EstateGuru review
6
(our review)
EstateGuru is a crowdfunding platform for mortgage secured real estate loans. In our latest review, the platform scored a 6. As an investor, you can start from 50 euros and spread your investments across several countries. The platform has been active since 2014 and had some difficult years, but the new strategy seems to be working.
Content:
Please note: investing online through EstateGuru involves risks, and you can lose part or all of your investment.
What defines EstateGuru?
EstateGuru is one of the larger European crowdfunding platforms for real estate loans with first mortgage security. Most projects are short-term, with an average duration of 12 months.
It was founded in 2014 in Estonia and focused in the early years on fast growth and becoming a market leader. That strategy did not work well. When the real estate market worsened, many projects turned out to be low quality, and the collateral did not provide enough coverage.
At the end of 2022, EstateGuru follows a new strategy. It pulled out of unprofitable markets like Germany and updated selection criteria and a stronger focus on risk management. This seems to be successful, although the platform’s image has been damaged by a high number of defaults. Handling old loans still limits the growth of the platform.
The platform is often compared to Mintos and InSoil.
Registration and creating an account
The registration process at EstateGuru is quick and automated. You create an account online and complete the ID check, either through ID verification or, in some countries, through iDIN. In our case, the account was active within one working day.
After that, you can transfer money directly via a SEPA bank transfer. The minimum investment per project is 50 euros. The dashboard is clear and easy to use, both on desktop and mobile.
Offer: real estate loans in the Baltic States
EstateGuru provides real estate loans in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The website also mentions activity in Finland and Portugal, but we have not seen recent projects from those countries. The platform has stopped operating in Germany, Spain and Sweden due to poor results.
A notable point is that the loan-to-value (loan size compared to the value of the property) is currently quite low. According to EstateGuru, the average loan-to-value is around 58 percent, with a maximum of 75 percent. However, we see many loans with a loan-to-value of 30 to 40 percent, and even some below ten percent.
We found many loans with a loan-to-value of 30 to 40%.
Be cautious, even with low LTV
Even with a lower loan-to-value, there is still risk. EstateGuru mostly finances short-term projects, such as new construction (development financing), renovation of existing buildings, or temporary loans while waiting for a sale or refinancing (bridge loans). These are usually bullet loans, with no repayments during the term. Any delay or setback can affect the value of the property.
It seems the platform has learned from past mistakes and now applies stricter selection criteria. According to EstateGuru, only projects with clear collateral, a solid exit plan and experienced developers are accepted. The credit analysis process is stricter, involving several teams and a separate credit committee. As a result, there are fewer projects available, but the quality seems to have improved.
User experience
EstateGuru is easy to use and well-organized. We mainly use the desktop version, which offers clear project details and useful filter options. The platform does not have its own app, but the website works well on mobile devices.
You can invest manually or automatically through the Auto-Invest feature. This tool offers enough settings to filter by term, region, loan-to-value and interest rate. It is also possible to invest through the secondary market, but liquidity there is limited. From our point of view, the platform is improving the quality of its new offerings, and we do not recommend using the secondary market.
We do not recommend investing in the second market.
Gross return on new offers: 9 to 11 percent
EstateGuru reports an average gross return of over 10 percent. In practice, your actual return depends on your selection and whether you face delays or defaults. Many investors experienced delays, restructurings or full write-offs during 2021 to 2023.
For example, the platform shows that our account has a return of 9.4 percent. However, we started in 2020 and invested in German and Finnish loans at that time. About half of those went into default. By mid-2025, one third of our total account is still ‘in recovery’. Apparently, the platform does not include that in its calculations.
The new offers show gross interest rates between 9 and 11 percent. Because of the lower loan-to-value and stricter selection, the quality of the loans seems to have improved, but returns are less extreme than in the early years.
EstateGuru Grow: fixed 7 percent interest
The platform is currently working on its own fund: EstateGuru Grow. It offers a fixed interest rate of 7 percent per year, paid monthly. Your money is automatically spread across real estate loans in the Baltic States. EstateGuru takes on the risk of any delays or defaults.
EstateGuru Grow fund: 7 percent interest guaranteed.
Reliability
EstateGuru has held an ECSP license since 2023 and is supervised by the Estonian financial regulator. Client funds are kept separate from the company’s own accounts. Each loan is secured with a first mortgage, giving investors better protection in case of default.
Still, trust in the platform is limited. In 2022 and 2023, many payments were delayed. In case of defaults, the platform has the right to sell the property, but this process is often slow and does not always recover the full outstanding amount. As a result, many investors have seen negative returns.
EstateGuru has admitted that it approved too many high-risk projects in those years, sometimes with poor collateral or unrealistic exit plans. Communication about delayed repayments was also limited. Since then, risk management has improved. New projects go through a stricter credit check, and the recovery team has been expanded. Even so, the handling of problem loans still affects the platform’s image and financial position.
Review score: 6
Our review score is 6. EstateGuru has a strong foundation: first mortgage security, low LTVs and a clear investment process. Risk management has improved since 2023, and the platform seems to have learned from past mistakes. Still, the past weighs heavily in our assessment.
Many investors are still facing delays or losses from loans funded between 2020 and 2022. Recoveries are slow and uncertain. The current offer is also smaller than before, which makes diversification more difficult.
We recommend other platforms like Mintos or Collin Crowdfund for passive investors. But if you are already active here and want to spread your portfolio by also investing in international real estate projects, EstateGuru can be interesting. Investment Platforms Europe also invests in it, but with caution. We see the improvements, but are not yet fully convinced that the platform has moved beyond its past.
