Built One Brick at a Time: America at 250 and a New Way to Invest in It

For 250 years, owning a piece of American real estate has been the American Dream. For a growing share of people, it has drifted out of reach. Here is why, and a new way to invest in it, one share at a time.

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The Nation Was Born in Brick

In the summer of 1776, when the founders signed the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia, they did it inside Independence Hall, a building of brick. The nation became free in the presence of brick and mortar, the same material Americans were using to raise the first great buildings of the republic and the homes they lived in.

One of the central ideas of the American Revolution was the importance of individual liberty and property rights.  the right of ordinary people to hold a real stake in their own lives and their own ground rather than at the pleasure of a distant royal crown. Property was that right made physical, and in 1776 property was brick and land. To own a home was to own a piece of the country itself, and for most of the 250 years since, that has been the shape of the American Dream. What has changed is how many people can still reach it.

Where homeownership stands today

The U.S. Census Bureau has tracked the national homeownership rate since 1965. As of early 2026, only about 65.3% of American households own the home they live in, more than 85 million households in all.

The rate has held in a narrow band for decades. It peaked at 69.2% in 2004 during the housing bubble, then fell to 63.4% by 2016, the lowest reading since the 1960s, before recovering to where it sits now.

The drift from owning to renting

The steadiness of that average hides who is being left out. Americans 65 and older own homes at roughly 78%, while those under 35 own at about 37.9%, a gap of more than 40 percentage points. Younger Americans are buying later and renting longer than the generation before them.

Cost is likely a primary reason. A household on a middle-income wage now faces a median home price near $420,000 and mortgage rates around 6.5%, which pushes the monthly payment to the edge of what many lenders will approve. A decade ago the same home and income produced a far smaller payment. Higher prices, elevated rates, and thin entry-level supply have moved a generation from owning toward renting, and further from a stake in an asset class that has historically played an important role in household wealth .

Reclaiming a stake

Fractional investing offers one way to gain exposure to residential real estate without purchasing an entire home . Instead of buying a whole house, you buy shares in one. The Realbricks name represents real estate in real bricks, and we think of every share as one brick in the property . Minimum investment starts at $100.

A few things to know about how it works:

  • Each home is held in its own LLC that exists only to hold that one property. Your shares represent a fractional ownership interest in the series LLC that owns the home. The LLC is the legal wrapper. The home is the asset.
  • Each home is owned outright, which means limited exposure to interest rates with no mortgage on the property.
  • Any dividends are projected, not guaranteed. They depend on the home being tenanted, rent being collected, and the actual expenses on that property, and they can vary from quarter to quarter.

This is what Realbricks is built to do.Take one of the longest-standing forms of property ownership, real estate, and broaden access for the people who have been priced out of it by making participation available with a lower minimum investment  in American property one brick at a time. The underlying asset is a physical property with intrinsic utility. Someone lives in it. It holds a use beyond its price.

What is available now

Realbricks has single-family homes currently available and open for investment today. You can see everything currently offered in the marketplace, with full details, status, and projected dividend information on each listing.

The 250th-anniversary offer

To mark America's 250th anniversary, Realbricks is adding a 5% bonus-share match to your next investment of $250 or more into any property on the platform, between July 3rd and July 10th, 2026. Note: The bonus shares are issued once your investment settles, about 3 to 5 business days later.

Two hundred and fifty years ago, freedom was declared in Independence Hall, a building made from brick, and a stake in this country was something which represented real, intrinsic value. Today, fractional real estate investing offers another way to participate in residential real estate ownership through securities backed by individual homes. Explore fractional real estate investing, one brick at a time, with Realbricks.

Realbricks is operated by Neptune REM, LLC. Investments are offered under Regulation A and represent fractional ownership interests in a series LLC, not direct ownership of real property. Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Projected dividends are not guaranteed and depend on the property being tenanted, rent being collected, and the actual expenses incurred on the home. Past performance does not indicate future results. Bonus shares are issued after an investment settles and apply only to qualifying investments made during the offer window (July 3 to July 10, 2026). Review the applicable offering circular before investing. Securities offered through Dalmore Group, LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.