Social and Financial Sustainability of Real Estate Investment: Evaluating Public Perceptions towards Blockchain Technology

Abstract

Real estate markets play a crucial role in the economy, providing opportunities for investment and housing. However, there are several challenges in both direct and indirect investment mechanisms affecting its social and financial sustainability. These challenges include high costs, lengthy processes, limited transparency, and restricted investor control. Additionally, the dominance of large investors in the market intensifies these issues, creating barriers to smaller investors. This raises concerns around social inequality and sustainability among small investors, that represent, in number, the largest share of investors. Blockchain technology has emerged as a possible solution to address these issues in the real estate sector, with the potential to improve its long term social and financial sustainability. Features such as smart contracts and tokenization can enhance efficiency, transparency, security, and accessibility in property transactions. In the case of smart contracts, these enable self-executing and automated agreements, and tokenization allows for fractional ownership and increased liquidity. To assess the knowledge and perceptions of professionals in the real estate sector and evaluate the possible impact of the technology in the market, a survey-based methodology was followed. It targeted individuals actively involved in the industry, including professionals from real estate investment companies and real estate agencies. The data revealed that most professionals in the Portuguese real estate market have little to no knowledge about blockchain technology. Yet, those who possess knowledge recognize the potential benefits it can bring to the industry. This lack of awareness can be attributed to the relatively recent emergence of blockchain and its limited discussion within the real estate sector.