasonable for people to invest now.”
Click the button above to join +59,000 other investors diversifying their portfolios with high-value private real estate deals. You can sign up in as little as 5 minutes and start browsing deals.8
Commercial real estate used to be exclusive to the super-rich doing business behind closed doors, but now it’s open to everyone.
Footnotes
- Physicians are the largest professional segment on EquityMultiple, representing more than 25% of the platform’s investor community (source: 2024 whitepaper: How Physicians Can Build Stronger Portfolios with Real Estate) The investor community has 59,209 people as of March 2025 according to this page. ↩︎
- The EquityMultiple team explained their entire screening process from investment selection to approval in another public whitepaper. Only the most high-quality opportunities make it through multiple layers of due diligence to be presented to you. ↩︎
- https://www.nmhc.org/advocacy/comment-letters/2022/nmhc-and-naa-senate-finance-statement-on-affordable-housing-tax-incentives/ ↩︎
- https://news.gallup.com/poll/645107/stocks-gold-down-americans-best-investment-ratings.aspx ↩︎
- EquityMultiple summary track record as of Q3 2024 ↩︎
- Interview with Physician on FIRE ↩︎
- https://www.equities.com/impact-investing/how-to-use-commercial-real-estate-to-diversify-your-portfolio-and-generate-income/ ↩︎
- You can verify you are an accredited investor as soon as you log into EquityMultiple. More details here. ↩︎