How investing works

Five steps, no mystery.

Private placements have a reputation for opacity. Ours shouldn't. Here is the entire path from first look to funded investment, the steps, the documents, what happens after you wire, and an honest read on whether this fits you at all.

1Explore
2Talk
3Verify
4Subscribe
5Fund
Aerial view of a grocer-anchored shopping center along an arterial corridor
What the process ends in: durable, daily-needs retail on a corridor people already drive.
The path

Step by step

01

Explore, no commitment, no verification

Read the strategy, review the portfolio, and study our research. Request the current investment deck or join the investor list. None of this requires accreditation paperwork, you are simply learning how we operate, and we are earning the right to your attention.

  • Start with the Investment Strategy page and one or two research notes
  • Request the deck, it arrives by email with a sample deal memo
  • Join the investor list to hear about offerings as they open
Time: as long as you like
02

Talk with us

Schedule a call. We walk through how we underwrite, how offerings are structured, and what the current pipeline looks like, and we answer the uncomfortable questions directly. You should be interviewing us.

  • Bring the 12 sponsor-diligence questions from our free guide, we mean it
  • Ask about fees, co-investment, and how our principals' prior deals performed
  • No pressure mechanics: we raise deal by deal, not against a countdown clock
Time: ~30 minutes
03

Verify accreditation (once per offering)

When you decide to invest in a specific offering, federal rules under SEC Rule 506(c) require verification of your accredited status by reasonable steps, self-certification alone is not permitted. An independent third-party service handles this confidentially.

  • Fastest path: a short letter from your CPA or attorney
  • Alternative: income or asset documents reviewed confidentially by the verifier, never held by Stoneforge
  • Investing through an entity, trust, or self-directed IRA? Tell us up front so documents are prepared correctly
Time: ~10 minutes
04

Review and sign the offering documents

You receive the Private Placement Memorandum, operating agreement, and subscription documents for the specific property. The PPM contains the full terms, fees, projections, and risk factors, read it carefully, and bring your own advisors. Signing is electronic.

  • Every fee appears line-by-line, in dollars, if you can't find one, ask us to point to it
  • Send everything to your CPA and attorney; we'll answer their questions directly
  • The PPM governs over every piece of marketing, this website included
Minimum: typically $50,000
05

Fund, then hear from us regularly

Wire your investment to the offering entity's account. From there, you own membership interests in the entity that owns the property, and the relationship shifts to what it should be: quiet ownership, punctuated by honest reporting.

  • Distributions targeted quarterly, paid pro-rata, no sponsor promote
  • Regular property updates: occupancy, collections, budget, business-plan progress
  • Schedule K-1 annually for your tax filing; plan on a 3-5 year hold
Reporting: quarterly + annual K-1
Know the paperwork

The four documents you'll encounter

Nobody should sign what they haven't understood. Here is what each document is for, and why it exists.

Private Placement Memorandum

What it is · The core disclosure document: the property, the business plan, every fee, the projections with their assumptions, and the complete risk factors.

Why it matters · It governs over all marketing. If the PPM and a conversation ever disagree, the PPM wins, so it is the document to actually read.

Operating Agreement

What it is · The rules of the entity you're joining: distributions, voting, transfers, what the manager can and cannot do, and what happens in edge cases.

Why it matters · This is where questions like "can there be a capital call?" and "can I transfer to my trust?" are actually answered.

Subscription Agreement

What it is · Your commitment to invest: amount, representations (including accredited status), and wiring instructions.

Why it matters · Signing this, after verification, is the moment you move from prospect to member.

Schedule K-1

What it is · The annual partnership tax form showing your share of income, deductions, and depreciation.

Why it matters · It's how real estate's tax treatment reaches your return. Your CPA will want it; we deliver it ahead of filing season.

An honest filter

Is this right for you?

Private real estate is a fit for some investors and genuinely wrong for others. Deciding which you are is step zero.

A likely fit if…
  • You are a verified-able accredited investor
  • You can commit capital for 3-5 years without needing it back
  • You want passive real-estate income without operating anything
  • You value conservative underwriting over headline projections
  • You read documents and bring your own advisors
Probably not for you if…
  • You may need this capital back on short notice
  • You are looking for guaranteed returns, nobody legitimate offers those
  • You want trading liquidity; these interests cannot be sold on an exchange
  • You prefer maximum leverage for maximum projected upside
  • You would rather not read a PPM (truly, this matters)
Multi-tenant daily-needs strip center
Regional multi-tenant retail center
Discount grocer anchor storefront

Inline strips, anchored centers, national-credit anchors, the small-format necessity retail the five steps lead to.

Quick answers

Asked at almost every first call

Do I have to be verified just to talk to you?

No, verification happens at subscription, near the end. Everything before that is open.

What does it cost to invest?

Every fee is disclosed line-by-line in each offering's PPM. Structurally: pro-rata distributions, no sponsor promote, sponsor capital in every deal.

Can I use my IRA or an LLC?

Generally yes, entities, trusts, and self-directed IRAs are common. Flag it early so documents are right the first time.

What if the deal doesn't close?

Subscriptions are returned as provided in the offering documents. We'd rather kill a deal in diligence than close a bad one.

All 26 questions on the investor FAQ →

Ready for step one?

Start with the deck, grab the free guide, or skip straight to a conversation.

This page is general information, not an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy securities. Offerings are made only by Private Placement Memorandum to verified accredited investors under Regulation D 506(c). All investments involve risk, including possible loss of principal.

Verified accredited investors only

Want the full deck?

We'll send the current portfolio brief, a sample deal memo, and an invite to the next quarterly investor call.