Last updated in March 2023.
What is Bergfürst?
Bergfürst launched in 2013 in Germany. The platform offers access to real estate investments in Germany, Austria, and Spain (Mallorca). It has funded €183.5m worth of loans to date - see Bergfürst statistics for more historical performance insights.
Key Takeaways
- A privately-held company with venture capital backing from established German VC institutions
- Medium-term, property-backed loans with the option of an automated savings plan
- 5%+ annual returns with avoidable fees
How Investing on Bergfürst Works
Bergfürst offers investments in real estate loans with the underlying property as collateral. The average project duration is between 2 and 3 years (although they can last up to 5 years). The platform claims that 75% of all projects are paid back on average 12 months earlier. Interest repayments are usually scheduled bi-annually (in June and December).
You can build your portfolio by selecting projects manually or taking part in Bergfürst’s savings plan. By choosing the plan, you commit to making monthly deposits that are automatically (re)invested in a wide range of available projects. There is also a secondary market to liquidate investments. You can view all of Bergfürst’s live projects directly at P2PMarketData.
Bergfürst Returns & Fees
At P2PMarketData, based on API integration of all live and historical Bergfürst loans, we have calculated the average nominal interest rate at 6.38%. Additional factors such as defaults, delays, and fees can decrease the real returns. Bergfürst’s savings plan has an expected return of 5.3% per year, net of all the fees and losses.
The platform charges a one-time fee of €10 for a completed secondary market transaction on both the buyer and the seller. Additionally, an administration fee of 0.5% applies to the savings plan management. Bergfürst also charges several borrower fees for the management of delayed loans. They do not publish any statistics on the share of delinquent or defaulted loans.
Bergfürst Management
Bergfürst was launched in 2012 by Dr Guido Sandler and Dennis Bemmann. Dr Sandler still actively runs the company as the CEO and Chairman of the Board, while Mr Bemmann helped build the platform as CTO but has then moved to the supervisory board.
Besides the founders, Berliner Volksbank Ventures and Commerx Real hold shares in the company, following venture capital funding rounds in 2013 and 2019.
Bergfürst doesn’t disclose its financial reports.
Special Considerations
On International Women’s Day in 2021, Bergfürst released an interesting piece of data, showing the results of a survey conducted with its female investors. The platform claims that the share of women investors is rapidly growing, and they typically showcase exemplary investing behaviors in informed investment decisions and good diversification habits.