Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC (which we refer to as the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a recently organized Delaware limited liability company formed to originate, invest in and manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate assets. We expect to use substantially all of the net proceeds from this offering of securities (this “Offering”), pursuant to Regulation A (“Regulation A”) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), to originate, acquire and structure a diversified portfolio of secured commercial real estate loans, as described in this Offering Circular (this “Offering Circular”). We may also invest, to a limited extent, in other real estate assets, which could include residential and small commercial real estate projects, in the event we need to foreclose on the collateral securing a commercial real estate loan.

We will invest in secured commercial real estate loans (each, a “Loan”) that have been originated through the Groundfloor Platform (as defined below), each corresponding to a real estate development project (each, a “Project”) financed by such Loan. The borrower for each Project is a legal entity (the “Borrower”) that owns the underlying property and has been organized by one or more individuals (each, a “Principal”) that own and operate the Borrower.

We are managed by Groundfloor Advisors, LLC (our “Manager”), a wholly owned subsidiary of our Sponsor, Groundfloor Finance Inc. (our “Sponsor”).

Our Sponsor owns and operates an online investment platform https://www.groundfloor.com (the “Groundfloor Platform”) that allows investors to invest in interests in real estate opportunities that may have been historically difficult to access for some investors. Through the Groundfloor Platform, investors can browse and screen real estate investments, view details of an investment and sign legal documents online. We will elect to be treated as a real estate investment trust (a “REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes beginning with our taxable year ending December 31, 2023.

We are offering up to $75,000,000 in our common shares, which represent limited liability company interests in our Company (our “common shares”). The minimum investment in our common shares for initial purchase is 100 shares, or $100 based on the $1.00 per share price. However, in certain instances and in our sole discretion, we may revise the minimum purchase requirements in the future or elect to waive the minimum purchase requirement, such as for individuals who participate in different plans established by our Manager through which they can invest in our common shares. The per share purchase price for our common shares in this Offering is $1.00 per share, an amount that was arbitrarily determined by our Manager.

This Offering is being conducted by the Company as a direct public offering (i.e., without the benefit of the services of an underwriter or SEC-registered broker-dealer) on a “best efforts” basis in a “Tier 2” Regulation A offering through the Groundfloor Platform. We will offer common shares in this Offering for a period of six (6) months from the date of commencement of this Offering or until we raise the maximum amount being offered, whichever occurs earlier, but there is no guarantee that any amount of our common shares will be sold. This Offering will commence on the date on which the Offering is qualified by the SEC. We reserve the right to terminate or extend the Offering for any reason at any time. Subscriptions will be accepted on a rolling basis and, once received, are irrevocable by investors but can be rejected by us prior to acceptance.

The Company has not engaged commissioned sales agents or underwriters and plans to distribute the Offering through the Groundfloor Platform. No other affiliated entity involved in the offer and sale of the common shares is currently a member firm of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority Inc. (“FINRA”) and no person associated with us will be deemed to be a broker solely by reason of his or her participation in the sale of the common shares. Where appropriate, in order to conduct the Offering, the Company intends to register with state securities regulators as an Issuer-Dealer or register one or more of its associated persons, including the Manager, where required, with state securities regulators as an Issuer-Agent. See “Plan of Distribution” in this Offering Circular for additional information.

We will serve as our own transfer agent and registrar in connection with this Offering.

No sales of our common shares will be made under this Offering prior to the qualification of an offering statement by the SEC.

The use of projections or forecasts in this Offering is prohibited. No one is permitted to make any oral or written predictions about the cash benefits or tax consequences you will receive from your investment in our common shares.

Generally, no sale may be made to you in this Offering if the aggregate purchase price you pay is more than 10% of the greater of your annual income or net worth. Different rules apply to accredited investors and non-natural persons. Before making any representation that your investment does not exceed applicable thresholds, we encourage you to review Rule 251(d)(2)(i)(C) of Regulation A. For general information on investing, we encourage you to refer to https://www.investor.gov. We retain complete discretion to determine that subscribers are “qualified purchasers” (as defined in Regulation A under the Securities Act) in reliance on the information and representations provided to us regarding their financial situation.

An investment in our common shares is speculative and involves substantial risk, and you may be required to hold your investment in our common shares for an indefinite period of time. You should purchase these securities only if you are able to bear the risk of, and to withstand, the total loss of your investment. Prospective investors should carefully consider and review the “Risk Factors” section beginning on page 3 of this Offering Circular.

THE SEC DOES NOT PASS UPON THE MERITS OF OR GIVE ITS APPROVAL TO ANY SECURITIES OFFERED OR THE TERMS OF THE OFFERING, NOR DOES IT PASS UPON THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY OFFERING CIRCULAR OR OTHER SOLICITATION MATERIALS. THESE SECURITIES ARE OFFERED PURSUANT TO AN EXEMPTION FROM THE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS OF THE SECURITIES ACT; HOWEVER, THE SEC HAS NOT MADE AN INDEPENDENT DETERMINATION THAT THE SECURITIES OFFERED ARE EXEMPT FROM REGISTRATION.

Our principal offices and mailing address are located at 1201 Peachtree St NE, Suite 1104 - 400 Colony Square, Atlanta, GA 30361 and our phone number is (404) 850-9225. Information about the Company and its affiliated entities may be found on the Groundfloor Platform at https://www.groundfloor.com. Information contained on, or accessible through, the Groundfloor Platform is not a part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this Offering Circular.

This Offering Circular follows the offering circular format described in Part II of Form 1-A.

We have not authorized anyone to provide any information other than that contained or incorporated by reference in this Offering Circular prepared by us or to which we have referred you. We take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurance as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. This Offering Circular is an offer to sell only the common shares offered hereby but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. The information contained in this Offering Circular is current only as of its date, regardless of the time of delivery of this Offering Circular or any sale of our Common Shares.

For investors outside the United States: Our Sponsor does not permit non-U.S. residents to register as members on the Groundfloor Platform and does not operate outside the United States.

Please carefully read the information in this Offering Circular and any accompanying offering circular supplements, which we refer to collectively as the Offering Circular. You should rely only on the information contained in this Offering Circular. We have not authorized anyone to provide you with different information. This Offering Circular may only be used where it is legal to sell these securities. You should not assume that the information contained in this Offering Circular is accurate as of any date later than the date hereof or such other dates as are stated herein or as of the respective dates of any documents or other information incorporated herein by reference.

This Offering Circular is part of an offering statement that we filed with the SEC, using a continuous offering process. Periodically, as we make material investments, update the Aggregate Loan Amount or have other material developments, we will provide an offering circular supplement that may add, update or change information contained in this Offering Circular. Any statement that we make in this Offering Circular will be modified or superseded by any inconsistent statement made by us in a subsequent offering circular supplement. The offering statement we filed with the SEC includes exhibits that provide more detailed descriptions of the matters discussed in this Offering Circular. You should read this Offering Circular and the related exhibits filed with the SEC and any offering circular supplement, together with additional information contained in our annual reports, semi-annual reports and other reports and information statements that we will file periodically with the SEC. See the section entitled “Additional Information” below for more details.

The offering statement and all supplements and reports that we have filed or will file in the future can be read at the SEC website, www.sec.gov, or on the Groundfloor Platform website, www.groundfloor.com. The contents of the Groundfloor Platform website (other than the offering statement, this Offering Circular and the appendices and exhibits thereto) are not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this Offering Circular.

Our Sponsor and those selling shares on our behalf in this Offering are permitted to make a determination that the purchasers of shares in this Offering are “qualified purchasers” in reliance on the information and representations provided by the shareholder regarding the shareholder’s financial situation. Before making any representation that your investment does not exceed applicable thresholds, we encourage you to review Rule 251(d)(2)(i)(C) of Regulation A. For general information on investing, we encourage you to refer to www.investor.gov.

Our common shares are being offered and sold only to “qualified purchasers” (as defined in Regulation A). As a Tier 2 offering pursuant to Regulation A, this offering is exempt from state law “Blue Sky” review, subject to meeting certain state filing requirements and complying with certain anti-fraud provisions, to the extent that our common shares offered hereby are offered and sold only to “qualified purchasers” or at a time when our common shares are listed on a national securities exchange. “Qualified purchasers” include: (i) “accredited investors” under Rule 501(a) of Regulation D and (ii) all other investors so long as their investment in our common shares does not represent more than 10% of the greater of their annual income or net worth (for natural persons), or 10% of the greater of annual revenue or net assets at fiscal year-end (for non-natural persons). However, our common shares are being offered and sold only to those investors that are within the latter category (i.e., investors whose investment in our common shares does not represent more than 10% of the applicable amount), regardless of an investor’s status as an “accredited investor”. Accordingly, we reserve the right to reject any investor’s subscription in whole or in part for any reason, including if we determine in our sole and absolute discretion that such investor is not a “qualified purchaser” for purposes of Regulation A.

To determine whether a potential investor is an “accredited investor” for purposes of satisfying one of the tests in the “qualified purchaser” definition, the investor must be a natural person:

The list above is non-exhaustive; prospective investors should review Rule 501 of Regulation D for more details on whether they are an “accredited investor.” If the investor is not a natural person, different standards apply. See Rule 501 of Regulation D for more details.

For purposes of determining whether a potential investor is a “qualified purchaser”, annual income and net worth should be calculated as provided in the “accredited investor” definition under Rule 501 of Regulation D. In particular, net worth in all cases should be calculated excluding the value of an investor’s home, home furnishings and automobiles.

We make statements in this Offering Circular that are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. The words “believe”, “estimate”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “plan”, “seek”, “may”, and similar expressions or statements regarding future periods are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that could cause our actual results, performance or achievements, or industry results, to differ materially from any predictions of future results, performance or achievements that we express or imply in this Offering Circular or in the information incorporated by reference into this Offering Circular.

The forward-looking statements included in this Offering Circular are based upon our current expectations, plans, estimates, assumptions and beliefs that involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Assumptions relating to the foregoing involve judgments with respect to, among other things, future economic, competitive and market conditions and future business decisions, all of which are difficult or impossible to predict accurately and many of which are beyond our control. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, our actual results and performance could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Factors which could cause our forward-looking statements to differ from actual outcomes and have a material adverse effect on our operations and future prospects include, but are not limited to, those factors described under “Risk Factors” and the following:

Any of the assumptions underlying forward-looking statements could be inaccurate. Prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements, which reflect our views as of the date of this Offering Circular and the risk that actual results will differ materially from the expectations expressed in this Offering Circular will increase with the passage of time. Furthermore, except as required by law, we are under no duty to, and do not intend to, update any of our forward-looking statements after the date of this Offering Circular, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. In light of significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included in this Offering Circular, including, without limitation, the risks described under “Risk Factors,” the inclusion of such forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by us or any other person that the objectives and plans set forth in this Offering Circular will be achieved.

SUMMARY

This summary highlights selected information contained elsewhere in this Offering Circular. This summary does not contain all of the information you should consider before investing in the common shares. You should read this entire Offering Circular carefully, especially the risks of investing in the common shares discussed under “Risk Factors,” before making an investment decision. You are encouraged to seek the advice of your attorney, tax consultant and financial advisor with respect to the legal, tax and financial aspects of an investment in the common shares.

Overview

Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC

Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC is a recently organized Delaware limited liability company formed to originate, invest in and manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate assets. We expect to use substantially all of the net proceeds from this offering to originate, acquire and structure a diversified portfolio of secured commercial real estate loans. We may also invest, to a limited extent, in other real estate assets, which could include residential and small commercial real estate projects, in the event we need to foreclose on the collateral securing a commercial real estate loan. We intend to operate in a manner that will allow us to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Among other requirements, REITs are required to distribute to shareholders at least 90% of their annual REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gain) in order to avoid corporate income taxation on their earnings.

Our office is located at 1201 Peachtree St NE, Suite 1104 - 400 Colony Square, Atlanta, GA 30361. Our telephone number is (404) 850-9223. Information regarding our Company is also available on Groundfloor Platform web site at www.groundfloor.com.

Investment Strategy

We intend to use substantially all of the proceeds of this offering to originate, acquire and manage secured commercial real estate loans. Our strategy is to acquire commercial loans that are for the acquisition, development, and / or construction of single-family residential housing in the United States. We will earn interest revenue from these Loans. We will acquire Loans with approximately the following characteristics:

·             Maximum loan size of $1,000,000;

·             Term to maturity between six (6) months and twenty-four (24) months;

·             Secured by a first lien mortgage on the underlying property;

·             Annual interest rates between 5% and 15%; and

·             Monthly or deferred payment.

We will rely on our Sponsor and its affiliated companies to acquire, originate, service, and asset manage these Loans. These entities will be entitled to earn an origination fee from the Loan to offset the costs of acquisition or origination, as well as the servicing and asset management costs. We will acquire the Loans at par value and are entitled to keep all accrued and paid interest after the time of such acquisition. We will acquire only performing, non-delinquent Loans. We will acquire Loans across the United States. Any distributions that are made to you will be a combination of collected interest and collected principal.

Since 2015, our Sponsor has originated and serviced over $500,000,000 in loans of the type described above.

Investment Objectives

Our primary investment objectives are:

to enable investors to realize a return on their investment by making distributions from cash that we receive from payments of interest and principal, including the repaid principal amount of the loans in our portfolio; and

to preserve, protect and return your capital contribution.

Our Manager

Groundfloor Advisors, LLC, our Manager, manages our day-to-day operations. Our Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of our Sponsor. Qualification of this Offering with the SEC does not imply a certain level of skill or training on the part of our Manager. A team of real estate professionals, acting through our Manager, makes all the decisions regarding the due diligence, underwriting, selection, negotiation and acquisition of our investments, subject to the limitations in our operating agreement. Our Manager also provides asset management, marketing, investor relations and other administrative services on our behalf with the goal of maximizing our operating cash flow and preserving our invested capital. Groundfloor Finance Inc., our Sponsor, is able to exercise significant control over our business.

About the Groundfloor Platform

We are also an affiliate of Groundfloor Finance Inc., our Sponsor and the owner and operator of the Groundfloor Platform, an online financial platform focused on real estate, which may be found on the website: www.groundfloor.com. Nick Bhargava, the co-founder of Groundfloor Finance Inc., is also a director of our Manager.

Our Structure

The chart below shows the relationship among various Groundfloor Finance Inc. affiliates and our Company as of the date of this Offering Circular:

(1)

“Sponsor” refers to Groundfloor Finance Inc, a Delaware corporation and the parent company of Groundfloor Credit LLC and Groundfloor Advisors, LLC, affiliate of Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC and the owner and operator of the Groundfloor Platform.

(2)

“Groundfloor Credit” refers to Groundfloor Credit LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of our Sponsor.

(3)

“Manager” refers to Groundfloor Advisors, LLC, a Delaware limited liability company and wholly owned subsidiary of our Sponsor, which will manage the administration of Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC and other management services relating to the Company’s business.

(4)

“Company” refers to Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC, a Delaware limited liability company, and the issuer in the Offering. The Manager is a non-member manager of the Company’s day-to-day business administration pursuant to the Company’s Operating Agreement.

Management and Affiliate Compensation

Our Manager and its affiliates receive fees and expense reimbursements for services relating to this ongoing offering and the investment and management of our assets. The items of compensation are summarized in the following table. Neither our Manager nor its affiliates receive any selling commissions or dealer manager fees in connection with the offer and sale of our common shares. See “Management Compensation” for a more detailed explanation of the fees and expenses payable to our Manager and its affiliates.

Type of Fee	Amount of Fee/Expense	Application of Fees
Reimbursement of Organization and Offering Expenses	$105,000	Our Manager will pay organization and offering expenses on our behalf in connection with the Offering of our common shares. We will reimburse our Manager for these costs and future organization and offering costs it may incur on our behalf. Organization and offering expenses include expected organizational costs of approximately $5,000 and up to $100,000 of legal fees incurred in preparing this Offering. See “Estimated Use of Proceeds” and “Management Compensation” for more information.

Special Servicing Expenses	Variable	We will reimburse our Manager for actual expenses it incurs on our behalf in connection with special servicing of non-performing assets.

Management Fee	Quarterly management fee equal to an annualized rate of 1.00%, which is based on the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding Loans in our portfolio at the end of each quarterly period beginning with the last day of the calendar quarter in which this Offering terminates. Our Manager may, in its sole discretion, waive its asset management fee, in whole or in part.	This is earned by Groundfloor Advisors, LLC, our Manager, to offset the costs of managing the Company.

Distributions

We do not expect to declare any distributions until the proceeds from this Offering are invested and generating operating cash flow from payments of interest and principal on the Loans in our portfolio and no sooner than following the conclusion of this Offering. Once we begin to make distributions, we expect that our Manager will make them from all of our cash flow from payments of interest and principal from the Loans in our portfolio after the payment of our expenses and liabilities and allocating reasonable cash reserves. Because we will make distributions from, and not reinvest, the repaid principal amount of the Loans in our portfolio, we expect that our assets will decline over time as capital is returned to the holders of our common stock.

Following the conclusion of this Offering, we expect that our Manager will declare and make distributions from time to time as and when cash flow from payments of interest and principal from the Loans in our portfolio is received, or more or less frequently as determined by our Manager. Any distributions we make will be at the discretion of our Manager, and will be based on, among other factors, our present and reasonably projected future cash flow. Distributions will be paid to shareholders as of the record dates selected by the Manager. Provided we have sufficient available cash flow, we intend to authorize and declare distributions based on daily record dates.

To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we are required to make aggregate annual distributions to our shareholders of at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gain), and to avoid federal income and excise taxes on retained taxable income and gains we must distribute 100% of such income and gains annually. Our Manager may authorize distributions in excess of those required for us to maintain REIT status and/or avoid such taxes on retained taxable income and gains depending on our financial condition and such other factors as our Manager deems relevant. We have not established a minimum distribution level. See “Description of Our Common Shares—Distributions” and “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations.”

We intend to make distributions from the repaid principal amount of the loans in our portfolio instead of reinvesting such amount, which will reduce the total value of loans in our portfolio and our Aggregate Loan Amount (as compared to a strategy where such amounts are retained and reinvested).

Our distributions generally will constitute a return of capital to the extent that they exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the extent that a distribution is treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it will reduce a holder’s adjusted tax basis in the holder’s shares, and to the extent that it exceeds the holder’s adjusted tax basis, it will be treated as gain resulting from a sale or exchange of such shares.

Aggregate Loan Amount

At the end of each quarterly period following the conclusion of this Offering, our Sponsor’s internal accountants will calculate the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding Loans in our portfolio, excluding from such calculation the impaired value of outstanding Loans (the “Aggregate Loan Amount”). We consider a Loan to be impaired when our internal accountants believe that it is probable (i.e., more likely than not) that not all of the principal and interest amounts will be collected pursuant to its original contractual terms.

Note, however, that the determination of our Aggregate Loan Amount is not based on, nor intended to comply with, fair value standards under GAAP, and our Aggregate Loan Amount may not be indicative of the price that we would receive for our assets at current market conditions.

As there is no market value for our Loans, we intend to use the Aggregate Loan Amount as a reasonable estimate of the aggregate value of the Loans in our portfolio on a quarterly basis for purposes of calculating the Management Fee that we must pay to our Manager. The majority of our assets will consist of commercial real estate loans and, as with any commercial real estate valuation protocol, the conclusions reached by our Sponsor’s internal asset management team or internal accountants, as the case may be, will be based on a number of judgments, assumptions and opinions about future events that may or may not prove to be correct. The use of different judgments, assumptions or opinions would likely result in different estimates of the value of our commercial real estate assets and investments. In addition, for any given period, our Aggregate Loan Amount may not fully reflect certain material events, to the extent that the financial impact of such events on our portfolio is not immediately quantifiable.

No Redemption Plan

Our common shares are currently not listed on a national securities exchange or included for quotation on a securities market, and currently there is no intention to list our common shares or facilitate the trading thereof. Furthermore, we will not operate a redemption plan for our common shares and our common shares will not be redeemable by the Company. Shareholders should view their investment in our common shares as a long-term investment and should purchase these securities only if they are able to bear the risk of, and to withstand, the total loss of your investment.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, as described above under “Distributions,” we intend to distribute to Shareholders all of our cash flow from payments of interest and principal from the Loans in our portfolio after the payment of our expenses and liabilities and allocating reasonable cash reserves.

Voting Rights

Our common shareholders will have voting rights only with respect to certain matters, primarily relating to amendments to our operating agreement that would adversely change the rights of our common shares, removal of our Manager for “cause,” and the dissolution of the issuer (only if the Manager has been removed for “cause”). Each outstanding common share entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of common shareholders. Our shareholders do not elect or vote on our Manager, and, unlike the holders of common shares in a corporation, have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business, and therefore limited ability to influence decisions regarding our business. For additional information, see “Description of Our Common Shares—Voting Rights.”

Other Governance Matters

Other than the limited shareholder voting rights described above, our operating agreement vests most other decisions relating to our assets and to the business of our Company, including decisions relating to acquisitions, originations and dispositions, the engagement of asset managers, the issuance of securities in our Company including additional common shares, mergers, dispositions, roll-up transactions, and other decisions relating to our business, in our Manager. See “Management” for more information about the rights and responsibilities of our Manager.

Investment Company Act Considerations

We intend to conduct our operations so that neither we, nor any of our subsidiaries, is required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940, as amended, or the Investment Company Act. Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of the issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. Government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis, which we refer to as the 40% test. Excluded from the term “investment securities,” among other things, are U.S. Government securities and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.

We anticipate that we will hold real estate and real estate-related assets described below directly.

We intend to originate, invest in and manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate investments. We expect to use substantially all of the net proceeds from this Offering to originate, acquire and structure a diversified portfolio of secured commercial real estate loans. We may also invest, to a limited extent, in other real estate assets, which could include residential and small commercial real estate projects, in the event we need to foreclose on the collateral securing a commercial real estate loan. We will monitor our compliance with the 40% test.

We believe that we will not be considered an investment company for purposes of Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act because we will not engage primarily or hold ourselves out as being primarily engaged in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Rather, we will be primarily engaged in non-investment company businesses related to real estate. Consequently, we expect to be able to conduct our operations such that we will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

Qualification for exemption from registration under the Investment Company Act will limit our ability to make certain investments. To the extent that the SEC staff provides more specific guidance regarding any of the matters bearing upon such exclusions, we may be required to adjust our strategy accordingly. Any additional guidance from the SEC staff could provide additional flexibility to us, or it could further inhibit our ability to pursue the strategies we have chosen.

The loss of our exclusion from regulation pursuant to the Investment Company Act could require us to restructure our operations, sell certain of our assets or abstain from the purchase of certain assets, which could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. See “Risk Factors—Risks related to Our Organizational Structure—Maintenance of our Investment Company Act exemption imposes limits on our operations, which may adversely affect our operations.”

Conflicts of Interest

Our Manager and its affiliates experience conflicts of interest in connection with the management of our business. Some of the material conflicts that our Manager and its affiliates face include the following:

The asset management fee paid to our Manager is based on the Aggregate Loan Amount, which is calculated by our Sponsor’s internal accountants and asset management team. Our Manager may benefit by us retaining ownership of our assets in order to avoid a reduction in our Aggregate Loan Amount at times when our shareholders may be better served by the sale or distribution of our assets.

In the ordinary course of their business, our Manager and its affiliates may engage in activities in which their interests or the interests of other clients conflict with or are adverse to our interests. In addition, such clients may utilize the services of the Manager or its affiliates for which they will pay fees and expenses which will not be shared with us.

Our Sponsor’s real estate professionals acting on behalf of our Manager must determine which investment opportunities to recommend to us and other Groundfloor or affiliated entities. Our Sponsor may organize, in the future, similar programs to the one we are offering here.

Our Sponsor’s real estate professionals acting on behalf of our Manager have to allocate their time among us, our Sponsor’s business and other programs and activities in which they are involved.

The terms of our operating agreement (including the Manager’s rights and obligations and the compensation payable to our Manager and its affiliates) were not negotiated at arm’s length.

Our shareholders may only remove our Manager for “cause” following the affirmative vote of shareholders holding two-thirds of the outstanding common shares. Unsatisfactory financial performance does not constitute “cause” under the operating agreement.

As a company conducting an exempt offering pursuant to Regulation A without any class of securities registered with the SEC and listed on a national securities exchange (“NSE”), we are not subject to a number of corporate governance requirements, including NSE-imposed requirements for a board of directors or independent board committees.

Risk Factors

An investment in our common shares includes a number of risks and uncertainties which are described in the “Risk Factors” section of this Offering Circular, including the following:

Global economic, political and market conditions and economic uncertainty may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We depend on our Manager to select our investments and conduct our operations. We pay fees and expenses to our Manager and its affiliates that were not determined on an arm’s length basis, and therefore we do not have the benefit of arm’s length negotiations of the type normally conducted between unrelated parties. These fees increase your risk of loss.

We have a limited operating history, and any prior performance of our Sponsor may not predict our future results. Therefore, there is no assurance that we will achieve our investment objectives.

Our Manager’s executive officers and key real estate professionals are also officers, directors, managers and/or key professionals of our Sponsor and its affiliates. As a result, they face conflicts of interest, including time constraints, allocation of investment opportunities and significant conflicts created by our Manager’s compensation arrangements with us and other affiliates of our Sponsor.

Our Sponsor has sponsored and may in the future sponsor other companies that compete with us, and our Sponsor does not have an exclusive management arrangement with us; however, our Sponsor has adopted a policy for allocating investments between different companies that it sponsors with similar investment strategies.

This offering is being made pursuant to the rules and regulations under Regulation A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”). The legal and compliance requirements of these rules and regulations, including ongoing reporting requirements related thereto, are relatively untested since last substantively amended in 2015.

If we raise substantially less than the maximum offering amount, we may not be able to acquire a diverse portfolio of investments and the value of your shares may vary more widely with the performance of specific assets.

We may change our investment guidelines without shareholder consent, which could result in investments that are different from those described in this Offering Circular.

Our Sponsor’s internal accountants and asset management team calculate our Aggregate Loan Amount on a quarterly basis and may use valuation methodologies that involve subjective judgments and estimates. The determination of our Aggregate Loan Amount is not based on, nor intended to comply with, fair value standards under GAAP, and our Aggregate Loan Amount may not be indicative of the price that we would receive for our assets at current market conditions.

Our operating agreement does not require our Manager to seek shareholder approval to liquidate our assets by a specified date, nor does our operating agreement require our Manager to list our shares for trading by a specified date. No public market currently exists for our shares. Until our shares are listed, if ever, you may not sell your shares. If you are able to sell your shares, you may have to sell them at a substantial loss. Because of the illiquid nature of our common shares, you should purchase our common shares only as a long-term investment and be prepared to hold them for an indefinite period of time.

If we fail to qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and no relief provisions apply, we would be subject to entity-level U.S. federal corporate income tax and, as a result, our cash available for distribution to our shareholders and the value of our shares could materially decrease.

Real estate investments are subject to general downturns in the industry as well as downturns in specific geographic areas, and downturns caused by public health crises, pandemics and endemics, such as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). We cannot predict that any mortgage or other real estate-related loan borrower will remain solvent or what the value of any real estate properties underlying any mortgage or other real estate-related loan may be. Accordingly, we cannot guarantee that you will receive cash distributions or appreciation of your investment.

Our investments in commercial real estate loans and other select real estate-related assets are subject to risks relating to the volatility in the value of the underlying real estate, default on underlying income streams, fluctuations in interest rates, and other risks associated with real estate investment generally. These investments are only suitable for sophisticated investors with a high-risk investment profile.

Company Information

Our principal offices and mailing address are located at 1201 Peachtree St NE, Suite 1104 - 400 Colony Square, Atlanta, GA 30361 and our phone number is (404) 850-9225. The website address of the Groundfloor Platform is https://www.groundfloor.com. Information contained on, or accessible through, the website is not a part of, and is not incorporated by reference into, this Offering Circular.

TERMS OF THE OFFERING

Issuer:	Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC, a recently organized Delaware limited liability company.

Security Offered:	The limited liability company interests in our Company are denominated in common shares of limited liability company interests (“common shares”). See “Description of Common Shares.” All common shares will be issued in electronic form only and will be offered only by the Company and its associated persons through the Groundfloor Platform to potential investors who have registered and established a funding account on the Groundfloor Platform, and there will be no commissioned sales agents, underwriters or underwriting discounts. See “Plan of Distribution.”

Offering Price per Common Share:	$1.00 per common share.

Minimum Investment Amount:	The minimum investment in our common shares for initial purchases is 100 shares, or $100 based on the current $1.00 per share price. However, we may revise the minimum purchase requirements in the future or elect to waive the minimum purchase requirements on a case-by-case basis in our sole discretion. Subscriptions will be accepted on a rolling basis and, once received, are irrevocable by investors but can be rejected by us prior to acceptance.

Distributions:	We expect that our Manager will make distributions from all of our cash flow from payments of interest and principal from the Loans in our portfolio after the payment of our expenses and liabilities and allocating reasonable cash reserves. Because we will make distributions from, and not reinvest, the repaid principal amount of the loans in our portfolio, we expect that our assets will decline over time as capital is returned to the holders of our common stock. Following conclusion of this Offering, we expect that our Manager will declare and make distributions from time to time as and when cash flow from payments of interest and principal from the Loans in our portfolio is received, or more or less frequently as determined by our Manager. Any distributions we make will be at the discretion of our Manager, and will be based on, among other factors, our present and reasonably projected future cash flow. Distributions will be paid to shareholders as of the record dates selected by the Manager.

Broker:	The Offering is being conducted by the Company as a direct public offering on a “best-efforts” basis primarily through the web-based Groundfloor Platform. The Company has not engaged commissioned sales agents or underwriters and plans to distribute the Offering through the Groundfloor Platform.

Payment for the Common Shares:	After the qualification by the SEC of the offering statement of which this Offering Circular is a part, investors can make payment of the purchase price in the manner described in the “Plan of Distribution” below. Upon the Company’s acceptance of a subscription, and the corresponding investor’s payment of the applicable purchase amount to the Company, the associated common shares will be issued to the investors in this Offering.

Investment Amount Restrictions:	Generally, no sale may be made to you in this Offering if the aggregate purchase price you pay is more than 10% of the greater of your annual income or net worth. Different rules apply to accredited investors and non-natural persons. Before making any representation that your investment does not exceed applicable thresholds, you are encouraged to review Rule 251(d)(2)(i)(C) of Regulation A. For general information on investing, you are encouraged to refer to www.investor.gov.

Use of Proceeds:	We expect to use substantially all of the net proceeds from this Offering to originate, acquire and structure a diversified portfolio of secured commercial real estate loans. See “Estimated Use of Proceeds.”

Risk Factors:	Investing in the common shares involves a high degree of risk. See the section entitled “Risk Factors” for a discussion of factors you should carefully consider before deciding to invest in the common shares.

Closings:	The Company may close the entire Offering as it accepts investor subscriptions on a rolling basis. We will offer common shares in this Offering for a period of six (6) months from the date of commencement of this Offering after qualification or until we raise the maximum amount being offered, whichever occurs earlier. If any of the common shares offered remain unsold as of six (6) month anniversary of the commencement of the Offering, such common shares shall remain unissued by the Company. The Company reserves the right to terminate the Offering for any reason at any time prior to the final closing.

Transfer Restrictions:	Our operating agreement does not contain any provision restricting the transferability of the common shares, other than the requirements that any transfer be conducted consistent with applicable law, that any transferee register as an investor with us, and that such transferee agrees to the terms of the Subscription Agreement. However, the common shares will not be listed on any NSE, nor do we have plans to establish any kind of trading platform to assist investors who wish to sell their common shares. We will not facilitate or otherwise participate in the secondary transfer of any common shares. There is no public market for the common shares, and none is expected to develop. Certain states also impose additional statutory restrictions on secondary trading of common shares purchased in the Offering, which may further restrict the transferability of the common shares. Prospective investors are urged to consult their own legal advisors with respect to secondary trading in the common shares.

Transfer Agent and Registrar:	We will serve as our own transfer agent and registrar in connection with this Offering. We do not intend to engage a transfer agent until such time as we are required to do so in order to satisfy the conditional exemption from mandatory registration of a class of equity securities under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), provided in Exchange Act Rule 12g5-1(a)(7).

We do not expect to declare any distributions until the proceeds from this Offering are invested and generating operating cash flow from payments of interest and principal on the Loans in our portfolio no sooner than following the conclusion of this Offering. Once we begin to make distributions, we expect that our Manager will make them from all of our cash flow from payments of interest and principal from the Loans in our portfolio after the payment of our expenses and liabilities and allocating reasonable cash reserves. Because we will make distributions from, and not reinvest, the repaid principal amount of the loans in our portfolio, we expect that our assets will decline over time as capital is returned to the holders of our common stock.

Following conclusion of this Offering, we expect that our Manager will declare and make distributions from time to time as and when cash flow from payments of interest and principal from the Loans in our portfolio is received, or more or less frequently as determined by our Manager, in arrears. Any distributions we make will be at the discretion of our Manager, and will be based on, among other factors, our present and reasonably projected future cash flow. Distributions will be paid to shareholders as of the record dates selected by the Manager. Provided we have sufficient available cash flow, we intend to authorize and declare distributions based on daily record dates.

An investment in our common shares involves substantial risks. You should carefully consider the following risk factors in addition to the other information contained in this Offering Circular before purchasing shares. The occurrence of any of the following risks might cause you to lose a significant part of your investment. The risks and uncertainties discussed below are not the only ones we face, but do represent those risks and uncertainties that we believe are most significant to our business, operating results, prospects and financial condition. Some statements in this offering circular, including statements in the following risk factors, constitute forward-looking statements. Please refer to the section entitled “Statements Regarding Forward-Looking Information”.

We have no prior operating history, and the prior performance of our Sponsor or other real estate investment opportunities sponsored by our Sponsor may not predict our future results.

We are a recently formed company and have no operating history. As of the date of this Offering Circular, we have not made any investments, and prior to our initial closing, our total assets will consist of approximately $5,000 in cash. You should not assume that our performance will be similar to the past performance of our Sponsor or other real estate investment opportunities sponsored by our Sponsor. Our limited operating history significantly increases the risk and uncertainty you face in making an investment in our shares.

Our common shares will not be listed on any national securities exchange (“NSE”) or other trading market, and no liquid trading market for our common shares is expected to develop. Because no public trading market for our shares currently exists or is expected to develop, it will be difficult for you to sell your shares and, if you are able to sell your shares, you will likely sell them at a substantial discount to the public offering price.

Our common shares will not be listed on any NSE, interdealer quotation system or other trading market. There is not trading market for our common shares and we do not expect that any such trading market will develop in the future, nor do we or our Sponsor intend to facilitate any features on the Groundfloor Platform to facilitate or accommodate such trading. You do not have any rights of redemption or repurchase rights with respect to our common shares. Therefore, any investment in our common shares will be highly illiquid, and investors may not be able to sell or otherwise dispose of our common shares at all.

Our operating agreement does not require our Manager to seek shareholder approval to liquidate our assets by a specified date, nor does our operating agreement require our Manager to list our shares for trading on a NSE by a specified date. Even if you are able to sell your shares, you may only sell your shares if the buyer meets the applicable suitability and minimum purchase standards. In addition, our operating agreement prohibits the ownership of more than 9.8% in value or number of our shares, whichever is more restrictive, or more than 9.8% in value or number of our common shares, whichever is more restrictive, unless exempted by our Manager, which may inhibit large investors from purchasing your shares. Furthermore, we will not operate a redemption plan for our common shares and the common shares will not be redeemable by the Company. Therefore, you will not be able to redeem, and it will be difficult for you to sell, your shares promptly or at all. If you are able to sell your shares, you would likely have to sell them at a substantial discount to their public offering price. It is also likely that your shares would not be accepted as the primary collateral for a loan. Because of the illiquid nature of our common shares, you should purchase our common shares only as a long-term investment and be prepared to hold them for an indefinite period of time.

If we are unable to find suitable investments, we may not be able to achieve our investment objectives or pay distributions.

Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions depends upon the performance of our Manager in the acquisition of our investments and the ability of our Manager to source investment opportunities for us. The more money we raise in this offering, the greater our challenge will be to invest all of the net offering proceeds on attractive terms. We cannot assure you that our Manager will be successful in obtaining suitable investments on financially attractive terms or that, if our Manager makes investments on our behalf, our objectives will be achieved. If we, through our Manager, are unable to find suitable investments promptly, we will hold the proceeds from this offering in an interest-bearing account or invest the proceeds in short-term assets in a manner that is consistent with our qualification as a REIT. If we would continue to be unsuccessful in locating suitable investments, we may ultimately decide to liquidate. In the event we are unable to timely locate suitable investments, we may be unable or limited in our ability to pay distributions and we may not be able to meet our investment objectives.

Future disruptions in the financial markets or deteriorating economic conditions could adversely impact the commercial real estate market as well as the market for debt-related investments generally, which could hinder our ability to implement our business strategy and generate returns to you.

We intend to originate and acquire a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate loans. We may also invest, to a limited extent, in other real estate assets, which could include residential and small commercial real estate projects, in the event we need to foreclose on the collateral securing a commercial real estate loan. Economic conditions greatly increase the risks of these investments (see “—Risks Related to Our Investments”). The value of collateral securing any loan investment we may make could decrease below the outstanding principal amount of such loan. In addition, revenues on the properties and other assets underlying any loan investments we may make could decrease, making it more difficult for borrowers to meet their payment obligations to us. Each of these factors would increase the likelihood of default and foreclosure, which would likely have a negative impact on the value of our loan investment.

The success of our business is significantly related to general economic conditions and, accordingly, our business could be harmed by an economic slowdown and downturn in real estate asset values, property sales and leasing activities. Periods of economic slowdown or recession, significantly rising interest rates, declining employment levels, decreasing demand for real estate, declining real estate values, or the public perception that any of these events may occur, can reduce volumes for many of our business lines. These economic conditions could result in a general decline in acquisition, disposition and development activity, as well as a general decline in the value of real estate. In addition, these conditions could lead to a decline in property sales prices as well as a decline in funds invested in existing commercial real estate assets and properties planned for development.

Future disruptions in the financial markets or deteriorating economic conditions may also impact the market for our investments and the volatility of our investments. The returns available to investors in our targeted investments are determined, in part, by: (i) the supply and demand for such investments and (ii) the existence of a market for such investments, which includes the ability to sell or finance such investments. During periods of volatility, the number of investors participating in the market may change at an accelerated pace. If either demand or liquidity increases, the cost of our targeted investments may increase. As a result, we may have fewer funds available to make distributions to investors.

All of the factors described above could adversely impact our ability to implement our business strategy and make distributions to our investors and could decrease the value of an investment in us.

We may suffer from delays in locating suitable investments, which could limit our ability to make distributions and lower the overall return on your investment.

We rely upon our Manager’s real estate and debt finance professionals to identify suitable investments. Our Sponsor and other entities related to our sponsors also rely on our Manager’s real estate and debit finance professionals for investment opportunities. To the extent that our Manager’s real estate and debt finance professionals face competing demands upon their time in instances when we have capital ready for investment, we may face delays in execution.

The more shares we sell in this offering, the greater our challenge will be to invest all of the net offering proceeds on attractive terms. Except for investments that may be described in supplements to this Offering Circular prior to the date you subscribe for our shares, you will have no opportunity to evaluate the terms of transactions or other economic or financial data concerning our investments. You must rely entirely on the oversight and management ability of our Manager. We cannot be sure that our Manager will be successful in obtaining suitable investments on financially attractive terms.

We could also suffer from delays in locating suitable investments as a result of our reliance on our Manager at times when its officers, employees, or agents are simultaneously seeking to locate suitable investments for other Groundfloor sponsored programs, some of which have investment objectives and employ investment strategies that are similar to ours. Further, because we are a raising a “blind pool” without any pre-selected assets, it may be difficult for us to invest the net offering proceeds promptly and on attractive terms. Delays we encounter in the selection and origination of income-producing loans and other assets would likely limit our ability to pay distributions to our shareholders and lower their overall returns. Similar concerns arise when there are prepayments, maturities or sales of our investments. See “—Prepayments can adversely affect the yields on our investments” below.

Because this is a blind pool offering, you will not have the opportunity to evaluate our investments before we make them, which makes your investment more speculative.

Because we have not yet acquired or identified any investments that we may make, we are not able to provide you with any information to assist you in evaluating the merits of any specific investments that we may make, except for investments that may be described in supplements to this Offering Circular. We will seek to invest substantially all of the offering proceeds available for investment, after the payment of fees and expenses, in commercial real estate loans. However, because you will be unable to evaluate the economic merit of assets before we invest in them, you will have to rely entirely on the ability of our Manager to select suitable and successful investment opportunities. These factors increase the risk that your investment may not generate returns comparable to our competitors.

You may be more likely to sustain a loss on your investment because our Sponsor does not have as strong an economic incentive to avoid losses as do sponsors who have made significant equity investments in their companies.

Our Sponsor has only invested approximately $5,000 in us through the purchase of 5,000 of our common shares at $1.00 per share. Therefore, if we are successful in raising enough proceeds to be able to reimburse our Sponsor for our organization and offering expenses, our Sponsor will have little exposure to loss in the value of our shares. Without this exposure, our investors may be at a greater risk of loss because our Sponsor does not have as much to lose from a decrease in the value of our shares as do those sponsors who make more significant equity investments in their companies.

Because we are limited in the amount of funds we can raise, we will be limited in the number and type of investments we make and the value of your investment in us will fluctuate with the performance of the specific assets we acquire.

This offering is being made on a “best efforts” basis. Further, under Regulation A, we are only allowed to raise up to $75 million in any 12-month period (although we may raise capital in other ways). We expect the size of the investments that we make to be up to $1,000,000 per asset. As a result, the amount of proceeds we raise in this offering may be substantially less than the amount we would need to achieve a diversified portfolio of investments, even if we are successful in raising the maximum offering amount. If we are unable to raise substantial funds, we will make fewer investments resulting in less diversification in terms of the type, number and size of investments that we make. In that case, the likelihood that any single asset’s performance would adversely affect our profitability will increase. Your investment in our shares will be subject to greater risk to the extent that we lack a diversified portfolio of investments. Further, we will have certain fixed operating expenses, including certain expenses as a public reporting company, regardless of whether we are able to raise substantial funds in this offering. Our inability to raise substantial funds would increase our fixed operating expenses as a percentage of gross income, reducing our net income and limiting our ability to make distributions.

Any adverse changes in our Sponsor’s financial health or our relationship with our Sponsor or its affiliates could hinder our operating performance and the return on your investment.

We have engaged our Manager to manage our operations and our portfolio of commercial real estate loans and other select real estate-related assets. Our Manager has no employees, and utilizes our Sponsor’s personnel to perform services on its behalf for us. Our ability to achieve our investment objectives and to pay distributions is dependent upon the performance of our Sponsor and its affiliates as well as our Sponsor’s real estate and debt finance professionals in the identification and acquisition or origination of investments, the management of our assets and operation of our day-to-day activities. Any adverse changes in our Sponsor’s financial condition or our relationship with our Sponsor could hinder our Manager’s ability to successfully manage our operations and our portfolio of investments.

Our ability to implement our investment strategy is dependent, in part, upon our ability to successfully conduct this offering through the Groundfloor Platform, which makes an investment in us more speculative.

We will conduct this offering through the Groundfloor Platform, which is owned by our Sponsor. Only a limited number of real estate investment opportunities have been offered through the Groundfloor Platform prior to this offering. Our Sponsor has sponsored other real estate investment opportunities under other formats prior to this offering, but this is one of the initial REIT offerings being offered through the Groundfloor Platform. The success of this offering, and our ability to implement our business strategy, is dependent upon our ability to sell our shares to investors through the Groundfloor Platform. If we are not successful in selling our shares through the Groundfloor Platform, our ability to raise proceeds through this offering will be limited and we may not have adequate capital to implement our investment strategy. If we are unsuccessful in implementing our investment strategy, you could lose all or a part of your investment.

We may change our targeted investments and investment guidelines without shareholder consent.

Our Manager may change our targeted investments and investment guidelines at any time without the consent of our shareholders, which could result in our making investments that are different from, and possibly riskier than, the investments described in this Offering Circular. A change in our targeted investments or investment guidelines may increase our exposure to interest rate risk, default risk and real estate market fluctuations, all of which could adversely affect the value of our common shares and our ability to make distributions to you.

The market in which we participate is competitive and, if we do not compete effectively, our operating results could be harmed.

We compete with many other entities engaged in real estate investment activities, including individuals, corporations, bank and insurance company investment accounts, other REITs, private real estate funds, and other entities engaged in real estate investment activities as well as online real estate platforms that compete with the Groundfloor Platform. In addition, there are a number of existing online investment platforms, of which the leading platforms are offered by LendingClub and Prosper Marketplace. In the real estate space itself, there are four leading platforms, Lending Home, Realty Mogul, and Patch of Land, all of which are based in California, and Fundrise, based in Washington, D.C. Lending Home and Patch of Land compete directly in our space, providing short-term and mid-term loans for renovation projects but exclusively serve accredited and institutional investors. Realty Mogul provides equity real estate investment opportunities for mid to large projects but exclusively serves accredited investors. Fundrise provides equity, debt and REIT investment opportunities in real estate and serves both accredited and unaccredited investors, but focuses on mid-tier developers doing seven to eight figure projects.

In general, we face competition from existing financial institutions that lend to real estate developers, such as banks and specialty lenders (also known as hard money lenders). The commercial lending market for real estate lending in general and lending to single-family, multi-family, and small commercial projects in particular is competitive and rapidly changing. We expect competition to persist and intensify in the future, which could harm our ability to increase volume on the Groundfloor Platform. If the Groundfloor financing model achieves broad success, additional competitors are likely to enter the market. The crowdfunding provisions enacted in Title III of the JOBS Act and the Regulation “A+” provisions enacted in Title IV of the JOBS Act are likely to lower the barriers to entry for financial services platforms and may draw a significant number of competitors into the marketplace.

Competition could result in reduced volumes, reduced fees or the failure of the Groundfloor Platform to achieve or maintain more widespread market acceptance, any of which could harm our business. In addition, in the future we and the Groundfloor Platform may experience new competition from more established internet companies possessing large, existing customer bases, substantial financial resources and established distribution channels. If any of these companies or any major financial institution decided to enter the online investment business, acquire one of our existing competitors or form a strategic alliance with one of our competitors, our ability to compete effectively could be significantly compromised and our operating results could be harmed.

Most of our current or potential competitors have significantly more financial, technical, marketing and other resources than we do and may be able to devote greater resources to the development, promotion, sale and support of their platforms and distribution channels. Larger real estate programs may enjoy significant competitive advantages that result from, among other things, a lower cost of capital and enhanced operating efficiencies. In addition, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable properties may increase. Any such increase would result in increased demand for these assets and therefore increased prices paid for them. If we pay higher prices for properties and other investments, our profitability will be reduced and you may experience a lower return on your investment.

Our potential competitors may also have longer operating histories, more extensive customer bases, greater brand recognition and broader customer relationships than we have. These competitors may be better able to develop new products, to respond quickly to new technologies and to undertake more extensive marketing campaigns. The online real estate investing industry is driven by constant innovation. If we or the Groundfloor Platform are unable to compete with such companies and meet the need for innovation, the demand for the Groundfloor Platform could stagnate or substantially decline.

If our Manager fails to retain its key personnel, we may not be able to achieve our anticipated level of growth and our business could suffer.

Our future depends, in part, on our Manager’s ability to attract and retain key personnel. Our future also depends on the continued contributions of the executive officers and other key personnel of our Manager, each of whom would be difficult to replace. The loss of the services of the executive officers or key personnel of our Manager and the process to replace any of our Manager’s key personnel would involve significant time and expense and may significantly delay or prevent the achievement of our business objectives.

Employee misconduct and unsubstantiated allegations against us and misconduct by employees of our Sponsor could expose us to significant reputational harm.

We are vulnerable to reputational harm, as we operate in an industry where integrity and the confidence of our investors are of critical importance. If an employee of our Sponsor or its affiliates were to engage in illegal or suspicious activities, or if unsubstantiated allegations are made against us or our Sponsor by such employees, stockholders or others, our Sponsor and we may suffer serious harm to our reputation (as a consequence of the negative perception resulting from such activities or allegations), financial position, relationships with key persons and companies in the real estate market, and our ability to attract new investors. Our business often requires that we deal with confidential information. If employees of our Sponsor were to improperly use or disclose this information, we could suffer serious harm to our reputation, financial position and current and future business relationships.

It is not always possible to deter employee misconduct, and the precautions our Sponsor takes to detect and prevent this activity may not be effective in all cases. Misconduct by our Sponsor’s employees, or even unsubstantiated allegations of misconduct, could subject our Sponsor, our Manager and us to regulatory sanctions and result in an adverse effect on our reputation and our business.

If our techniques for managing risk are ineffective, we may be exposed to unanticipated losses.

In order to manage the significant risks inherent in our business, we must maintain effective policies, procedures and systems that enable us to identify, monitor and control our exposure to market, operational, legal and reputational risks. Our risk management methods may prove to be ineffective due to their design or implementation or as a result of the lack of adequate, accurate or timely information. If our risk management efforts are ineffective, we could suffer losses or face litigation, particularly from our clients, and sanctions or fines from regulators.

Our techniques for managing risks may not fully mitigate the risk exposure in all economic or market environments, or against all types of risk, including risks that we might fail to identify or anticipate. Any failures in our risk management techniques and strategies to accurately quantify such risk exposure could limit our ability to manage risks or to seek positive, risk-adjusted returns. In addition, any risk management failures could cause fund losses to be significantly greater than historical measures predict. Our approach to managing those risks could prove insufficient, exposing us to unanticipated losses in our Aggregate Loan Amount and therefore a reduction in our revenues.

This Offering is focused on attracting a large number of investors that plan on making relatively small investments. An inability to attract such investors may have an adverse effect on the success of this Offering, and we may not raise adequate capital to implement our business strategy.

Our common shares are being offered and sold only to “qualified purchasers” (as defined in Regulation A). “Qualified purchasers” include: (i) “accredited investors” under Rule 501(a) of Regulation D (which, in the case of natural persons, (A) have an individual net worth, or joint net worth with the person’s spouse, that exceeds $1,000,000 at the time of the purchase, excluding the value of the primary residence of such person, or (B) earned income exceeding $200,000 in each of the two most recent years or joint income with a spouse exceeding $300,000 for those years and a reasonable expectation of the same income level in the current year) and (ii) all other investors so long as their investment in the particular issuer does not represent more than 10% of the greater of their annual income or net worth (for natural persons), or 10% of the greater of annual revenue or net assets at fiscal year-end (for non-natural persons). However, we intend to offer and sell our common shares only to those investors that are within the latter category (i.e., investors whose investment in our common shares does not represent more than 10% of the applicable amount), regardless of an investor’s status as an “accredited investor”. Therefore, our target investor base inherently consists of persons that may not have the high net worth or income that investors in traditional initial public offerings have, where the investor base is typically composed of “accredited investors”.

Our reliance on attracting investors that may not meet the net worth or income requirements of “accredited investors” carries certain risks that may not be present in traditional initial public offerings. For example, certain economic, geopolitical and social conditions may influence the investing habits and risk tolerance of these smaller investors to a greater extent than “accredited investors”, which may have an adverse effect on our ability to raise adequate capital to implement our business strategy. Additionally, our focus on investors that plan on making, or are able to make, relatively small investments requires a larger investor base in order to meet our goal of raising $75 million in this Offering. We may have difficulties in attracting a large investor base, which may have an adverse effect on the success of this Offering, and a larger investor base involves increased transaction costs, which will increase our expenses.

Our Sponsor is a development stage company with limited operating history. As a company in the early stages of development, our Sponsor faces increased risks, uncertainties, expenses and difficulties.

In order for us to be successful, the volume of investments and financings originated through the Groundfloor Platform will need to increase, which will require our Sponsor to increase its facilities, personnel and infrastructure to accommodate the greater obligations and demands on the Groundfloor Platform. The Groundfloor Platform is dependent upon the website to maintain current listings and transactions in real estate-related assets. Our Sponsor also expects to constantly update its software and website, expand its customer support services and retain an appropriate number of employees to maintain the operations of the Groundfloor Platform. If our business grows substantially, our Sponsor may need to make significant new investments in personnel and infrastructure to support that growth. If our Sponsor is unable to increase the capacity of the Groundfloor Platform and maintain the necessary infrastructure, or if our Sponsor is unable to make significant investments on a timely basis or at reasonable costs, you may experience delays in receipt of distributions on our common shares, periodic downtime of the Groundfloor Platform or other disruptions to our business and operations.

Our Sponsor will need to raise substantial additional capital to fund its operations, and, if it fails to obtain additional funding, it may be unable to continue operations.

At this early stage in our development, our Sponsor has funded substantially all of its operations with proceeds from private financings from individual investors and venture capital firms. To continue the development of its business, our Sponsor will require substantial additional funds. To meet its financing requirements in the future, our Sponsor may raise funds through equity offerings, debt financings or strategic alliances. Raising additional funds may involve agreements or covenants that restrict our Sponsor’s business activities and options. Additional funding may not be available to our Sponsor on favorable terms, or at all. If our Sponsor are unable to obtain additional funds, it may be forced to reduce or terminate its operations.

Our Sponsor is currently incurring net losses and expects to continue incurring net losses in the future.

Our Sponsor is currently incurring net losses and expects to continue incurring net losses in the future. Its failure to become profitable could impair the operations of the Groundfloor Platform by limiting its access to working capital to operate the Groundfloor Platform. In addition, our Sponsor expects its operating expenses to increase in the future as it expands its operations. If our Sponsor’s operating expenses exceed its expectations, its financial performance could be adversely affected. If its revenue does not grow to offset these increased expenses, our Sponsor may never become profitable. In future periods, our Sponsor may not have any revenue growth, or its revenue could decline.

If we, our Sponsor or our Sponsor’s affiliates were to enter bankruptcy proceedings, the operation of the Groundfloor Platform and the activities with respect to our operations and business would be interrupted and subscription proceeds held in a segregated account may be subject to the bankruptcy. In addition, the servicing of the Loans would be interrupted or may halt altogether.

If our Sponsor or its affiliates were to enter bankruptcy proceedings or cease operations, we would be required to find other ways to meet obligations regarding our operations and business. Such alternatives could result in delays in the disbursement of distributions or the filing of reports or could require us to pay significant fees to another company that we engage to perform services for us.

If we were to become subject to bankruptcy or similar proceedings or if we ceased operations, the Company, or a bankruptcy trustee on our behalf, might be required to find other ways to service the Loans. Such alternatives could result in delays in distributions to our shareholders or could require payment of significant fees to another company to service the Loans. Since we have not entered into any back-up servicing agreements, if we were to cease operations or otherwise become unable to service the Loans without transferring such Loans to another entity, the servicing of the Loans would be interrupted and may halt altogether unless another way to service the Loans on behalf of investors was secured.

If we were to file under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code, it is possible that we would be able to continue to service the Loans during reorganization. If, on the other hand, we were to file under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code, or if an attempted reorganization under Chapter 11 should fail and the bankruptcy case be converted to Chapter 7, the bankruptcy trustee would have the obligation to administer the bankruptcy estate. As part of such administration, the bankruptcy trustee, subject to bankruptcy court approval, may elect to continue to service the Loans or to transfer the right to such servicing to another entity for a fee. Either option would likely result in delays in distributions to our shareholders and could require the bankruptcy trustee to pay significant fees to another company to service the Loans, ultimately decreasing the amounts available to be distributed to our shareholders. Alternatively, the bankruptcy trustee may elect to cease servicing functions altogether.

In the event that we were to cease operations or enter into bankruptcy proceedings, recovery by our shareholders may be substantially delayed while back-up servicing is secured, if practicable, or such services halted altogether, and such recovery may be substantially less than the amounts that would have been distributed to shareholders in the absence of such events.

If the security of our investors’ and Borrowers’ confidential information stored in our Sponsor’s systems is breached or otherwise subjected to unauthorized access, your secure information may be stolen, our reputation may be harmed and we may be exposed to liability.

The Groundfloor Platform stores the bank information and other personally-identifiable sensitive data of the Borrowers, our shareholders and other investors using the Groundfloor Platform. Any accidental or willful security breaches or other unauthorized access could cause your secure information to be accessed, publicly disclosed, or stolen and used for criminal purposes. Security breaches or unauthorized access to secure information could also disrupt our or our Sponsor’s operations and subject us or our Sponsor to liability related to the loss of the information, time-consuming and expensive litigation and negative publicity. If security measures are breached because of third-party action, employee error, malfeasance or otherwise, or if design flaws in the relevant software are exposed and exploited, and, as a result, a third party or disaffected employee obtains unauthorized access to any investor’s or Borrower’s data, our and our Sponsor’s relationships with our investors will be severely damaged, and we and our Sponsor could incur significant liability. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access or to sabotage systems change frequently and generally are not recognized until they are launched against a target, we, our Sponsor and any third-party hosting facilities may be unable to anticipate these techniques or to implement adequate preventative measures. In addition, many states have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals of data security breaches involving their personal data. These mandatory disclosures regarding a security breach are costly to implement and often lead to widespread negative publicity, which may cause our investors to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our data security measures. Any security breach, whether actual or perceived, would harm our and our Sponsor’s reputation and we could lose investors and interest in using the Groundfloor Platform as a Borrower could decline.

The Groundfloor Platform may be vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions.

The Groundfloor Platform may be vulnerable to computer viruses, physical or electronic break-ins and similar disruptions. If a “hacker” were able to infiltrate the Groundfloor Platform, you would be subject to the increased risk of fraud or identity theft and may experience losses on, or delays in the recoupment of amounts owed on, a fraudulently induced purchase of our common shares. Additionally, if a hacker were able to access secure files, he or she might be able to gain access to your personal information or the personal information of Borrowers or other users of the Groundfloor Platform. While our Sponsor has taken steps to prevent such activity from affecting the Groundfloor Platform, if our Sponsor is unable to prevent such activity, the value of your investment in the common shares and our and our Sponsor’s reputation could be adversely affected.

Any significant disruption in service on the Groundfloor Platform or in its computer systems could reduce the attractiveness of the Groundfloor Platform and result in a loss of users.

If a catastrophic event resulted in a Groundfloor Platform outage and physical data loss, our and our Sponsor’s ability to perform servicing obligations would be materially and adversely affected. The satisfactory performance, reliability, and availability of our technology and our underlying hosting services infrastructure are critical to our operations, level of customer service, reputation and ability to attract new users and retain existing users. Our Sponsor’s hosting services infrastructure is provided, owned and operated by a third party (the “Hosting Provider”). Our Sponsor also maintains a backup system at a separate location that is owned and operated by a third party. The Hosting Provider does not guarantee that users’ access to our website will be uninterrupted, error-free or secure. Our and our Sponsor’s operations depend on the Hosting Provider’s ability to protect its and our systems in its facilities against damage or interruption from natural disasters, power or telecommunications failures, air quality, temperature, humidity and other environmental concerns, computer viruses or other attempts to harm our systems, criminal acts and similar events. If our Sponsor’s arrangement with the Hosting Provider is terminated, or if there is a lapse of service or damage to its facilities, we could experience interruptions in our service as well as delays and additional expense in arranging new facilities. Any interruptions or delays in our service or the Groundfloor Platform, whether as a result of the Hosting Provider or other third-party error, our or our Sponsor’s own error, natural disasters or security breaches, whether accidental or willful, could harm our ability to service Loans or maintain accurate accounts, and could harm our relationships with our users and our reputation. Additionally, in the event of damage or interruption, our Sponsor’s insurance policies may not adequately compensate us for any losses that we may incur. Our and our Sponsor’s disaster recovery plan has not been tested under actual disaster conditions, and we may not have sufficient capacity to recover all data and services in the event of an outage at a Hosting Provider facility. These factors could prevent us from processing or posting payments on the Loans or making distributions to our shareholders, damage the Groundfloor brand and reputation, divert employees’ attention, and cause users to abandon the Groundfloor Platform.

Our Sponsor relies on third-party banks and money transfer agents to operate the Groundfloor Platform and we rely on the Groundfloor Platform to process transactions essential to our business. If we are unable to continue utilizing these services, our business and ability to service the Loans may be adversely affected.

All payments are processed through the Groundfloor Platform. Because neither we nor our Sponsor are a bank, we nor our Sponsor cannot belong to or directly access the Automated Clearing House (“ACH”) payment network, and we and our Sponsor must rely on third-party payment agents and other FDIC-insured depository institutions to process transactions, including payments to and from Borrowers in connection with the Loans and distributions to our common shareholders. The Groundfloor Platform currently uses the services of a funds transfer agent and Truist Bank for these purposes, but may change vendors at any time without prior notice to us or our investors. Under the ACH rules, if we experience a high rate of reversed transactions (known as “chargebacks”), we may be subject to sanctions and potentially disqualified from using the system to process payments.

We do not own the Groundfloor name, but were granted a license by our Sponsor to use the Groundfloor name. Use of the name by other parties or the termination of our license agreement may harm our business.

We have entered into a license agreement with our Sponsor, pursuant to which our Sponsor has granted us a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use the name “Groundfloor”. Under this agreement, we have a right to use the “Groundfloor” name as long as our Manager continues to manage us. Our Sponsor has retained the right to continue using the “Groundfloor” name. Our Sponsor is not precluded from licensing or transferring the ownership of the “Groundfloor” name to third parties, some of whom may compete against us. Consequently, we will be unable to prevent any damage to the goodwill associated with our name that may occur as a result of the activities of our Sponsor or others related to the use of our name. Furthermore, in the event the license agreement is terminated, we will be required to change our name and cease using the “Groundfloor” name. Any of these events could disrupt our recognition in the market place, damage any goodwill we may have generated and otherwise harm our business.

We are offering our common shares pursuant to recent amendments to Regulation A promulgated pursuant to the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act, and we cannot be certain if the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to Tier 2 issuers will make our common shares less attractive to investors as compared to a traditional initial public offering.

As a Tier 2 issuer, we will be subject to scaled disclosure and reporting requirements, which may make our common shares less attractive to investors as compared to a traditional initial public offering, which may make an investment in our common shares less attractive to investors who are accustomed to enhanced disclosure and more frequent financial reporting. In addition, given the relative lack of regulatory precedence regarding the recent amendments to Regulation A, there is a significant amount of regulatory uncertainty in regards to how the SEC or the individual state securities regulators will regulate both the offer and sale of our securities, as well as any ongoing compliance that we may be subject to. If our scaled disclosure and reporting requirements, or regulatory uncertainty regarding Regulation A, reduces the attractiveness of our common shares, we may be unable to raise the necessary funds necessary to commence operations, or to develop a diversified portfolio of real estate investments, which could severely affect the value of our common shares and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Under Section 107 of the JOBS Act, we are permitted to use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This permits us to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standard that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B). By electing to extend the transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with all public accounting standards.

Our use of Form 1-A and our reliance on Regulation A for this offering may make it more difficult to raise capital as and when we need it, as compared to if we were conducting a traditional initial public offering on Form S-11.

Because of the exemptions from various reporting requirements provided to us under Regulation A and because we are only permitted to raise up to $75 million in any 12-month period under Regulation A (although we may raise capital in other ways), we may be less attractive to investors and it may be difficult for us to raise additional capital as and when we need it. Investors may be unable to compare our business with other companies in our industry if they believe that our financial accounting is not as transparent as other companies in our industry. If we are unable to raise additional capital as and when we need it, our financial condition and results of operations may be materially and adversely affected.

The requirements of complying on an ongoing basis with Tier 2 of Regulation A of the Securities Act may strain our resources and divert management’s attention.

Because we are conducting an offering pursuant to Tier 2 of Regulation A of the Securities Act, we will be subject to certain ongoing reporting requirements. Compliance with these rules and regulations will require legal and financial compliance costs, which may impose strain on our operating budget and divert management’s time and attention from operational activities. Moreover, as a result of the disclosure of information in this Offering Circular and in other public filings we make, our business operations, operating results and financial condition will become more visible, including to competitors and other third parties.

There may be deficiencies with our internal controls that require improvements, and if we are unable to adequately evaluate internal controls, we may be subject to sanctions.

As a Tier 2 issuer, we do not need to provide a report on the effectiveness of our internal controls over financial reporting, and we are exempt from the auditor attestation requirements concerning any such report so long as we are a Tier 2 issuer. We are in the process of evaluating whether our internal control procedures are effective and therefore there is a greater likelihood of undiscovered errors in our internal controls or reported financial statements as compared to issuers that have conducted such evaluations.

Our Loan origination and servicing activities are subject to extensive federal, state and local regulation that could adversely impact our operations.

We and our Sponsor must comply with regulatory regimes, including those applicable to mortgage lending transactions, various aspects of which are untested as applied to the Groundfloor Platform. Certain state laws generally regulate interest rates and other charges and require certain disclosures. In addition, other federal and state laws may apply to the origination and servicing of Loans originated through the Groundfloor Platform.

In particular, through the Groundfloor Platform, we and our Sponsor may be subject to laws, including but not limited to:

We or our Sponsor may not always have been, and may not always be, in compliance with these laws. Compliance with these laws is also costly, time-consuming and limits our operational flexibility.

Failure to comply with these laws and regulatory requirements applicable to our business may, among other things, have a negative impact on our or our Sponsor’s ability to originate and service Loans or maintain the Groundfloor Platform. In addition, any non-compliance could subject us or our Sponsor to damages, revocation of required licenses, class action lawsuits, administrative enforcement actions, rescission rights held by investors in securities offerings and civil and criminal liability, which may harm our business and the ability of our Sponsor to maintain the Groundfloor Platform and may result in Borrowers rescinding their Loans.

Where applicable, we and our Sponsor seek to comply with state mortgage licensing, servicing and similar statutes. We are aware that making Loans in certain U.S. jurisdictions may trigger local licensing requirements. We and our Sponsor work with local counsel in each jurisdiction in which Loans are financed to determine whether any licenses are required and, to the extent necessary, will seek to obtain such licenses and will comply with the relevant regulatory requirements before facilitating Loans to Borrowers in any such jurisdiction. If we are, or our Sponsor is, found to not comply with applicable laws, we or our Sponsor, as applicable, could lose one or more of our or its licenses or authorizations or face other sanctions or be required to obtain a license in such jurisdiction, which may have an adverse effect on our or its ability to continue to facilitate Loans through the Groundfloor Platform, perform servicing obligations or make the Groundfloor Platform available to Borrowers in particular states, which may harm the business.

If the Groundfloor Platform was found to violate a state’s usury laws, we or our Sponsor may have to alter our or its business model and our or its business could be harmed.

The interest rates that are charged to Borrowers and that form the basis of distributions to our shareholders through the Groundfloor Platform must comply with the usury law of the jurisdiction where each Loan is originated. There is no uniformity among the states on the amount of interest that may be charged on commercial real estate lending. As a result, we and our Sponsor must monitor the interest rate limitations imposed by each jurisdiction where Loans are originated to ensure compliance, which reduces operating efficiency and may impact the attractiveness of the Loans offered to investors as well as the ability to apply late charges and penalty and default interest. In addition, if a Borrower were to successfully bring claims against us or our Sponsor for state usury law violations, and the rate on that Borrower’s Loan was greater than that allowed under applicable state law, we or our Sponsor could be subject to fines and penalties, which could possibly result in a decline in operating results.

Maintenance of our Investment Company Act exemption imposes limits on our operations, which may adversely affect our operations.

We intend to continue to conduct our operations so that neither we nor any of our subsidiaries is required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. We anticipate that we will hold real estate and real estate-related assets described below directly.

We intend, to originate, invest in and manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate investments. We expect to use substantially all of the net proceeds from this offering to originate, acquire and structure a diversified portfolio of secured commercial real estate loans. We may also invest, to a limited extent, in other real estate assets, which could include residential and small commercial real estate projects, in the event we need to foreclose on the collateral securing a commercial real estate loan.

Registration under the Investment Company Act would require us to comply with a variety of substantive requirements that impose, among other things:

If we were required to register as an investment company but failed to do so, we could be prohibited from engaging in our business, and criminal and civil actions could be brought against us.

Registration with the SEC as an investment company would be costly, would subject us to a host of complex regulations and would divert attention from the conduct of our business, which could materially and adversely affect us. In addition, if we purchase or sell any real estate assets to avoid becoming an investment company under the Investment Company Act, our Aggregate Loan Amount, the amount of funds available for investment and our ability to pay distributions to our shareholders could be materially adversely affected.

We are not subject to the banking regulations of any state or federal regulatory agency.

We are not subject to the periodic examinations to which commercial banks, savings banks and other thrift institutions are subject. Consequently, financing decisions and decisions regarding establishing loan loss reserves are not subject to periodic review by any governmental agency. Moreover, we are not subject to banking regulatory oversight relating to capital, asset quality, management or compliance with applicable laws.

Recent legislative and regulatory initiatives have imposed restrictions and requirements on financial institutions that could have an adverse effect on our business.

The financial industry is becoming more highly regulated. There has been, and may continue to be, a related increase in regulatory investigations of the trading and other investment activities of alternative investment funds. Such investigations may impose additional expenses on us, may require the attention of senior management of our Manager and may result in fines if we are deemed to have violated any regulations.

As Internet commerce develops, federal and state governments may adopt new laws to regulate Internet commerce, which may negatively affect our business.

As Internet commerce continues to evolve, increasing regulation by federal and state governments becomes more likely. Our and the Groundfloor Platform’s business could be negatively affected by the application of existing laws and regulations or the enactment of new laws applicable to lending. The costs to comply with such laws or regulations could be significant and would increase operating expenses, which could negatively impact our ability to make distributions to our shareholders and we may be required to pass along those costs to our investors in the form of increased fees. In addition, federal and state governmental or regulatory agencies may decide to impose taxes on services provided over the Internet. These taxes could discourage the use of the Internet as a means of commercial financing, which would adversely affect the viability of our business model and the Groundfloor Platform.

Laws intended to prohibit money laundering may require us or the Groundfloor Platform to disclose investor information to regulatory authorities.

The Uniting and Strengthening America By Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001 (the “PATRIOT Act”) requires that financial institutions establish and maintain compliance programs to guard against money laundering activities, and requires the Secretary of the U.S. Treasury (“Treasury”) to prescribe regulations in connection with anti-money laundering policies of financial institutions. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”), an agency of the Treasury, has announced that it is likely that such regulations would subject certain pooled investment vehicles to enact anti-money laundering policies. It is possible that there could be promulgated legislation or regulations that would require us or the Groundfloor Platform or our or its service providers to share information with governmental authorities with respect to prospective investors in connection with the establishment of anti-money laundering procedures. Such legislation and/or regulations could require us to implement additional restrictions on the transfer of our common shares to comply with such legislation and/or regulations. We reserve the right to request such information as is necessary to verify the identity of prospective shareholders and the source of the payment of subscription monies, or as is necessary to comply with any customer identification programs required by FinCEN and/or the SEC. In the event of delay or failure by a prospective shareholder to produce any information required for verification purposes, an application for, or transfer of, our common shares may be refused. We do not have the ability to reject a transfer of our common shares where all necessary information is provided and any other applicable transfer requirements, including those imposed under the transfer provisions of our operating agreement, are satisfied.

Increased regulatory focus could result in additional burdens on our business or the Groundfloor Platform.

The financial industry is becoming more highly regulated. There has been, and may continue to be, a related increase in regulatory scrutiny and investigations of the operations of peer-to-peer or micro-lending platforms as well as trading and other investment activities of alternative investment funds. Increased regulatory scrutiny and investigations may impose additional expenses on us or the Groundfloor Platform, may require the attention of our senior management and may result in fines if we or the Groundfloor Platform are deemed to have violated any regulations.

There are conflicts of interest between us, our Manager and its affiliates.

Our Manager’s executive officers, including our Manager’s Chief Executive Officer, Nick Bhargava, are principals in the Manager’s parent company and our Sponsor, Groundfloor Finance Inc., which provides asset management and other services to our Manager and us. Prevailing market rates are determined by management based on industry standards and expectations of what management would be able to negotiate with a third party on an arm’s length basis. All of the agreements and arrangements between such parties, including those relating to compensation, are not the result of arm’s length negotiations. Some of the conflicts inherent in our Company’s transactions with the Manager and its affiliates, and the limitations on such parties adopted to address these conflicts, are described below. Our Company, Manager and their affiliates try to balance our interests with their own. However, to the extent that such parties take actions that are more favorable to other entities than us, these actions could have a negative impact on our financial performance and, consequently, on distributions to shareholders and the value of our common shares. We have adopted a conflicts of interest policy. See “Conflicts of Interest—Certain Conflict Resolution Measures” and “—Our Policies Relating to Conflicts of Interest”.

Our Manager will face a conflict of interest because the asset management fee it will receive for services performed for us is based on our Aggregate Loan Amount, which employees of our Sponsor, the parent company of our Manager, are ultimately responsible for determining.

Our Manager, a wholly-owned subsidiary of our Sponsor, will be paid an asset management fee, which will be based on our Aggregate Loan Amount as calculated by our Sponsor’s internal accountants and asset management team. The calculation of our Aggregate Loan Amount involves certain subjective judgments with respect to estimating, for example, the value of our commercial real estate assets and investments, and therefore, our Aggregate Loan Amount may not correspond to the realizable value upon a sale of those assets. Because the calculation of Aggregate Loan Amount involves subjective judgment, there can be no assurance that the estimates used by our Sponsor’s internal accountants and asset management team to calculate our Aggregate Loan Amount, or the resulting Aggregate Loan Amount, will be identical to the estimates that would be used, or the Aggregate Loan Amount that would be calculated, by an independent consultant. In addition, our Manager may benefit by us retaining ownership of our assets at times when our shareholders may be better served by the sale or disposition of our assets in order to avoid a reduction in our Aggregate Loan Amount. Finally, the determination of our Aggregate Loan Amount is not based on, nor intended to comply with, fair value standards under GAAP, and our Aggregate Loan Amount may not be indicative of the price that we would receive for our assets at current market conditions.

The interests of the Manager, its principals and its other affiliates may conflict with your interests.

The operating agreement provides our Manager with broad powers and authority which may result in one or more conflicts of interest between your interests and those of the Manager, its principals and its other affiliates. This risk is increased by the Manager being controlled by Groundfloor Finance Inc., which is our Sponsor and which participates, or expects to participate, directly or indirectly in other offerings by its affiliates that will directly or indirectly compete with our business. Potential conflicts of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

We have agreed to limit remedies available to us and our shareholders for actions by our Manager that might otherwise constitute a breach of duty.

Our Manager maintains a contractual, as opposed to a fiduciary relationship, with us and our shareholders. Accordingly, we and our shareholders only have recourse and are able to seek remedies against our Manager to the extent it breaches its obligations pursuant to our operating agreement. Furthermore, we have agreed to limit the liability of our Manager and to indemnify our Manager against certain liabilities. These provisions are detrimental to shareholders because they restrict the remedies available to them for actions that without those limitations might constitute breaches of duty, including fiduciary duties. By purchasing our common shares, you will be treated as having consented to the provisions set forth in the operating agreement. In addition, we may choose not to enforce, or to enforce less vigorously, our rights under the operating agreement because of our desire to maintain our ongoing relationship with our Manager.

Our commercial real estate loans and other real estate-related assets will be subject to the risks typically associated with real estate.

Our commercial real estate loans and other real estate-related assets will generally be directly or indirectly secured by a lien on real property that, upon the occurrence of a default on the loan, could result in our acquiring ownership of the property. We will not know whether the values of the properties ultimately securing our loans will remain at the levels existing on the dates of origination of those loans. If the values of the mortgaged properties drop, our risk will increase because of the lower value of the security associated with such loans. In this manner, real estate values could impact the values of our loan investments. Therefore, our investments will be subject to the risks typically associated with real estate.

The value of real estate may be adversely affected by a number of risks, including:

The value of each property is affected significantly by its ability to generate a return for its owner, which in turn depends on the amount of rental or other income that can be generated net of expenses required to be incurred with respect to the property or its ability to be resold. Many expenditures associated with properties (such as operating expenses and capital expenditures) cannot be reduced when there is a reduction in income from the properties. These factors may have a material adverse effect on the ability of our borrowers to pay their loans, as well as on the value that we can realize from assets we originate, own or acquire.

In addition, to the extent we make equity investments in commercial real estate, such investments will be subject to all of the risks associated with real estate described above.

The payment obligations of each Borrower are not guaranteed or insured by any third party, and, in the event of a default, you must rely on us or a third-party collection agency to pursue collection against a Borrower.

Payment of the amounts owed under a Loan and other obligations of a Borrower under the Loan Documents are not guaranteed or insured by any third party, including such Borrower’s Principals, or backed by any governmental authority in any way. In the event of a default on such payment obligations, therefore, we may be limited in our ability to collect on the Borrower’s obligations to pay interest and principal under the Loan Documents, and you will need to rely upon us or a third-party collection agency to pursue collection against such Borrower. If the Borrower fails to make such payments on the Loan, the amount of cash available for distribution to our shareholders will be reduced.

Foreclosure of a mortgage loan can be an expensive and lengthy process that could have a substantial negative effect on our anticipated return on the foreclosed mortgage loan. In the event of the bankruptcy of a Borrower, the Loan to such Borrower will be deemed to be secured only to the extent of the value of the mortgaged property at the time of bankruptcy (as determined by the bankruptcy court), and the lien securing the Loan will be subject to the avoidance powers of the bankruptcy trustee or debtor-in-possession to the extent the lien is unenforceable under state law. The resulting time delay could reduce the value of our investment in the defaulted mortgage Loan, impede our ability to foreclose on or sell the mortgaged property or to obtain proceeds sufficient to repay all amounts due to us on the Loan.

Although the Borrower’s obligations under the Loan Documents are recourse, our remedy in the event of nonpayment may be limited to the value of the property securing the debt.

The Loan Documents with each Borrower will provide that such Borrower’s obligations under the Loan are recourse, which means that, in the event of nonpayment, we may collect any outstanding amount owed for the debt from the Borrower even after we have foreclosed on the collateral securing the debt. Even though the Loan obligations are recourse to the Borrower, in most cases, the Borrower’s assets are limited primarily to its interest in the related mortgaged property. Further, our remedies against the Borrower may be limited by state law in certain jurisdictions. For instance, some jurisdictions restrict a mortgagee’s right to seek a deficiency against the Borrower in the event the amount realized from a foreclosure sale is insufficient to repay the underlying debt, commonly referred to as anti-deficiency statutes. Moreover, in jurisdictions where deficiency actions are permitted, the burden of proof with respect to the adequacy of the amount realized from the foreclosure is often imposed on the party seeking the deficiency, such that deficiency actions may result in costly and protracted litigation. Further, some jurisdictions continue to apply the common-law doctrine of “election of remedies” pursuant to which a mortgagee must elect either to sue for recovery under the obligation or pursue foreclosure against the property subject to the mortgage lien. While such restrictions can frequently be waived as a matter of contract, the election of remedies doctrine represents a potential defense in certain circumstances. Other jurisdictions may implement a judicial foreclosure process, where we must first petition the courts of that jurisdiction in order to obtain title to the property. This process delays foreclosure efforts (by up to a year) and increases collection expenses, both of which increase the chance that investors may not be made whole should we need to foreclose on a particular property. Since the Principals are not obligors under the Loan Documents, we are limited in seeking recourse for non-payment to the borrowing entity itself. If the Borrower fails to make payments on the Loan and our remedy is limited to the value of the property securing the Loan, we may lose some or all of the expected return on the Loan and the amount of cash available for distribution to our shareholders will be reduced.

If we set interest rates for the Loans too low, we and our shareholders may not be compensated appropriately for the level of risk we are assuming in making such Loans, while setting the interest rate too high may increase the risk of non-payment on a Loan. In either case, failure to set rates appropriately may cause the expected return on the Loans not to be commensurate with the risks we have assumed in making the Loans.

Changes in interest rates and/or credit spreads could negatively affect the value of our investments, which could result in reduced earnings or losses and negatively affect the cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

We generally invest in fixed-rate commercial real estate loans with fixed distribution amounts. Under a normal yield curve, an investment in these instruments will decline in value if long-term interest rates increase or if credit spreads widen. Even though a Loan may be performing in accordance with its Loan Documents and the underlying collateral has not changed, the economic value of the Loan may be negatively impacted by the incremental interest foregone from the changes in interest rates or credit spreads. Declines in market value may ultimately reduce earnings or result in losses to us, which may negatively affect cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

Prepayments can adversely affect the yields on any Loans we may make. Borrowers are generally permitted to prepay Loan obligations at any time without penalty. Borrower prepayments will extinguish or limit our ability to earn expected returns on the Loan.

Prepayments on Loans, where permitted under the Loan Documents, are influenced by changes in current interest rates and a variety of economic, geographic and other factors beyond our control, and consequently, such prepayment rates cannot be predicted with certainty.

Prepayment by a Borrower occurs when a Borrower decides to pay some or all of the principal amount on the Loan earlier than originally scheduled. With all of the Projects financed on the Groundfloor Platform, the Borrower may prepay all or a portion of the remaining principal amount at any time without penalty. If prevailing commercial loan rates decline in relation to a Loan’s effective interest rate, the Borrower may choose to prepay the Loan with lower-cost funds. If the Borrower prepays a portion of the remaining unpaid principal balance on the Loan, the term for final payment of the Loan will not change, but we will not earn the any further interest or the expected return on the prepaid portion, which would reduce the expected yield on the Loan and the cash available for distributions to our shareholders. In addition, we intend to make distributions to our shareholders from all of the available cash that we receive from payments of interest and principal, including the repaid principal amount of the loans in our portfolio, and you may not be able to find a similar rate of return on another investment at the time at which such distributions of repaid principal are made to you.

Many of our investments are illiquid and we may not be able to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions.

The illiquidity of our target investments may make it difficult for us to sell such investments if the need or desire arises. Many factors that are beyond our control affect the real estate market and could affect our ability to sell our investments for the price, on the terms or within the time frame that we desire. The Loans we may originate or purchase will be particularly illiquid investments due to their short life and the greater difficulty of recoupment in the event of a Borrower’s default. As a result, we expect that many of our investments will be illiquid, and if we are required to liquidate all or a portion of our portfolio quickly, we may realize significantly less than the value at which we have previously recorded our investments and our ability to vary our portfolio in response to changes in economic and other conditions may be relatively limited, which could adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition and reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

Declines in the market values of our investments may adversely affect periodic reported results of operations and credit availability, which may reduce earnings and, in turn, cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

Some of our assets may be classified for accounting purposes as “available-for-sale”. These investments are carried at estimated fair value and temporary changes in the market values of those assets will be directly charged or credited to shareholders’ equity without impacting net income on the income statement. Moreover, if we determine that a decline in the estimated fair value of an available-for-sale security falls below its amortized value and is not temporary, we will recognize a loss on that security on the income statement, which will reduce our earnings in the period recognized.

A decline in the market value of our assets may adversely affect us particularly in instances where we have borrowed money based on the market value of those assets. If the market value of those assets declines, the lender may require us to post additional collateral to support the loan. If we were unable to post the additional collateral, we may have to sell assets at a time when we might not otherwise choose to do so. A reduction in credit available may reduce our earnings and, in turn, cash available for distribution to shareholders.

Further, credit facility providers may require us to maintain a certain amount of cash reserves or to set aside unlevered assets sufficient to maintain a specified liquidity position, which would allow us to satisfy our collateral obligations. As a result, we may not be able to leverage our assets as fully as we would choose, which could reduce our return on equity. In the event that we are unable to meet these contractual obligations, our financial condition could deteriorate rapidly.

Market values of our investments may decline for a number of reasons, such as changes in prevailing market rates, increases in defaults, increases in voluntary prepayments for those investments that we have that are subject to prepayment risk and widening of credit spreads.

Some of our portfolio investments are carried at estimated fair value as determined by us and, as a result, there may be uncertainty as to the value of these investments.

Our portfolio investments are generally in the form of secured commercial real estate loans that are recorded at fair value but that have limited liquidity and are not publicly traded. The fair value of investments that have limited liquidity or are not publicly traded may not be readily determinable. We estimate the fair value of these investments on a quarterly basis. Because such valuations are inherently uncertain, may fluctuate over short periods of time and may be based on numerous estimates, our determinations of fair value may differ materially from the values that would have been used if a ready market for these securities existed. The value of our common shares could be adversely affected if our determinations regarding the fair value of these investments are materially higher than the values that we ultimately realize upon their disposal.

Competition with third parties in acquiring and originating investments may reduce our profitability and the return on your investment.

We have significant competition with respect to our acquisition and origination of assets with many other companies, including other REITs, insurance companies, commercial banks, private investment funds, hedge funds, specialty finance companies, online investment platforms and other investors, many of which have greater resources than us. We may not be able to compete successfully for investments. In addition, the number of entities and the amount of funds competing for suitable investments may increase. If we pay higher prices for investments or originate loans on more generous terms than our competitors, our returns will be lower and the value of our assets may decrease significantly below the amount we paid for such assets. If such events occur, you may experience a lower return on your investment.

A prolonged economic slowdown, a lengthy or severe recession or declining real estate values could harm our operations.

Many of our investments may be susceptible to economic slowdowns or recessions, which could lead to financial losses in our investments and a decrease in revenues, net income and assets. An economic slowdown or recession, in addition to other non-economic factors such as an excess supply of properties, could have a material negative impact on the values of real estate properties. Declining real estate values will likely reduce our level of new mortgage loan originations, since borrowers often use increases in the value of their existing properties to support the purchase or investment in additional properties. Borrowers may also be less able to pay principal and interest on our loans if the real estate economy weakens. Further, declining real estate values significantly increase the likelihood that we will incur losses on our Loans in the event of default because the value of our collateral may be insufficient to cover our cost on the Loan. Any sustained period of increased payment delinquencies, foreclosures or losses could adversely affect both our net interest income from Loans in our portfolio as well as our ability to originate loans, which would significantly harm our revenues, results of operations, financial condition, business prospects and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

Insurance may not cover all potential losses on the mortgaged properties, which may impair our security and harm the value of our assets.

We require that each of the Borrowers under our mortgage loan investments obtain reasonable insurance covering the mortgaged property, including liability, fire and extended coverage. However, there are certain types of losses, generally of a catastrophic nature, such as earthquakes, floods and hurricanes that may be uninsurable or not economically insurable. Inflation, changes in building codes and ordinances, environmental considerations, and other factors also might make it infeasible to use insurance proceeds to replace a property if it is damaged or destroyed. Under such circumstances, the insurance proceeds, if any, might not be adequate to restore the economic value of the mortgaged property, which might impair our security and decrease the value of the property securing a Loan.

A Borrower’s form of entity may cause special risks or hinder our recovery.

Since most of the Borrowers for our commercial real estate loan investments are legal entities rather than individuals, our risk of loss may be greater than those of mortgage loans made to individuals. Unlike individuals involved in bankruptcies, most of the entities generally do not have personal assets and creditworthiness at stake. The terms of the Loans generally require that the Borrowers covenant to be single-purpose entities, although in some instances the borrowers are not required to observe all covenants and conditions that typically are required in order for them to be viewed under standard rating agency criteria as “single-purpose entities”. Borrowers’ organizational documents or the terms of the mortgage loans may limit their activities to the ownership of only the related mortgaged property or properties and limit the borrowers’ ability to incur additional indebtedness. These provisions are designed to mitigate the possibility that the borrowers’ financial condition would be adversely impacted by factors unrelated to the mortgaged property and the mortgage loan in the pool.

The bankruptcy of a Borrower, or a general partner or managing member of a Borrower, may impair our ability to enforce our rights and remedies under the Loan Documents. Borrowers that are not single-purpose entities structured to limit the possibility of becoming insolvent or bankrupt, may be more likely to become insolvent or the subject of a voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy proceeding because such Borrowers may be (i) operating entities with a business distinct from the operation of the mortgaged property with the associated liabilities and risks of operating an ongoing business or (ii) individuals that have personal liabilities unrelated to the property.

We are exposed to environmental liabilities with respect to properties in foreclosure.

In the course of our business, we or our servicer may foreclose on real estate securing a Loan, and, if we do, we could be subject to environmental liabilities with respect to these properties. In such a circumstance, we may be held liable to a governmental entity or to third parties for property damage, personal injury, and investigation and clean-up costs incurred by these parties in connection with environmental contamination, or may be required to investigate or clean up hazardous or toxic substances, or chemical releases, at a property. The costs associated with investigation or remediation activities could be substantial. If we ever become subject to significant environmental liabilities, our business, financial condition, liquidity and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Real estate projects involve considerable risk, which may affect the Borrower’s ability to make payments under its Loan and our ability to collect interest and principal on a timely basis.

Real estate development projects are inherently risky, and the risks they involve may affect the Borrower’s ability to make payments under its Loan. The risks involved in real estate development projects include the following:

The risks associated with a particular investment will also vary depending on the type of Loan being financed and the terms negotiated with Borrowers. For example:

The success of the Project is dependent on the performance of third parties, including the Borrower and its Principal(s), over which we have no control.

We will issue a commercial loan to the Borrower to fund the Project. The Borrower owns and controls the Project and is responsible for various management functions that are essential to the success of the Project. The Principal(s) of that borrowing entity control and operate it. Poor management on the part of the Borrower, or its Principals, could adversely affect the financial performance of the Project or expose the Project to unanticipated operating risks, which could reduce the Project cash flow and adversely affect the Borrower’s ability to repay the Loan.

If the Borrower is unable to repay its obligations under the Loan, our servicer may foreclose on the real estate property. Although our servicer will seek out purchasers for the property on our behalf, it may have to take an active role in the management of the Project. Prospective investors should consider that we and very few members of our management have previously managed real estate development projects. No assurances can be given that we can operate the Project profitably.

Our Sponsor and Manager have limited experience in mortgage loan underwriting.

The Company and our Manager have no operating history and our Sponsor (with its affiliates) has a limited operating history. Our Sponsor and our Manager have limited experience in mortgage loan underwriting and a limited number of our Sponsor’s and Manager’s management teams has experience in mortgage loan underwriting and the founders of our Sponsor had no such experience at the time it began operations. See “Management Discussion and Analysis—Overview” and “Management—Biographies of Directors, Executive Officers and Significant Employees.” If the method adopted by our Sponsor for evaluating potential Projects to fund and for establishing interest rates for the corresponding Loans proves flawed, we may not receive the expected returns on the Loans in which we invest. Although the our Sponsor’s analysis is based upon certain quantifiable characteristics including leverage and asset value, there is no assurance that our Sponsor will accurately assess the risks associated with each Borrower or the underlying property or Project for which the Loan is being sought.

We do not take any specific actions to monitor how funds are spent after they have been disbursed to the Borrowers.

When we finance a Project, our primary assurance that the financing proceeds will be properly spent by the Borrower is the contractual covenants agreed to by the Borrower and the business history and reputation of the Borrower. However, we do not and cannot control how the Loan Proceeds will be used by Borrowers. Should the proceeds of a financing be diverted improperly, the Project might become insolvent, which could cause us to lose our investment in the Loan and reduce the amount of cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

This financing model is a new lending method and the Groundfloor Platform has a limited operating history. Borrowers may not view or treat their obligations to us as having the same significance as loans from traditional lending sources, such as bank loans, and the Loans may have a higher risk of default than loans of Borrowers with similar credit scores to other lenders.

Our expected investment return on the Loans depends on Borrowers making payments under their Loans in a timely and complete manner. Borrowers may not view their lending obligations originated on the Groundfloor Platform as having the same significance as other credit obligations arising under more traditional circumstances, such as loans from banks or other commercial financial institutions. If a Borrower neglects, or chooses not to meet, its payment obligations to us, we may not be able to recover some or all of the amounts advanced to the Borrower.

In a bankruptcy or similar proceeding of a Borrower, there may be uncertainty regarding our rights, if any, to access any remaining unallocated funds in the Borrower’s sub-account.

We deposit the Loan Proceeds not advanced to a Borrower in a sub-account held “for the benefit of” Borrowers. Under normal circumstances, in the event the corresponding Loan is discharged or cancelled before all Draws have been completed, we would retain any portion of the Loan Proceeds that were not disbursed to the Borrower. This may not occur in the event of the Borrower’s bankruptcy or other similar proceeding. We believe that amounts held in a Borrower’s sub-account could be subject to claims of such Borrower’s creditors in the event of its bankruptcy or other similar proceeding or such funds could be used by a debtor in possession to fund its ongoing operations or reorganization. Although we typically would have the senior lien on the underlying assets, and therefore should have first priority to receive the funds out of the insolvent Borrower’s estate arising from that lien, we expect that our ability to disburse funds out of the Borrower’s sub-account may be prevented by a court and at a minimum will be significantly delayed while we seek a court order lifting the automatic stay or other such relief permitting us to withdraw the funds. Our ability to retrieve such funds may be even more tenuous in the event we have taken a second or junior lien on the underlying assets. As such, we may never receive or may suffer delays in receiving such funds in the event of a Borrower’s bankruptcy or similar proceeding.

Economic recessions or downturns may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Economic recessions or downturns may result in a prolonged period of market illiquidity, which could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Unfavorable economic conditions also could reduce investments on the Groundfloor Platform by investors and engagement by real estate operators. Periods of economic slowdown or recession, significantly rising interest rates, declining employment levels, decreasing demand for real estate, or the public perception that any of these events may occur, have resulted in and could continue to result in a general decline in acquisition, disposition and leasing activity, as well as a general decline in the value of real estate and in rents. These events could adversely affect our demand among investors, which will impact our results of operations.

During an economic downturn, it may also take longer to, or there may be an increased risk that we do not, collect interest and principal from Borrowers. As a result, the carrying value of such real estate investments may become impaired and we could record losses as a result of such impairment or could experience reduced profitability related to declines in the value of our real estate-related investments. These events could adversely affect our performance and, in turn, our business, and negatively impact our results of operations.

Negative general economic conditions could continue to reduce the overall amount of activity in the real estate industry, and hence the demand for Loans, which may in turn adversely affect our revenues. We are unable to predict the likely duration and severity of any disruption in financial markets and adverse economic conditions in the United States and other countries.

Further downgrades of the U.S. credit rating, impending automatic spending cuts or a government shutdown could negatively impact our liquidity, financial condition and earnings.

Recent U.S. debt ceiling and budget deficit concerns have increased the possibility of additional credit rating downgrades and economic slowdowns, or a recession in the United States. Although U.S. lawmakers passed legislation to raise the federal debt ceiling on multiple occasions, ratings agencies have lowered or threatened to lower the long-term sovereign credit rating on the United States. The impact of this or any further downgrades to the U.S. government’s sovereign credit rating or its perceived creditworthiness could adversely affect the United States and global financial markets and economic conditions. With the improvement of the U.S. economy, the Federal Reserve may continue to raise interest rates, which would increase borrowing costs and may negatively impact the demand for Loans. In addition, disagreement over the federal budget has caused the U.S. federal government to essentially shut down for periods of time. Continued adverse political and economic conditions could have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Global economic, political and market conditions, as well as economic uncertainty caused by the recent outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19), may adversely affect our business, results of operations and financial condition.

The current worldwide financial market situation, various social and political tensions in the United States and around the world, and the recent public health crisis caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), may continue to contribute to increased market volatility, may have long-term effects on the United States and worldwide financial markets, and may cause further economic uncertainties or deterioration in the United States and worldwide. Economic uncertainty can have a negative impact on our business through changing spreads, structures and purchase multiples, as well as the overall supply of investment capital. Since 2010, several European Union, or EU, countries, including Greece, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and Portugal, have faced budget issues, some of which may have negative long-term effects for the economies of those countries and other EU countries. Additionally, the precise details and the resulting impact of the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU, commonly referred to as “Brexit”, are impossible to ascertain at this point. The effect on the United Kingdom’s economy will likely depend on the nature of trade relations with the EU following its exit, a matter to be negotiated. The decision may cause increased volatility and have a significant adverse impact on world financial markets, other international trade agreements, and the United Kingdom and European economies, as well as the broader global economy for some time. Further, there is continued concern about national-level support for the Euro and the accompanying coordination of fiscal and wage policy among European Economic and Monetary Union member countries. In addition, the fiscal policy of foreign nations, such as China, may have a severe impact on the worldwide and United States financial markets. Finally, public health crises, pandemics and epidemics, such as those caused by new strains of viruses such as H5N1 (avian flu), severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and, most recently, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), are expected to increase as international travel continues to rise and could adversely impact our business by interrupting business, supply chains and transactional activities, disrupting travel, and negatively impacting local, national or global economies. We do not know how long the financial markets will continue to be affected by these events and cannot predict the effects of these or similar events in the future on the United States economy and securities markets or on our investments. As a result of these factors, there can be no assurance that we will be able to successfully monitor developments and manage our investments in a manner consistent with achieving our investment objectives.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and measures intended to prevent its spread could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations, cash flows and financial condition.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused, and is likely to continue to cause, severe economic, market and other disruptions worldwide. We cannot assure you that conditions in the bank lending, capital and other financial markets will not continue to deteriorate as a result of the pandemic, or that our access to capital and other sources of funding will not become constrained, which could adversely affect the availability and terms of future borrowings, renewals or refinancings or our ability to originate or acquire Loans. In addition, the deterioration of global economic conditions as a result of the pandemic may ultimately decrease the demand for Loans and may cause one or more of Borrowers to be unable to meet their obligations to us in full, or at all, or to otherwise seek modifications of such obligations. In addition, governmental authorities may enact laws that will prevent us from taking action against Borrowers who do not pay interest or principal as required by their Loan Documents.

The extent of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on our operational and financial performance will depend on future developments, including the duration, spread and intensity of the outbreak, all of which are uncertain and difficult to predict. Due to the speed with which the situation is developing, we are not able at this time to estimate the effect of these factors on our business, but the adverse impact on our business, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows could be material.

Our shareholders do not elect or vote on our Manager and have limited ability to influence decisions regarding our business.

Our operating agreement provides that the assets, affairs and business of our Company are managed under the direction of our Manager. Our shareholders do not elect or vote on our Manager, and, unlike the holders of common shares in a corporation, have only limited voting rights on matters affecting our business, and therefore limited ability to influence decisions regarding our business. In addition, our operating agreement provides that the Manager generally operates in a manner that is appropriate to maintain our REIT status, which may further limit decisions regarding our business.

Our common shareholders have limited voting rights and may be bound by either a majority or supermajority vote.

Our common shareholders have voting rights only with respect to certain matters, primarily relating to amendments to our operating agreement that would adversely change the rights of the common shares, removal of our Manager for “cause”, and the dissolution of the issuer (only if the Manager has been removed for “cause”). Each outstanding common share entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of common shareholders. Generally, matters to be voted on by our shareholders must be approved by a majority of the votes cast by all common shares present in person or represented by proxy, although the vote to remove the Manager for “cause” requires a two-thirds vote. If any vote occurs, you will be bound by the majority or supermajority vote, as applicable, even if you did not vote with the majority or supermajority.

As a non-listed company conducting an exempt offering pursuant to Regulation A, we are not subject to a number of corporate governance requirements, including the requirements for a board of directors or independent board committees.

As a non-listed company conducting an exempt offering pursuant to Regulation A, we are not subject to a number of corporate governance requirements that an issuer conducting an offering on Form S-11 or listing on a NSE would be. Accordingly, we do not have a board of directors, nor are we required to have (i) a board of directors of which a majority consists of “independent” directors under the listing standards of a NSE, (ii) an audit committee composed entirely of independent directors and a written audit committee charter meeting a NSE’s requirements, (iii) a nominating/corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors and a written nominating/corporate governance committee charter meeting a NSE’s requirements, (iv) a compensation committee composed entirely of independent directors and a written compensation committee charter meeting the requirements of a NSE, and (v) independent audits of our internal controls. Accordingly, you may not have the same protections afforded to shareholders of companies that are subject to all of the corporate governance requirements of a NSE.

As our Sponsor establishes additional REIT offerings and other Groundfloor Platform investment opportunities in the future, there may be conflicts of interests among the various REIT offerings and other programs, which may result in opportunities that would benefit our Company being allocated to the other offerings.

Our Sponsor has in the past, and expects to continue in the future, to establish and sponsor additional REIT offerings and other programs, and to continue to offer investment opportunities primarily through the Groundfloor Platform, including offerings that will acquire or invest in commercial real estate loans and other real estate-related assets. Our Sponsor has previously organized, as of the date of this Offering Circular, the following similar programs:

These additional Groundfloor Platform investment opportunities may have investment criteria that compete with us. If a sale, financing, investment or other business opportunity would be suitable for more than one investment opportunity, our Sponsor and its officers and directors will allocate it using their business judgment. Any allocation of this type may involve the consideration of a number of factors that our Sponsor and its officers and directors determine to be relevant. Except under any policies that may be adopted by our Manager or Sponsor, no Groundfloor Platform investment opportunity (including us) will have any duty, responsibility or obligation to refrain from:

In addition, any decisions by our Sponsor or Manager to renew, extend, modify or terminate an agreement or arrangement, or enter into similar agreements or arrangements in the future, may benefit one Groundfloor Platform investment opportunity more than another or limit or impair the ability of any Groundfloor Platform investment opportunity to pursue business opportunities. In addition, third parties may require as a condition to their arrangements or agreements with or related to any one particular Groundfloor Platform investment opportunity that such arrangements or agreements include or not include another Groundfloor Platform investment opportunity, as the case may be. Any of these decisions may benefit one Groundfloor Platform investment opportunity more than another.

The conflicts of interest policies we have adopted may not adequately address all of the conflicts of interest that may arise with respect to our activities and are subject to change or suspension.

In order to avoid any actual or perceived conflicts of interest among the Groundfloor Platform investment opportunities and with our Manager’s directors, officers and affiliates, we have adopted a conflicts of interest policy to specifically address some of the conflicts relating to our activities. There is no assurance that these policies will be adequate to address all of the conflicts that may arise or will address such conflicts in a manner that is favorable to our Company. Our Manager may modify, suspend or rescind the policies set forth in the conflicts policy, including any resolution implementing the provisions of the conflicts policy, in each case, without a vote of our shareholders.

Certain provisions of our operating agreement and Delaware law could hinder, delay or prevent a change of control of our Company.

Certain provisions of our operating agreement and Delaware law could have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing transactions that involve an actual or threatened change of control of our Company. These provisions include the following:

The offering price of our shares was not established on an independent basis; the actual value of your investment may be substantially less than what you pay. When determining the estimated value of our shares, the value of our shares has been and will be based upon a number of assumptions that may not be accurate or complete.

Our Manager established the initial offering price of our shares on an arbitrary basis. Because the offering price is not based upon any independent valuation, the offering price may not be indicative of the proceeds that you would receive upon liquidation. Further, the offering price may be significantly more than the price at which the shares would trade if they were to be listed on a NSE or actively traded by broker-dealers.

Your interest in us will be diluted if we issue additional shares, which could reduce the overall value of your investment.

Potential investors in this offering do not have preemptive rights to any shares we issue in the future. Under our operating agreement, we have authority to issue an unlimited number of additional common shares or other securities, although, under Regulation A, we are only allowed to sell up to $75 million of our shares in any 12-month period (although we may raise capital in other ways). In particular, our Manager is authorized, subject to the restrictions of Regulation A and other applicable securities laws, to provide for the issuance of an unlimited amount of one or more classes or series of shares in our Company, including preferred shares, and to fix the number of shares, the relative powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions applicable to each class or series thereof by resolution authorizing the issuance of such class or series, without shareholder approval. After your purchase in this offering, our Manager may elect to (i) sell additional shares in this or future public offerings, (ii) issue equity interests in private offerings, or (iii) issue shares to our Manager, or its successors or assigns, in payment of an outstanding fee obligation. To the extent we issue additional equity interests after your purchase in this offering, your percentage ownership interest in us will be diluted. In addition, depending upon the terms and pricing of any additional offerings and the value of our investments, you may also experience dilution in the book value and fair value of your shares.

By purchasing shares in this offering, you are bound by the arbitration provision contained in our subscription agreement which limit your ability to bring class action lawsuits or seek remedy on a class basis, including with respect to securities law claims.

By purchasing shares in this offering, investors agree to be bound by the arbitration provision contained in our subscription agreement (the “Arbitration Provision”). Such Arbitration Provision applies to claims under the U.S. federal securities laws and to all claims that are related to the Company, including with respect to this Offering, our holdings, our common shares, our ongoing operations and the management of our investments, among other matters and limit the ability of investors to bring class action lawsuits or similarly seek remedy on a class basis.

By agreeing to be subject to the Arbitration Provision, you are severely limiting your rights to seek redress against us in court. For example, you may not be able to pursue litigation for any claim in state or federal courts against us, our Manager, our Sponsor, or their respective directors or officers, including with respect to securities law claims, and any awards or remedies determined by the arbitrators may not be appealed. In addition, arbitration rules generally limit discovery, which could impede your ability to bring or sustain claims, and the ability to collect attorneys’ fees or other damages may be limited in the arbitration, which may discourage attorneys from agreeing to represent parties wishing to commence such a proceeding.

Specifically, the Arbitration Provision provides that either party may, at its sole election, require that the sole and exclusive forum and remedy for resolution of a claim be final and binding arbitration. We have not determined whether we will exercise our right to demand arbitration but reserve the right to make that determination on a case by case basis as claims arise. In this regard, the Arbitration Provision is similar to a binding arbitration provision as we are likely to invoke the Arbitration Provision to the fullest extent permissible.

Any arbitration brought pursuant to the Arbitration Provision must be conducted in the State of Georgia. The term “Claim” as used in the Arbitration Provision is very broad and includes any past, present, or future claim, dispute, or controversy involving you (or persons claiming through or connected with you), on the one hand, and us (or persons claiming through or connected with us), on the other hand, relating to or arising out of your subscription agreement, the Groundfloor Platform, and/or the activities or relationships that involve, lead to, or result from any of the foregoing, including (except an individual Claim that you may bring in Small Claims Court or an equivalent court, if any, so long as the Claim is pending only in that court) the validity or enforceability of the Arbitration Provision, any part thereof, or the entire subscription agreement. Claims are subject to arbitration regardless of whether they arise from contract; tort (intentional or otherwise); a constitution, statute, common law, or principles of equity; or otherwise. Claims include (without limitation) matters arising as initial claims, counter-claims, cross-claims, third-party claims, or otherwise. The scope of the Arbitration Provision is to be given the broadest possible interpretation that will permit it to be enforceable. Based on discussions with and research performed by the Company’s counsel, we believe that the Arbitration Provision is enforceable under federal law, the laws of the State of Delaware, the laws of the State of Georgia, or under any other applicable laws or regulations. However, the issue of enforceability is not free from doubt and to the extent that one or more of the provisions in our subscription agreement with respect to the Arbitration Provision or otherwise requiring you to waive certain rights were to be found by a court to be unenforceable, we would abide by such decision.

Further, potential investors should consider that our subscription agreement restricts the ability of our shareholders to bring class action lawsuits or to similarly seek remedy on a class basis, unless otherwise consented to by us. These restrictions on the ability to bring a class action lawsuit are likely to result in increased costs, both in terms of time and money, to individual investors who wish to pursue claims against us.

BY AGREEING TO BE SUBJECT TO THE ARBITRATION PROVISION, INVESTORS WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO WAIVE THE COMPANY’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS AND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED THEREUNDER.

By purchasing shares in this offering, you are bound by the provisions contained in our subscription agreement that require you to waive your rights to request to review and obtain information relating to the Company, including, but not limited to, names and contact information of our shareholders.

By purchasing shares in this offering, investors agree to be bound by the provisions contained in our subscription agreement (the “Waiver Provision”). The Waiver Provision limits the ability of our shareholders to make a request to review and obtain information relating to and maintained by the Company and the Groundfloor Platform, including, but not limited to, names and contact information of our shareholders, information listed in Section 18-305 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, as amended, and any other information deemed to be confidential by the Manager in its sole discretion.

Through the Company’s required public filing disclosures, periodic reports and obligation to provide annual reports and tax information to its shareholders, much of the information listed in Section 18-305 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act will be available to shareholders notwithstanding the Waiver Provision. While the intent of the Waiver Provision is to protect your personally identifiable information from being disclosed pursuant to Section 18-305, by agreeing to be subject to the Waiver Provision, you are severely limiting your right to seek access to the personally identifiable information of other shareholders, such as names, addresses and other information about shareholders and the Company that the Manager deems to be confidential. As a result, the Waiver Provision could impede your ability to communicate with other shareholders, and such provisions, on their own, or together with the effect of the Arbitration Provision, may impede your ability to bring or sustain claims against the Company, including under applicable securities laws.

Based on discussions with and research performed by the Company’s counsel, we believe that the Waiver Provision is enforceable under federal law, the laws of the State of Delaware, the laws of the State of Georgia, or under any other applicable laws or regulations. However, the issue of enforceability is not free from doubt and to the extent that one or more of the provisions in our subscription agreement with respect to the Waiver Provision were to be found by a court to be unenforceable, we would abide by such decision.

BY AGREEING TO BE SUBJECT TO THE WAIVER PROVISION, INVESTORS WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO WAIVE THE COMPANY’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS AND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED THEREUNDER.

By purchasing shares in this offering, you are bound by the jury waiver provisions contained in our subscription agreement, which require you to waive your right to a trial by a jury for those matters that are not otherwise subject to the arbitration provisions, including with respect to securities law claims.

By purchasing shares in this offering, investors agree to be bound by the jury waiver provisions contained in our subscription agreement and our bylaws. Such jury waiver provisions apply to claims under the U.S. federal securities laws and to all claims that are related to the Company, including with respect to this Offering, our shares, our holdings, our ongoing operations and the management of our investments, among other matters, and means that you are waiving your rights to a trial by jury with respect to such claims.

Based on discussions with and research performed by our counsel, we believe that the jury waiver provisions are enforceable under federal law, the laws of the State of Delaware, the laws of the State of Georgia, or under any other applicable laws or regulations. However, the issue of enforceability is not free from doubt and to the extent that one or more of the provisions in our subscription agreement or our bylaws with respect to the jury waiver provisions were to be found by a court to be unenforceable, we would abide by such decision.

BY AGREEING TO BE SUBJECT TO THE JURY WAIVER PROVISIONS, INVESTORS WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO WAIVE THE COMPANY’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS AND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED THEREUNDER.

Failure to qualify as a REIT would cause us to be taxed as a regular corporation, which would substantially reduce funds available for distributions to our shareholders.

We believe that our organization, prior and proposed ownership and method of operation have enabled us, and will continue to enable us, to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT. However, we cannot assure you that we will qualify (or continue to qualify) as such. This is because qualification as a REIT involves the application of highly technical and complex provisions of the Code as to which there are only limited judicial and administrative interpretations and involves the determination of facts and circumstances not entirely within our control. Future legislation, new regulations, administrative interpretations or court decisions may significantly change the tax laws or the application of the tax laws with respect to qualification as a REIT or the U.S. federal income tax consequences of such qualification.

If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year, we will face serious tax consequences that will substantially reduce the funds available for distributions to our shareholders because:

In addition, if we fail to qualify as a REIT, we will no longer be required to make distributions. As a result of all these factors, our failure to qualify as a REIT could impair our ability to expand our business and raise capital, and it would adversely affect the value of our common shares. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations” for a discussion of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to us and our common shares.

Even if we qualify as a REIT, we may owe other taxes that will reduce our cash flows.

Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, we may be subject to certain U.S. federal, state and local taxes on our income and assets, on taxable income that we do not distribute to our shareholders, on net income from certain “prohibited transactions”, and on income from some activities conducted as a result of a foreclosure, and state or local income, property and transfer taxes. For example, to the extent we satisfy the 90% distribution requirement but distribute less than 100% of our REIT taxable income, we will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our undistributed taxable income and gains. We also will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax if the actual amount that we distribute to our shareholders in a calendar year is less than a minimum amount specified under the Code. As another example, we are subject to a 100% “prohibited transaction” tax on any gain from a sale of property that is characterized as held for sale, rather than investment, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, unless we comply with a statutory safe harbor or earn the gain through a taxable REIT subsidiary (“TRS”). Further, any TRS that we establish will be subject to regular corporate U.S. federal, state and local taxes. Any of these taxes would decrease cash available for distribution to shareholders.

REIT distribution requirements could adversely affect our liquidity and may force us to borrow funds during unfavorable market conditions.

In order to maintain our REIT status and to meet the REIT distribution requirements, we may need to borrow funds on a short-term basis or sell assets, even if the then-prevailing market conditions are not favorable for these borrowings or sales. In addition, we may need to reserve cash (including proceeds from this offering) to satisfy our REIT distribution requirements, even though there are attractive investment opportunities that may be available. To qualify as a REIT, we generally must distribute to our shareholders at least 90% of our net taxable income each year, excluding capital gains. In addition, we will be subject to corporate income tax to the extent we distribute less than 100% of our taxable income including any net capital gain. We intend to make distributions to our shareholders to comply with the requirements of the Code for REITs and to minimize or eliminate our corporate income tax obligation to the extent consistent with our business objectives. Our cash flows from operations may be insufficient to fund required distributions, for example as a result of differences in timing between the actual receipt of income and the recognition of income for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the effect of non-deductible capital expenditures, limitations on interest expense and net operating loss deductibility, the creation of reserves or required debt service or amortization payments. We generally will be required to accrue income from mortgage loans and other types of debt instruments currently over the term of the asset, even if we do not receive the cash payments corresponding to such income until later periods. Thus, all or a part of the anticipated increase in yield on the loans we hold that are attributable to deferred interest, exit fees and/or equity participation features generally must be accrued currently notwithstanding that the corresponding cash payment is deferred or uncertain. The insufficiency of our cash flows to cover our distribution requirements could have an adverse impact on our ability to raise short- and long-term debt or sell equity securities in order to fund distributions required to maintain our REIT status. In addition, we will be subject to a 4% nondeductible excise tax on the amount, if any, by which distributions paid by us in any calendar year are less than the sum of 85% of our ordinary income, 95% of our capital gain net income and 100% of our undistributed income from prior years. To address and/or mitigate some of these issues, we may make taxable distributions that are in part paid in cash and in part paid in our common shares. In such cases our shareholders may have tax liabilities from such distributions in excess of the cash they receive. The treatment of such taxable share distributions is not clear, and it is possible the taxable share distribution will not count towards our distribution requirement, in which case adverse consequences could apply.

If we fail to invest a sufficient amount of the net proceeds from selling our common shares in real estate assets within one year from the receipt of the proceeds, we could fail to qualify as a REIT.

Temporary investment of the net proceeds from sales of our common shares in short-term securities and income from such investment generally will allow us to satisfy various REIT income and asset requirements, but only during the one-year period beginning on the date we receive the net proceeds. If we are unable to invest a sufficient amount of the net proceeds from sales of our common shares in qualifying real estate assets within such one-year period, we could fail to satisfy one or more of the gross income or asset tests and/or we could be limited to investing all or a portion of any remaining funds in cash or cash equivalents. If we fail to satisfy any such income or asset test, unless we are entitled to relief under certain provisions of the Code, we could fail to qualify as a REIT. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”.

Any TRS we form will be subject to U.S. federal, state and local income tax on its taxable income. Accordingly, although our ownership of any TRSs may allow us to participate in the operating income from certain activities that we could not participate in without violating the REIT income tests requirements of the Code or incurring the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions, the TRS through which we earn such operating income or gain will be fully subject to corporate income tax. The after-tax net income of any TRS would be available for distribution to us; however, any dividends received by us from our domestic TRSs will only be qualifying income for the 95% gross income test, not the 75% gross income test.

Although our use of TRSs may partially mitigate the impact of meeting certain requirements necessary to maintain our qualification as a REIT, there are limits on our ability to own and engage in transactions with TRSs, and a failure to comply with the limits would jeopardize our REIT qualification and may result in the application of a 100% excise tax.

A REIT may own up to 100% of the stock or securities of one or more TRSs. A TRS may hold assets and earn income that would not be qualifying assets or income if held or earned directly by a REIT. A TRS also may sell assets without incurring the 100% tax on prohibited transactions. Both the subsidiary and the REIT must jointly elect to treat the subsidiary as a TRS. A corporation of which a TRS directly or indirectly owns more than 35% of the voting power or value of the stock will automatically be treated as a TRS. Overall, no more than 20% of the value of a REIT’s assets may consist of stock or securities of one or more TRSs. The rules also impose a 100% excise tax on certain transactions between a TRS and its parent REIT that are not conducted on an arm’s-length basis. We may jointly elect with one or more subsidiaries for those subsidiaries to be treated as TRSs for U.S. federal income tax purposes. These TRSs will pay U.S. federal, state and local income tax on their taxable income, and their after-tax net income will be available for distribution to us but is not required to be distributed to us. We will monitor the value of our respective investments in any TRSs we may form for the purpose of ensuring compliance with TRS ownership limitations and intend to structure our transactions with any such TRSs on terms that we believe are arm’s-length to avoid incurring the 100% excise tax described above. There can be no assurance, however, that we will be able to comply with the 20% TRS limitation or to avoid application of the 100% excise tax.

Dividends payable by REITs generally do not qualify for reduced tax rates under current law.

The maximum U.S. federal income tax rate for certain qualified dividends payable to U.S. shareholders that are individuals, trusts and estates generally is 20%. Dividends payable by REITs, however, are generally not eligible for the reduced rates and therefore may be subject to a 37% maximum U.S. federal income tax rate on ordinary income when paid to such shareholders. The more favorable rates applicable to regular corporate dividends under current law could cause investors who are individuals, trusts and estates or are otherwise sensitive to these lower rates to perceive investments in REITs to be relatively less attractive than investments in the stocks of non-REIT corporations that pay dividends, which could adversely affect the value of the stock of REITs, including our common shares. However, for taxable years beginning before January 1, 2026, non-corporate taxpayers may deduct 20% of “qualified REIT dividends”. Qualified REIT dividends eligible for this deduction generally will include our dividends received by a non-corporate U.S. stockholder that we do not designate as capital gain dividends and that are not qualified dividend income.

Complying with REIT requirements may cause us to forego otherwise attractive opportunities or to liquidate otherwise attractive investments.

To qualify as a REIT, we must continually satisfy tests concerning, among other things, the sources of our income, the nature and diversification of our assets, the amounts we distribute to our shareholders and the ownership of our shares. We may be required to make distributions to our shareholders at disadvantageous times or when we do not have funds readily available for distribution. Thus, compliance with the REIT requirements may, for instance, hinder our ability to make certain otherwise attractive investments or undertake other activities that might otherwise be beneficial to us and our shareholders, or may require us to borrow or liquidate investments in unfavorable market conditions and, therefore, may hinder our investment performance. As a REIT, at the end of each calendar quarter, at least 75% of the value of our assets must consist of cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities and qualified “real estate assets”. The remainder of our investments in securities (other than cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities issued by a TRS and qualified real estate assets) generally cannot include more than 10% of the outstanding voting securities of any one issuer or more than 10% of the total value of the outstanding securities of any one issuer. In addition, in general, no more than 5% of the value of our total assets (other than cash, cash items, U.S. Government securities, securities issued by a TRS and qualified real estate assets) can consist of the securities of any one issuer, no more than 20% of the value of our total securities can be represented by securities of one or more TRSs, and no more than 25% of the value of our total assets may be represented by debt instruments of publicly offered REITs that are not secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property. After meeting these requirements at the close of a calendar quarter, if we fail to comply with these requirements at the end of any subsequent calendar quarter, we must correct the failure within 30 days after the end of the calendar quarter or qualify for certain statutory relief provisions to avoid losing our REIT qualification. As a result, we may be required to liquidate from our portfolio or forego otherwise attractive investments. These actions could have the effect of reducing our income and amounts available for distribution to our shareholders.

You may be restricted from acquiring, transferring or redeeming certain amounts of our common shares.

In order to maintain our REIT qualification, among other requirements, no more than 50% in value of our outstanding shares may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals, as defined in the Code to include certain kinds of entities, during the last half of any taxable year, other than the first year for which a REIT election is made. To assist us in qualifying as a REIT, our operating agreement contains an aggregate share ownership limit and a common shares ownership limit. Generally, any of our shares owned by affiliated owners will be added together for purposes of the aggregate share ownership limit, and any common shares owned by affiliated owners will be added together for purposes of the common shares ownership limit.

If anyone attempts to transfer or own shares in a way that would violate the aggregate share ownership limit or the common shares ownership limit (or would prevent us from continuing to qualify as a REIT), unless such ownership limits have been waived by our Manager, those shares instead will be deemed transferred to a trust for the benefit of a charitable beneficiary and will be either redeemed by us or sold to a person whose ownership of the shares will not violate the aggregate share ownership limit or the common shares ownership limit and will not prevent us from qualifying as a REIT. If this transfer to a trust fails to prevent such a violation or our disqualification as a REIT, then the initial intended transfer or ownership will be null and void from the outset. Anyone who acquires or owns shares in violation of the aggregate share ownership limit or the common shares ownership limit, unless such ownership limit or limits have been waived by our Manager, or the other restrictions on transfer or ownership in our operating agreement, bears the risk of a financial loss when the shares are sold.

The IRS may take the position that gains from sales of property are subject to a 100% prohibited transaction tax.

We may have to sell assets from time to time to satisfy our REIT distribution requirements, to satisfy other REIT requirements or for other purposes. It is possible that the IRS may take the position that one or more sales of our properties may be a prohibited transaction, which is a sale of property held by us primarily for sale in the ordinary course of our trade or business. If we are deemed to have engaged in a prohibited transaction, our gain from such sale would be subject to a 100% tax. The Code sets forth a safe harbor under which a REIT may, under certain circumstances, sell property without risking the imposition of the 100% tax, but there is no assurance that we will be able to qualify for the safe harbor. We do not intend to hold property for sale in the ordinary course of business, but there is no assurance that the IRS will not challenge our position, especially if we make frequent sales or sales of property in which we have short holding periods. For example, we could be subject to this tax if we were to dispose of or securitize loans (or portions thereof) in a manner that was treated as a sale of the loans for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Therefore, in order to avoid the prohibited transactions tax, we may choose not to engage in certain sales of loans at the REIT level (and may conduct such sales through a TRS), and may limit the structures we utilize for any securitization transactions, even though the sales or structures might otherwise be beneficial to us.

Our qualification as a REIT and avoidance of 100% tax may depend on the characterization of loans that we make as debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

For U.S. federal income tax purposes, the IRS or a court may treat a loan with sufficient equity characteristics as equity for tax purposes. We may obtain equity participation rights with respect to our loans, and we may make loans with relatively high loan-to-value ratios and/or high yields, which are among the features that can cause a loan to be treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Although we intend to structure each of our loans so that the loan should be respected as debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it is possible that the IRS or a court could disagree and seek to recharacterize the loan as equity. Recharacterization of one of our loans as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes generally would require us to include our share of the gross assets and gross income of the Borrower in our REIT asset and income tests. Inclusion of such items could jeopardize our REIT status. Moreover, to the extent our Borrowers hold their assets as dealer property or inventory, if we are treated as holding equity in a Borrower for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our share of gains from sales by the Borrower would be subject to the 100% tax on prohibited transactions (except to the extent earned through a TRS).

The failure of a loan to qualify as an obligation secured by a mortgage on real property within the meaning of the REIT rules could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT.

We may make investments in loans whose qualification as a real estate mortgage loan for REIT purposes is uncertain or which are treated in part as qualifying mortgage loans and in part as unsecured loans. The failure of a loan that we treated as a qualifying mortgage loan to qualify as such for REIT purposes could cause us to fail one or more of the REIT income or asset tests, and thereby cause us to fail to qualify as a REIT unless certain relief provisions also apply.

In general, interest income accrued on a loan that is secured by real property and personal property during a taxable year constitutes qualifying mortgage interest in its entirety for purposes of the 75% gross income test only if the loan is secured by a mortgage on real property with a value (at the time we committed to acquire the loan) at least equal to the highest outstanding principal amount of the loan during such taxable year. In the case of loans to improve or develop real property, the value of the real property collateral when we commit to acquire a loan is deemed to include the reasonably estimated cost of the improvements or developments (other than personal property) which will secure the loan and which will be constructed from the proceeds of the loan. Subject to an exemption discussed in “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations – Gross Income Tests – Interest Income”, if the outstanding principal balance of a mortgage loan during the taxable year exceeds the deemed value of the real property securing the loan at the time we committed to acquire the loan, a portion of the interest accrued during the year will not be qualifying mortgage interest for the 75% gross income test and a portion of such loan likely will not be a qualifying real estate asset. In that case, we could earn income that is not qualifying for the 75% gross income test and be treated as holding a non-real estate investment in whole or part, which could result in our failure to qualify as a REIT. However, a mortgage loan secured by both real property and personal property will be treated as a wholly qualifying real estate asset and all interest will be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, even if the real property collateral value is less than the outstanding principal balance of the loan.

The “taxable mortgage pool” rules may increase the taxes that we or our shareholders may incur, and may limit the manner in which we effect future securitizations.

Any borrowings incurred by us could result in the creation of taxable mortgage pools for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Except as provided below, we generally would not be adversely affected by the characterization as a taxable mortgage pool so long as we own 100% of the equity interests in a taxable mortgage pool. Certain categories of shareholders, however, such as non-U.S. shareholders eligible for treaty or other benefits, shareholders with net operating losses, and certain U.S. tax-exempt shareholders that are subject to unrelated business income tax, could be subject to increased taxes on a portion of their dividend income from us that is attributable to the taxable mortgage pool. In addition, to the extent that our shares are owned by tax-exempt “disqualified organizations”, such as certain government-related entities and charitable remainder trusts that are not subject to tax on unrelated business income, we may incur a corporate level tax on a portion of our income from the taxable mortgage pool. In that case, we may reduce the amount of our distributions to any disqualified organization whose share ownership gave rise to the tax. Moreover, we would be precluded from selling equity interests in these securitizations to outside investors, or selling any debt securities issued in connection with these securitizations that might be considered to be equity interests for U.S. federal income tax purposes. These limitations may prevent us from using certain techniques to maximize our returns from securitization transactions.

The ability of our Manager to revoke our REIT qualification without shareholder approval may cause adverse consequences to our shareholders.

Our operating agreement provides that our Manager may revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without the approval of our shareholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interest to qualify as a REIT. If we cease to be a REIT, we will not be allowed a deduction for dividends paid to shareholders in computing our taxable income and will be subject to U.S. federal income tax at regular corporate rates, as well as state and local taxes, which may have adverse consequences on our total return to our shareholders.

Legislative or regulatory action related to federal income tax laws could adversely affect our shareholders and/or our business.

On December 22, 2017, the TCJA was enacted. The TCJA makes major changes to the Code, including a number of provisions of the Code that affect the taxation of REITs and their stockholders. Among the changes made by the TCJA are (i) permanently reducing the generally applicable corporate tax rate, (ii) generally reducing the tax rate applicable to individuals and other non-corporate taxpayers for tax years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, (iii) eliminating or modifying certain previously allowed deductions (including substantially limiting interest deductibility and, for individuals, the deduction for non-business state and local taxes), and (iv) for taxable years beginning after December 31, 2017 and before January 1, 2026, providing for preferential rates of taxation through a deduction of up to 20% (subject to certain limitations) on most ordinary REIT dividends and certain trade or business income of non-corporate taxpayers. The TCJA also imposes new limitations on the deduction of net operating losses, which may result in us having to make additional taxable distributions to our stockholders in order to comply with REIT distribution requirements or avoid taxes on retained income and gains. The effect of the significant changes made by the TCJA is highly uncertain, and administrative guidance will be required in order to fully evaluate the effect of many provisions. The effect of any technical corrections with respect to the TCJA could have an adverse effect on us or our shareholders. Investors should consult their tax advisors regarding the implications of the TCJA on their investment in our common shares.

In addition, in recent years, numerous legislative, judicial and administrative changes have been made to the federal income tax laws applicable to investments in REITs and similar entities. Additional changes to tax laws and regulations are likely to continue to occur in the future, and we cannot assure our shareholders that any such changes will not adversely affect the taxation of a shareholder or will not have an adverse effect on an investment in our common shares. Shareholders are urged to consult with their own tax advisors with respect to the potential effect that the TCJA or other legislative, regulatory or administrative developments and proposals could have on their investment in our shares.

A portion of our distributions may be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, which could reduce the basis of a shareholder’s investment in our common shares and may trigger taxable gain.

A portion of our distributions may be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes. As a general matter, a portion of our distributions will be treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes if the aggregate amount of our distributions for a year exceeds our current and accumulated earnings and profits for that year. To the extent that a distribution is treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it will reduce a holder’s adjusted tax basis in the holder’s shares, and to the extent that it exceeds the holder’s adjusted tax basis will be treated as gain resulting from a sale or exchange of such shares. See “Material U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations”.

An investment in us may not be suitable for tax-exempt U.S. investors, including IRAs. Tax-exempt U.S. investors should expect to recognize and be taxed on unrelated business taxable income (“UBTI”). If you are such a tax-exempt prospective investor, we strongly urge you to consult your own tax advisor with respect to the tax consequences to you of an investment in this Offering.

Our Manager and its affiliates have limited experience managing a portfolio of assets owned by a REIT.

REITs are subject to numerous complex requirements in order to maintain their REIT status, including income and asset composition tests. Our Manager and its affiliates have limited experience managing a portfolio in the manner intended to comply with such requirements. To the extent our Manager and its affiliates manage us in a manner that causes us to fail to qualify as a REIT, it could adversely affect the value of our common shares.

We are offering up to $75,000,000 in our common shares pursuant to this Offering Circular. Our common shares being offered hereby will be primarily offered by associated persons of ours through the Groundfloor Platform at www.groundfloor.com. In conducting this offering, such persons of Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC intend to rely on the exemption from registration contained in Exchange Act Rule 3a4-1. For additional information about the Groundfloor Platform, please see “Offering Summary—About the Groundfloor Platform.”

Our Sponsor previously acquired 5,000 common shares at a price equal to $1.00 per share in connection with our formation.

The Groundfloor Platform is not subject to the registration requirements of Section 304 of the JOBS Act because it does not offer and sell securities pursuant to Section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act, and, therefore, does not meet the definition of a “funding portal.”

This Offering Circular and supplements hereto will be furnished to prospective investors upon their request via electronic PDF format and will be available for viewing and download 24 hours per day, 7 days per week on the Groundfloor Platform website, as well as on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov.

In order to subscribe to purchase our common shares, a prospective investor must electronically complete, sign and deliver to us an executed subscription agreement like the one attached to this Offering Circular as Exhibit 4.1, and transfer funds into its Groundfloor Platform funding account by authorizing an electronic transfer using the ACH network from the investor’s designated and verified bank account to its funding account.

Settlement may occur up to 14 days after a prospective investor submits a subscription agreement, depending on the volume of subscriptions received. An investor will become a member of our Company, including for tax purposes, and the shares will be issued, as of the date of settlement. Settlement will not occur until an investor’s funds have cleared and the Manager accepts the investor as a member. The number of shares issued to an investor will be calculated based on the price per share in effect on the date we receive the subscription.

We reserve the right to reject any investor’s subscription in whole or in part for any reason, including if we determine in our sole and absolute discretion that such investor is not a “qualified purchaser” for purposes of Section 18(b)(4)(D)(ii) of the Securities Act. If the Offering terminates or if any prospective investor’s subscription is rejected, all funds received from such investors will be returned without interest or deduction.

To the extent that the funds are not ultimately received by us or are subsequently withdrawn by the subscriber, whether due to an ACH chargeback or otherwise, the subscription agreement will be considered terminated, and the subscriber will not be entitled to any shares subscribed for or dividends that may have accrued.

Our common shares are being offered and sold only to “qualified purchasers” (as defined in Regulation A). As a Tier 2 offering pursuant to Regulation A, this offering will be exempt from state “Blue Sky” law review, subject to certain state filing requirements and anti-fraud provisions, to the extent that our common shares offered hereby are offered and sold only to “qualified purchasers” or at a time when our common shares are listed on a NSE. “Qualified purchasers” include: (i) “accredited investors” under Rule 501(a) of Regulation D and (ii) all other investors so long as their investment in our common shares does not represent more than 10% of the greater of their annual income or net worth (for natural persons), or 10% of the greater of annual revenue or net assets at fiscal year-end (for non-natural persons). However, our common shares are being offered and sold only to those investors that are within the latter category (i.e., investors whose investment in our common shares does not represent more than 10% of the applicable amount), regardless of an investor’s status as an “accredited investor.” Accordingly, we reserve the right to reject any investor’s subscription in whole or in part for any reason, including if we determine in our sole and absolute discretion that such investor is not a “qualified purchaser” for purposes of Regulation A.

We will not issue certificates. Instead, our common shares will be recorded and maintained on our Company’s membership register.

Our common shares are generally freely transferable by our shareholders subject to any restrictions imposed by applicable securities laws or regulations, compliance with the transfer provisions of our operating agreement related to REIT compliance ownership limits and analogous regulatory compliance and receipt of appropriate documentation. The transfer of any our common shares in violation of the operating agreement will be deemed invalid, null and void, and of no force or effect. Any person to whom our common shares are attempted to be transferred in violation of the operating agreement will not be entitled to vote on matters coming before the shareholders, receive distributions from our Company or have any other rights in or with respect to our common shares. We will not have the ability to reject a transfer of our common shares where all applicable transfer requirements, including those imposed under the transfer provisions of our operating agreement, are satisfied.

In addition to this Offering Circular, subject to limitations imposed by applicable securities laws, we expect to use additional advertising, sales and other promotional materials in connection with this offering. These materials may include information relating to this offering, the past performance of our Sponsor and its affiliates, property brochures, articles and publications concerning real estate, or public advertisements and audio-visual materials, in each case only as authorized by us. In addition, the sales material may contain certain quotes from various publications without obtaining the consent of the author or the publication for use of the quoted material in the sales material. Although these materials will not contain information in conflict with the information provided by this Offering Circular and will be prepared with a view to presenting a balanced discussion of risk and reward with respect to our common shares, these materials will not give a complete understanding of this Offering, us or our common shares and are not to be considered part of this Offering Circular. This Offering is made only by means of this Offering Circular and prospective investors must read and rely on the information provided in this Offering Circular in connection with their decision to invest in our common shares.

You must register on the Groundfloor Platform and create a funding account maintained on the Groundfloor Platform before you can purchase any of our common shares. This funding account is a non-interest bearing demand deposit pooled account currently established at Truist Bank “for the benefit of” all investors on the Groundfloor Platform (the “Investor FBO Account”). Our Sponsor may change the bank where the Investor FBO Account is maintained at any time without prior notice to investors (our Sponsor will post the name and address of the institution where it maintains the Investor FBO Account on the Groundfloor Platform and notify investors by email in the event the institution where any Investor FBO Account is maintained is changed).

Each investor may transfer funds into its Groundfloor account by authorizing an electronic transfer using the ACH network from the investor’s designated and verified bank account (or other means that may be permitted by the Sponsor’s funds transfer agent (as defined below)) to its funding account. Any distributions we make on our common shares will also be deposited directly into your funding account.

Each investor can view its cash positions in their funding account (i.e., the Investor FBO Account), through an “Investor Dashboard” maintained on the Groundfloor Platform. These website features are effectively virtual sub-accounts. These recordkeeping sub-accounts are purely administrative and reflect balances and transactions concerning the funds in an investor’s Investor FBO Account. The Investor Dashboard allows investors to track and report funds committed to purchase our common shares or other investments through the Groundfloor Platform, as well as distributions on our common shares, and to withdraw non-binding commitments or uncommitted funds from its Groundfloor account.

Investors seeking to purchase our common shares who satisfy the “qualified purchaser” standards should proceed as follows:

By executing the subscription agreement and paying the total purchase price for our common shares subscribed for, each investor agrees to accept the terms of the subscription agreement and attests that the investor meets the minimum standards of a “qualified purchaser”, and that such subscription for common shares does not exceed 10% of the greater of such investor’s annual income or net worth (for natural persons), or 10% of the greater of annual revenue or net assets at fiscal year-end (for non-natural persons). Subscriptions will be binding upon investors but will be effective only upon our acceptance and we reserve the right to reject any subscription in whole or in part.

We will offer common shares in this Offering for a period of six (6) months from the date of commencement of this Offering after qualification or until we raise the maximum amount being offered, whichever occurs earlier, but there is no guarantee that any amount of our common shares will be sold. This Offering will commence on the date on which the Offering is qualified by the SEC. We reserve the right to terminate or extend the Offering for any reason at any time. Subscriptions will be accepted on a rolling basis and, once received, are irrevocable by investors but can be rejected by us prior to acceptance. Subscriptions will be binding upon investors and will be accepted or rejected within 14 days of receipt by us.

We will not draw funds from any subscriber until the date your subscription is accepted. If we accept your subscription, we will email you a confirmation.

Funds of an investor stay in the Investor FBO Account indefinitely unless the investor takes steps to transfer non-irrevocably committed funds out of its funding account. Such funds may include:

An investor must transfer funds held in its funding account to its own bank account to utilize the funds in any way other than investment in our common shares or other investments through the Groundfloor Platform. Upon request, our Sponsor will cause its funds transfer agent to transfer funds in the Investor FBO Account to an investor’s verified bank account by ACH transfer, provided that such funds are not irrevocably committed to the purchase of our common shares or otherwise irrevocably committed through the Groundfloor Platform. An investor may transfer funds out of its Groundfloor Platform account at any time by accessing their Investor Dashboard and selecting “request withdrawal”. Funds withdrawn will be released and made available in the investor’s funding account typically within 48 hours. Investors may withdraw uncommitted funds by accessing their Investor Dashboard on the Groundfloor Platform and selecting the option to move uncommitted funds held in the funding account back to their personal bank account. This transfer typically takes three to five business days to complete.

You must initially purchase at least 100 common shares in this offering, or $100 based on the current per share price. If you have satisfied the applicable minimum purchase requirement, any additional purchase must be in amounts of at least $1. However, in certain instances, and in our sole discretion, we may revise the minimum purchase requirements in the future or elect to waive the minimum purchase requirement, such as for individuals who participate in different plans established by our Manager. In addition, in order to help protect us from the risk of chargebacks, we intend to require that any subscription in excess of $100,000 of our shares be funded through a bank wire transfer and not an ACH electronic fund transfer.

By purchasing shares in this Offering, investors agree to be bound by the Arbitration Provisions contained in our subscription agreement and our operating agreement. Such Arbitration Provisions apply to claims under the U.S. federal securities laws and to all claims that are related to the Company, including with respect to this Offering, our holdings, our common shares, our ongoing operations and the management of our investments, among other matters, and limit the ability of investors to bring class action lawsuits or similarly seek remedy on a class basis.

By agreeing to be subject to the Arbitration Provisions contained in our subscription agreement and our operating agreement, you are severely limiting your rights to seek redress against us in court. For example, you may not be able to pursue litigation for any claim in state or federal courts against us, our Manager, our Sponsor, or their respective directors or officers, including with respect to securities law claims, and any awards or remedies determined by the arbitrators may not be appealed. In addition, arbitration rules generally limit discovery, which could impede your ability to bring or sustain claims, and the ability to collect attorneys’ fees or other damages may be limited in the arbitration, which may discourage attorneys from agreeing to represent parties wishing to commence such a proceeding.

Specifically, under the Arbitration Provisions, either party may, at its sole election, require that the sole and exclusive forum and remedy for resolution of a claim be final and binding arbitration. We have not determined whether we will exercise our right to demand arbitration but reserve the right to make that determination on a case by case basis as claims arise. In this regard, the Arbitration Provisions are similar to a binding arbitration provision as we are likely to invoke the Arbitration Provisions to the fullest extent permissible. The Arbitration Provisions apply to claims under the U.S. federal securities laws and to all claims that are related to the Company, including with respect to this offering, our holdings, our common shares, our ongoing operations and the management of our investments, among other matters.

Any arbitration brought pursuant to the Arbitration Provisions must be conducted in the State of Georgia. The term “Claim” as used in the Arbitration Provisions is very broad and includes any past, present, or future claim, dispute, or controversy involving you (or persons claiming through or connected with you), on the one hand, and us (or persons claiming through or connected with us), on the other hand, relating to or arising out of your subscription agreement, the Groundfloor Platform, and/or the activities or relationships that involve, lead to, or result from any of the foregoing, including (except an individual Claim that you may bring in Small Claims Court or an equivalent court, if any, so long as the Claim is pending only in that court) the validity or enforceability of the Arbitration Provisions, any part thereof, or the entire subscription agreement. Claims are subject to arbitration regardless of whether they arise from contract; tort (intentional or otherwise); a constitution, statute, common law, or principles of equity; or otherwise. Claims include (without limitation) matters arising as initial claims, counter-claims, cross-claims, third-party claims, or otherwise. The scope of the Arbitration Provisions is to be given the broadest possible interpretation that will permit it to be enforceable. Based on discussions with and research performed by the Company’s counsel, we have no reason to believe that the Arbitration Provisions are not enforceable under federal law, the laws of the State of Delaware, the laws of the State of Georgia, or under any other applicable laws or regulations. However, to the extent that one or more of the provisions in our subscription agreement or our operating agreement with respect to the Arbitration Provisions or otherwise requiring you to waive certain rights were to be found by a court to be unenforceable, we would abide by such decision.

Before purchasing shares, a potential investor must acknowledge, understand, and agree that: (a) arbitration is final and binding on the parties; (b) the parties are waiving their right to seek remedies in court, including the right to jury trial; (c) pre-arbitration discovery is generally more limited than and potentially different in form and scope from court proceedings; (d) the Arbitration Award is not required to include factual findings or legal reasoning and any party's right to appeal or to seek modification of a ruling by the arbitrators is strictly limited; and (e) the panel of arbitrators may include a minority of persons engaged in the securities industry. The Arbitration Provisions limit the rights of an investor to many legal remedies and rights otherwise available.

By purchasing shares in this offering, investors agree to be bound by the Waiver Provisions contained in our subscription agreement and our operating agreement. Such Waiver Provisions limit the ability of our shareholders to make a request to review and obtain information relating to and maintained by the Company and the Groundfloor Platform, including, but not limited to, names and contact information of our shareholders, information listed in Section 18-305 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, as amended, and any other information deemed to be confidential by the Manager in its sole discretion. Furthermore, because the Waiver Provision is contained in our operating agreement, such Waiver Provision will also apply to any purchasers of shares in a secondary transaction.

Through the Company’s required public filing disclosures, periodic reports and obligation to provide annual reports and tax information to its shareholders, much of the information listed in Section 18-305 of the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act will be available to shareholders notwithstanding the Waiver Provisions. While the intent of such Waiver Provisions is to protect your personally identifiable information from being disclosed pursuant to Section 18-305, by agreeing to be subject to the Waiver Provisions, you are severely limiting your right to seek access to the personally identifiable information of other shareholders, such as names, addresses and other information about shareholders and the Company that the Manager deems to be confidential. As a result, the Waiver Provision could impede your ability to communicate with other shareholders, and such provisions, on their own, or together with the effect of the Arbitration Provisions, may impede your ability to bring or sustain claims against the Company, including under applicable securities laws.

Based on discussions with and research performed by the Company’s counsel, we believe that the Waiver Provisions are enforceable under federal law, the laws of the State of Delaware, the laws of State of Georgia, or under any other applicable laws or regulations. However, the issue of enforceability is not free from doubt and to the extent that one or more of the provisions in our subscription agreement or our operating agreement with respect to the Waiver.

BY AGREEING TO BE SUBJECT TO THE WAIVER PROVISIONS, INVESTORS WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO WAIVE THE COMPANY’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS AND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED THEREUNDER.

The table below sets forth our estimated use of proceeds from this offering, assuming we sell in this offering $75,000,000 in common shares, the maximum offering amount. Our common shares will be offered at $1.00 per share throughout the duration of this Offering. Our Sponsor previously acquired 5,000 common shares at $1.00 per share, for net proceeds to us of $5,000.

We expect to use substantially all of the net proceeds from this Offering (after paying or reimbursing organization and offering expenses) to originate, acquire and structure a diversified portfolio of secured commercial real estate loans. We expect that any expenses or fees payable to our Manager for its services in connection with managing our daily affairs, including but not limited to, the selection and acquisition or origination of our investments, will be paid from cash flow from operations. See “Management Compensation” for more details regarding the fees that will be paid to our Manager and its affiliates. Many of the amounts set forth in the table below represent our Manager’s best estimate since they cannot be precisely calculated at this time.

We may not be able to promptly invest the net proceeds of this offering in commercial real estate loans and other and real estate-related assets. In the interim, we may invest in short-term, highly liquid or other authorized investments, subject to the requirements for qualification as a REIT. Such short-term investments will not earn as high of a return as we expect to earn on our real estate-related investments.

Our Sponsor intends to establish a number of REITs as real estate investment trusts that will be similar in structure to ours. As we are one of our Sponsor’s REITs, it is anticipated that the legal fees and other formation and structuring expenses incurred by our Sponsor in qualifying this or other offerings may be substantially higher than those of future similar REITs. Accordingly, our Sponsor has agreed to bear the initial cost of legal fees incurred in establishing the REITs (including Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC). Wee and other REITs, however, will be required to reimburse our Sponsor for up to $100,000 in legal fees incurred in preparing each REIT’s respective offering. Our Sponsor believes that bearing the initial cost of legal fees and limiting its reimbursable amount to $100,000 per REIT is the most equitable way to ensure that all of the REITs bear an equal burden of establishing a working framework for similar offerings under Regulation A.

We are a recently organized Delaware limited liability company formed to originate, invest in and manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate assets. We expect to use substantially all of the net proceeds from this Offering to originate, acquire and structure a diversified portfolio of secured commercial real estate loans. We may also invest, to a limited extent, in other real estate assets, which could include residential and small commercial real estate projects, in the event we need to foreclose on the collateral securing a commercial real estate loan.

We will originate or invest in secured commercial real estate loans (each, a “Loan”), each corresponding to a real estate development project (each, a “Project”) financed by such Loan. The borrower for each Project is a legal entity (the “Borrower”) that owns the underlying property and has been organized by one or more individuals (each, a “Principal”) that own and operate the Borrower.

The intended focus of the lending program is the commercial market for lending to developers of residential and small commercial real estate projects owned and occupied by parties other than the Borrower (or its Principal(s)). Proceeds from the Loans typically will be applied to the Project’s acquisition and/or renovation or construction costs or, in some circumstances, to offset a portion of the purchase price of the property, works completed, or equity.

Groundfloor Advisors, LLC is our Manager. As our Manager, it will manage our day-to-day operations and our portfolio of commercial real estate loans and other select real estate-related assets. Our Manager also has the authority to make all of the decisions regarding our investments, subject to the limitations in our operating agreement and the direction and oversight of our Manager’s investment committee. Our Sponsor also provides asset management, marketing, investor relations and other administrative services on our behalf.

We intend to make an election to be taxed as a REIT under the Code, commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2023. If we qualify as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes, we generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent we distribute qualifying dividends to our shareholders. If we fail to qualify as a REIT in any taxable year after electing REIT status, we will be subject to U.S. federal income tax on our taxable income at regular corporate income tax rates and generally will not be permitted to qualify for treatment as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes for four years following the year in which our qualification is denied. Such an event could materially and adversely affect our net income and cash available for distribution. However, we believe that we will be organized and will operate in a manner that will enable us to qualify for treatment as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2023, and we intend to continue to operate so as to remain qualified as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes thereafter.

We intend to use substantially all of the proceeds of this offering to originate, acquire and manage secured commercial real estate loans. Our strategy is to acquire commercial loans that are for the acquisition, development, and / or construction of single-family residential housing in the United States. We will earn interest revenue from these loans. We will acquire loans with approximately the following characteristics:

The following discussion provides an overview of the approximate characteristics of the loans that we will acquire.

We will acquire Loans at par value and are entitled to keep all accrued and paid interest. We will acquire only performing, non-delinquent loans. We will acquire loans across the United States.

We will rely on our Sponsor and its affiliated companies to originate, service, and asset manage these Loans. These entities will be entitled to earn an origination fee from Loans to offset their costs of origination, as well as other fees in connection with processing and the servicing of Loans and asset management costs. These fees are paid by Borrowers to our Sponsor or one of its affiliates that is entitled to earn the fee and are not paid by our Company or our shareholders. Our Sponsor and its affiliated companies underwrites each Loan and conducts due diligence on Borrowers and the intended use of the proceeds of each Loan.

Our Sponsor’s underwriting team is managed by its Director of Underwriting, Patrick Donoghue, and Head of Risk Management, Rich Pulido. The underwriting team meets regularly with our Manager’s CEO, Nick Bhargava, to assess our current Loan portfolio, and to make adjustments, as necessary, to underwriting and acquisition decisions.

Within our investment policies and objectives, our Manager’s investment committee has substantial discretion with respect to the selection of specific investments and the purchase and sale of our assets. We believe that successful real estate investment requires the implementation of strategies that permit favorable acquisitions of Loans and effective asset management. As such, we have developed a disciplined investment approach based on the experience of our Manager’s team of real estate professionals.

We cannot assure you that we will attain these objectives, that the value of our assets will not decrease or that you will realize a return on your investment. Furthermore, within our investment objectives and policies, our Manager has substantial discretion with respect to the selection of specific investments and the purchase and sale of our assets. Our Manager’s investment committee reviews our investment guidelines at least annually to determine whether our investment guidelines continue to be in the best interests of our shareholders.

When registering on the Groundfloor Platform you must agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. At the time you make a commitment to purchase our common shares, you must agree to the Subscription Agreement. The Subscription Agreement governs the general rights and obligations in connection with investing in our common shares through the Groundfloor Platform.

You also consent in both the Terms of Service and the Subscription Agreement to receive electronically all documents, communications, notices, contracts, prospectuses, Offering Circulars (including supplements and PQAs), and agreements, including any IRS Form 1099, arising from or relating in any way to your or our rights, obligations or services under the Subscription Agreement and use of the Groundfloor Platform (each, a “Disclosure”). Any Disclosures will be provided to you electronically, either on the Groundfloor Platform or via electronic mail to the verified email address provided. Disclosures may be made available in HTML (regular web hypertext) or as a Portable Digital Format or “PDF” file. You consent to receive Disclosures and transact business electronically (including creation of legally binding and enforceable agreements utilizing electronic records and signatures), and our agreement to do so, applies to any transactions to which such Disclosures relate. The Subscription Agreement sets out a procedure for withdrawing your consent.

The Company and its associated persons will facilitate the sale of our common shares through the Groundfloor Platform. Our Sponsor operates the Groundfloor Platform website and services through a cloud-based platform. Our Sponsor owns, operates and maintains elements of this system, but significant portions are operated by third parties that it does not control.

In addition, payment information and transactions through the Groundfloor Platform are processed and recorded by Carta, Inc. (the “Funds Transfer Agent”). All of the communications with the Funds Transfer Agent and other banking institutions occur over a 128 bit Secure Sockets Layer (“SSL”) encrypted connection. Payment methods are tokenized and stored on the Funds Transfer Agent’s Industry compliant infrastructure. Sensitive customer information is encrypted before it is stored within our Sponsor’s relational database along with other customer, accounting and investing records. The Funds Transfer Agent and Investor FBO Account bank keep a record of all funds that go into or out of the various Groundfloor Platform-related accounts held with such entity. Our Sponsor keeps records of the same in the Groundfloor Platform database on our behalf and periodically reconciles the two sets of data to ensure accounting accuracy.

Our net income and ability to make distributions to our shareholders depends, in large part, on our ability to acquire investments with attractive risk-adjusted yields. In originating these investments, we compete with other mortgage REITs, specialty finance companies, savings and loan associations, banks, mortgage bankers, insurance companies, mutual funds, institutional investors, investment banking firms, private funds, other lenders, governmental bodies and other entities, as well as online lending platforms that compete with the Groundfloor Platform, many of which have greater financial resources and lower costs of capital available to them than we have. In addition, there are numerous mortgage REITs with asset acquisition objectives similar to ours, and others may be organized in the future, which may increase competition for the investments suitable for us. In addition, our Sponsor may organize additional REITs or other entities in the future with similar investment objectives and strategies to ours. Competitive variables include market presence and visibility, size of loans offered and underwriting standards. To the extent that a competitor is willing to risk larger amounts of capital in a particular transaction or to employ more liberal underwriting standards when evaluating potential loans than we are, our investment volume and profit margins for our investment portfolio could be impacted. Our competitors may also be willing to accept lower returns on their investments and may succeed in buying the assets that we have targeted for acquisition. Although we believe that we are well positioned to compete effectively in each facet of our business, there is enormous competition in our market sector and there can be no assurance that we will compete effectively or that we will not encounter increased competition in the future that could limit our ability to conduct our business effectively.

The federal Equal Credit Opportunity Act (“ECOA”) and the regulation issued by the Federal Reserve Board implementing the ECOA, Regulation B, prohibit discrimination in any aspect of a credit transaction on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age (with certain limited exceptions), because all or part of the applicant’s income derives from any public assistance program, or because the applicant has in good faith exercised any right under the Consumer Credit Protection Act. Our Sponsor and the Company comply with the ECOA’s nondiscrimination requirements.

We must comply with regulatory regimes, including those applicable to mortgage lending transactions, various aspects of which are untested as applied to the Groundfloor Platform. Certain state laws generally regulate interest rates and other charges we can impose and require certain disclosures. In addition, other federal and state laws may apply to the origination and servicing of Loans originated through the Groundfloor Platform. Our Manager believes it structures Loans to Borrowers in accordance with licensing or other requirements applicable to us. To that end, we do not make or acquire Loans to finance owner-occupied residential projects, which may include a building with a limited number of residential “units.” We also require that Borrowers represent to us that the property will not be used as a residence by the Borrower and that the proceeds of the requested Loan will be used for business purposes and not for personal, family or household purposes. We may also adjust the interest rates charged on Loans to comply with applicable usury restrictions. If necessary, we or our Sponsor and its affiliates obtain required licenses in a particular jurisdiction before facilitating Loans in such jurisdiction, or, if we determine not to obtain such license, we will not originate Loans in that particular jurisdiction.

The financial industry is becoming more highly regulated. There has been, and may continue to be, a related increase in regulatory scrutiny and investigations of the operations of peer-to-peer or micro-lending platforms as well as trading and other investment activities of alternative investment funds. Increased regulatory scrutiny and investigations of this nature may impose additional expenses on us, may require the attention of our senior management and may result in fines if we are deemed to have violated any regulations.

Our Sponsor does not permit non-U.S. residents to register as members on the Groundfloor Platform, and neither we nor our Sponsor operates outside the United States. Therefore, we are not subject to foreign laws or regulations.

We do not have any employees. As of Janaury 31, 2024, our Sponsor had 85 full-time employees and no part-time employees.

As of March 26, 2024, we did not own any property. Our Manager’s headquarters are located in Atlanta, Georgia, shared with our Sponsor, which currently leases office space.

As of March 26, 2024, we were not a party to any material legal proceedings. We may be from time to time party to certain other legal actions in the ordinary course of our business, including foreclosure actions on Loans in our portfolio and other legal proceedings related to resolving Borrower defaults. We believe these actions are routine in nature and incidental to the operation of our business.

We intend to conduct our operations so that neither we, nor any of our subsidiaries, is required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is or holds itself out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Section 3(a)(1)(C) of the Investment Company Act defines an investment company as any issuer that is engaged or proposes to engage in the business of investing, reinvesting, owning, holding or trading in securities and owns or proposes to acquire investment securities having a value exceeding 40% of the value of the issuer’s total assets (exclusive of U.S. Government securities and cash items) on an unconsolidated basis, which we refer to as the 40% test. Excluded from the term “investment securities”, among other things, are U.S. Government securities and securities issued by majority-owned subsidiaries that are not themselves investment companies and are not relying on the exception from the definition of investment company set forth in Section 3(c)(1) or Section 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act.

We anticipate that we will hold real estate and real estate-related assets described below directly.

We will monitor our compliance with the 40% test and the holdings of our subsidiaries to ensure that each of our subsidiaries is in compliance with an applicable exemption or exclusion from registration as an investment company under the Investment Company Act. The securities issued by any wholly owned or majority-owned subsidiary that we may form and that are excluded from the definition of “investment company” based on Section 3(c)(1) or 3(c)(7) of the Investment Company Act, together with any other investment securities we may own, may not have a value in excess of 40% of the value of our total assets on an unconsolidated basis.

In addition, we believe that we will not be considered investment companies under Section 3(a)(1)(A) of the Investment Company Act because we will not engage primarily or hold ourselves out as being engaged primarily in the business of investing, reinvesting or trading in securities. Rather, we will be primarily engaged in non-investment company businesses related to real estate. Consequently, we expect to be able to conduct our operations such that we will not be required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act.

We may also rely upon the exclusion from the definition of investment company under Section 3(c)(5)(C) of the Investment Company Act. Section 3(c)(5)(C), as interpreted by the staff of the SEC, requires an entity to invest at least 55% of its assets in “mortgages and other liens on and interests in real estate”, which we refer to as “qualifying real estate interests”, and at least 80% of its assets in qualifying real estate interests plus “real estate-related assets”. In reliance on published SEC staff guidance, we treat as “qualifying real estate interests” fee interests in real estate, mortgage loans fully secured by real estate, certain mezzanine loans and certain B-Notes. Commercial real estate-related debt securities (including CMBS, CDOs and REIT senior unsecured debt) are treated as “real estate-related assets”.

On August 31, 2011, the SEC published a concept release entitled “Companies Engaged in the Business of Acquiring Mortgages and Mortgage Related Instruments” (Investment Company Act Rel. No. 29778). This release notes that the SEC is reviewing the Section 3(c)(5)(C) exclusion relied upon by companies similar to us that invest in mortgage loans. There can be no assurance that the laws and regulations governing the Investment Company Act status of companies similar to ours, or the guidance from the SEC or its staff regarding the treatment of assets as qualifying real estate assets or real estate-related assets, will not change in a manner that adversely affects our operations as a result of this review. To the extent that the SEC or its staff provides more specific guidance regarding any of the matters bearing upon our exclusion from the need to register under the Investment Company Act, we may be required to adjust our strategy accordingly. Any additional guidance from the SEC staff could provide additional flexibility to us, or it could further inhibit our ability to pursue the strategies that we have chosen.

The information presented in this section represents the historical operating results for our Sponsor and the experience of real estate programs sponsored by our Sponsor, which we refer to as the “prior real estate programs.” Investors in our common shares should not assume that they will experience returns, if any, comparable to those experienced by investors in our Sponsor’s affiliated prior real estate programs. Investors who purchase our common shares will not thereby acquire any ownership interest in any of the entities to which the following information relates.

The returns to our shareholders will depend in part on the mix of assets in which we invest, the stage of investment and our place in the capital structure for our investments. As our portfolio may not mirror the portfolios of our Sponsor’s affiliated prior real estate programs in any of these respects, the returns to our shareholders may vary from those generated by our Sponsor’s affiliated prior real estate programs. The prior real estate programs were conducted through our Sponsor and its affiliated entities and were subject to different fees and expenses than are associated with this offering. In addition, our Sponsor is a self-managed, privately-held company with an indefinite duration. As a result, you should not assume the past performance of our Sponsor or the prior real estate programs described below will be indicative of our future performance.

Our Sponsor is a privately-held company that operates the Groundfloor Platform to source financing for real estate development projects. The intended focus of our Sponsor’s prior real estate programs is the commercial market for lending to developers of residential and small commercial real estate projects owned and occupied by parties other than the Borrower (or its Principal(s)). Our Sponsor was formed as a North Carolina limited liability company in January 2013 and converted to a North Carolina corporation in July 2013. Effective August 5, 2014, our Sponsor changed its domiciliary state to Georgia and changed the company name to Groundfloor Finance Inc. It began originating real estate loans in Georgia through a subsidiary in November 2013 and transitioned to multi-state operations through the sale of limited recourse obligations under a Regulation A offering in September 2015.

Our Sponsor’s prior real estate program involves the sale of limited recourse obligations (the “LROs”) of our Sponsor or one of its affiliates offered in distinct series, with each series corresponding to a real estate development project financed by a commercial loan (each a “LRO Loan”) from our Sponsor or one of its affiliates (the “LRO Program”).

The LRO Program was launched in September 2015. As of October 31, 2023, our Sponsor had originated approximately 3,879 LRO Loans through the Groundfloor Platform with aggregate loan amounts of approximately $810 million. Of the $810 million aggregate loan amount, our Sponsor offered through its LRO Program approximately $719 million of LROs, representing the aggregate dollar value of all LROs purchased by investors, including those where investors have not yet been repaid, in 5,476 distinct series each corresponding to an individual LRO Loan. 3,083 of the LRO Loans corresponding to 4,152 series of LROs have been repaid in an aggregate amount of approximately $599 million. Each LRO corresponds to a specific LRO Loan that has been originated through the Groundfloor Platform. The LRO Program provides investors the opportunity to invest in the economic performance of LRO Loans through the issuance of LROs that are wholly dependent upon the performance of an individual LRO Loan. As a result of its underwriting process, the investment experience of its management team and its performance record in managing a diverse portfolio of commercial real estate loans, we believe our Sponsor has earned a reputation as a leading real estate manager.

Through October 31, 2023, the LRO Program consists of two issuers: Groundfloor Finance Inc. and Groundfloor Real Estate 1, LLC. As of October 31, 2023, the issuers of LROs in the LRO Program had over 42,500 investors in LROs.

All of the LRO Loans originated in the LRO Program are commercial loans originated through the Groundfloor Platform for the purpose of financing a real estate development project. As of October 31, 2023, the LRO Loans were diversified across geographic areas as shown in the following table:

While our investment objectives are similar to those of the LRO Program, the risk profile and investment strategy of the LRO Program differs from ours. Each of the issuers affiliated with our Sponsor within the LRO Program issued LROs in distinct series, with each series corresponding to a real estate development project financed by an individual LRO Loan. Our Sponsor offered investors on the Groundfloor Platform the opportunity to invest in the economic performance of LRO Loans through the issuance of LROs that are wholly dependent upon the performance of an individual LRO Loan. We expect to acquire a portfolio comprised of assets similar to the LRO Loans, however the LRO Program offered identified single asset investment opportunities, whereas we are structured to be a diversified pool of multiple assets that will not be identified in advance. Unlike the LRO Program, shareholders will not have the ability to select their own investments, and instead our Manager will select assets based on our investment criteria.

Please see the tables under “Prior Performance Tables” in Appendix A to this Offering Circular for more information regarding our Sponsor’s prior performance.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF
FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes thereto. The following discussion contains forward-looking statements that reflect our plans, estimates, and beliefs. Our actual results may differ materially from such statements.

Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC is a recently organized a Delaware limited liability company formed to originate, invest in and manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate assets. We will invest in secured commercial real estate loans (each, a “Loan”) that have been originated through the Groundfloor Platform, each corresponding to a real estate development project (each, a “Project”) financed by such Loan. The borrower for each Project is a legal entity (the “Borrower”) that owns the underlying property and has been organized by one or more individuals (each, a “Principal”) that own and operate the Borrower.

We are managed by Groundfloor Advisors, LLC (our “Manager”), a wholly owned subsidiary of our Sponsor, Groundfloor Finance Inc. (our “Sponsor”).

Our Sponsor owns and operates an online investment platform https://www.groundfloor.com (the “Groundfloor Platform”) that allows investors to hold interests in real estate opportunities that may have been historically difficult to access for some investors. Through the Groundfloor Platform, investors can browse and screen real estate investments, view details of an investment and sign legal documents online.

Our Manager will enter into a shared services agreement with our Sponsor, effective upon the commencement of this Offering. Pursuant to this agreement, our Manager will be provided with access to, among other things, our Sponsor’s underwriting and loan origination services through the Groundfloor Platform as well as administration services addressing legal, compliance, investor relations and information technologies necessary for the performance by our Manager of its duties under the operating agreement in exchange for a fee representing our Manager’s allocable cost for these services. The fee paid by our Manager pursuant to the shared services agreement will not constitute a reimbursable expense under our operating agreement. However, under the shared services agreement, our Sponsor will be entitled to receive reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of us or our Manager that we are required to pay to our Manager under our operating agreement.

The Company was formed on October 18, 2023 and, as of the date of this Offering Circular, we have not commenced operations. Having not commenced active operations, our management is not aware of any material trends or uncertainties, favorable or unfavorable, other than economic conditions affecting the commercial and residential real estate industry and real estate generally, including but not limited to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, which may be reasonably anticipated to have a material impact on the capital resources and the revenue or income to be derived from the operation of our assets. To the extent that the effects of the pandemic, including any restrictions imposed by federal, state or local governments, affect the commercial and residential real estate industry generally, the Company’s ability to collect on the loans that it acquires from may be adversely affected. Additionally, to the extent that directors, officers, employees, representatives, or agents of the Company, or its Manager, or any third parties on which the Company or its Manager rely, are affected by the pandemic, the operations and financial results of the Company and its Manager may be adversely affected.

The audited financial statements included in this Offering Circular have been prepared assuming that the Company will continue as a going concern. The audited financial statements do not include any adjustments to reflect the possible future effects on the recoverability and classification of assets or the amounts and classifications of liabilities that may result should the Company be unable to continue as a going concern.

We are dependent upon the net proceeds from this Offering to conduct our proposed operations. We will obtain the capital required to purchase and originate real estate-related investments and conduct our operations from the proceeds of this offering and any future offerings we may conduct, from secured or unsecured financings from banks and other lenders and from any undistributed funds from our operations. As of the date of this Offering Circular, we have not made any investments, and our total assets consist of approximately $5,000 in cash. For information regarding the anticipated use of proceeds from this offering, see “Estimated Use of Proceeds.”

If we are unable to raise a substantial amount in gross offering proceeds, we will make fewer investments resulting in less diversification in terms of the type, number and size of investments we make and the value of an investment in us will fluctuate with the performance of the specific assets we acquire. Further, we will have certain fixed operating expenses, including certain expenses as a publicly offered REIT, regardless of whether we are able to raise substantial funds in this offering. Our inability to raise substantial funds would increase our fixed operating expenses as a percentage of gross income, reducing our net income and limiting our ability to make distributions.

We currently have no outstanding debt and have not received a commitment from any lender to provide us with financing.

In addition to making investments in accordance with our investment objectives, we expect to use our capital resources to make certain payments to our Manager. During our organization and offering stage, these payments will include payments for reimbursement of certain organization and offering expenses. During our acquisition stage, we expect to make payments to our Manager in connection with the selection and origination or purchase of investments, the management of our assets and costs incurred by our Manager in providing services to us. For a discussion of the compensation to be paid to our Manager, see “Management Compensation”.

We intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2023. To maintain our qualification as a REIT, we will be required to make aggregate annual distributions to our shareholders of at least 90% of our REIT taxable income (computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction and excluding net capital gain). Our Manager may authorize distributions in excess of those required for us to maintain REIT status depending on our financial condition and such other factors as our Manager deems relevant. Provided we have sufficient available cash flow, we intend to authorize and declare distributions based on daily record dates and pay distributions on a quarterly or other periodic basis. We have not established a minimum distribution level.

We have not yet commenced operations. As such, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events that are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our revenues, income from continuing operations, profitability, liquidity or capital resources.

Our accounting policies have been established to conform with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to use judgment in the application of accounting policies, including making estimates and assumptions. These judgments may affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the dates of the financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting periods. Management believes that we have made these estimates and assumptions in an appropriate manner and in a way that accurately reflects our financial condition. We continually test and evaluate these estimates and assumptions using our historical knowledge of the business, as well as other factors, to ensure that they are reasonable for reporting purposes. However, actual results may differ from these estimates and assumptions. If our judgment or interpretation of the facts and circumstances relating to various transactions had been different, it is possible that different accounting policies would have been applied, thus resulting in a different presentation of the financial statements.

We believe the following critical accounting policies are the most critical to aid in fully understanding our reported financial results, and they require our most difficult, subjective or complex judgments, resulting from the need to make estimates about the effect of matters that are inherently uncertain.

We recognize losses on both principal and interest of real estate debt investments if it is probable (more likely than not) that we will be unable to collect all amounts due according to the contractual terms of the agreement. Indicators of impairment are based on current information and events including economic, industry, and geographical factors, as well as borrower creditworthiness. If indicators are present and an investment is deemed impaired, the impairment is measured based on the expected future cash flows discounted at the investment’s effective interest rate or the fair value of the real property collateralizing the impaired loan, less estimated costs to sell.

The fair value of the investment or the underlying collateral is determined using industry techniques, which include a discounted cash flow, comparable sales or other income approaches. These valuation techniques require assumptions regarding future occupancy, capital requirements, capitalization rates and discount rates that could differ materially from actual results and involve a high degree of judgment. If the carrying value is in excess of the estimated fair value of the investment, we would recognize an impairment loss equivalent to the amount required to adjust the carrying value to its estimated fair value, calculated in accordance with current U.S. GAAP fair value provisions. Changes in the facts and circumstances that drive management’s assumptions may result in an impairment to the Company’s assets in a future period that could be material to the Company’s results of operations.

The Company evaluates its investments in equity method investees for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that there may be an other-than-temporary decline in value. If it is determined that an impairment exists and is other than temporary, then the Company estimates the fair value of the investment using various valuation techniques including, but not limited to, discounted cash flow models, which consider such inputs as the Company’s intent and ability to retain its investment in the entity, the financial condition and long-term prospects of the entity, and the expected term of the investment. Such assumptions involve a high degree of judgment and could be impacted by future economic and market conditions. If the Company determined any decline in value is other-than-temporary, the Company would recognize an impairment loss to reduce the carrying value of its investment to fair value.

The Financial Accounting Standards Board has released several Accounting Standards Updates (each an “ASU”) that may have an impact on our financial statements. We are currently evaluating the impact of the various ASUs on our financial statements and determining our plan for adoption.

Under Section 107 of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, we are permitted to use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This permits us to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B). By electing to extend the transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, these financial statements may not be comparable to companies that adopt accounting standard updates upon the public business entity effective dates.

We operate under the direction of our Manager, which is responsible for directing the management of our business and affairs, managing our day-to-day affairs, and implementing our investment strategy. Our Manager has established an investment committee that makes decisions with respect to all acquisitions and dispositions. See “—Investment Committee of our Manager” below. The Manager and its officers and directors are not required to devote all of their time to our business and are only required to devote such time to our affairs as their duties require.

We follow investment guidelines adopted by our Manager and the investment and borrowing policies set forth in this Offering Circular unless they are modified by our Manager. Our Manager may establish further written policies on investments and borrowings and monitors our administrative procedures, investment operations and performance to ensure that the policies are fulfilled. Our Manager may change our investment objectives at any time without approval of our shareholders.

Our Manager performs its duties and responsibilities pursuant to our operating agreement. Our Manager maintains a contractual, as opposed to a fiduciary relationship, with us and our shareholders. Furthermore, we have agreed to limit the liability of our Manager and to indemnify our Manager against certain liabilities.

As of July 31, 2023, our Sponsor’s real estate and accounting teams are composed of approximately 20 individuals. All of these professionals play a role in asset management because our Sponsor takes a full lifecycle approach to asset management. This means that the same team that closes a deal is then responsible for asset management of the property for the life of the investment. Members of our Sponsor’s real estate team have previously worked as real estate developers, fund managers, real estate brokers, and homebuilders, while members of our Sponsor’s accounting team have worked as auditors, accountants, consultants, private equity accountants, tax accountants, and property accountants. Through July 31, 2023, our Sponsor’s real estate and accounting teams have acquired and asset managed more than 4,700 commercial real estate loans with total loan value over $1 billion.

For more information regarding the factors that our Manager’s investment committee may consider in allocating investment opportunities among our Sponsor’s additional similar programs, please see “Conflicts of Interest – Our Affiliates’ Interests in Other Groundfloor Entities—Allocation of Investment Opportunities”.

Our Manager will enter into a shared services agreement with our Sponsor, effective upon the commencement of this Offering. Pursuant to this agreement, our Manager will be provided with access to, among other things, our Sponsor’s underwriting and loan origination services through the Groundfloor Platform as well as administration services addressing legal, compliance, investor relations and information technologies necessary for the performance by our Manager of its duties under the operating agreement in exchange for a fee representing our Manager’s allocable cost for these services. The fee paid by our Manager pursuant to the shared services agreement does not constitute a reimbursable expense under our operating agreement. However, under the shared services agreement, our Sponsor will be entitled to receive reimbursement of expenses incurred on behalf of us or our Manager that we are required to pay to our Manager under our operating agreement.

As of the date these financial statements are issued, the executive officers of our Manager and their positions and offices are as follows:

Nick Bhargava (39) is Chief Executive Officer of our Manager, co-founder of our Sponsor, and has served on our Sponsor’s Board of Directors and as its Secretary since its inception. Mr. Bhargava was also named Executive Vice President, Legal and Regulatory of our Sponsor in July 2014. Mr. Bhargava completed a Practicum with SciQuest Inc. from January 2012 to May 2012 where he was responsible for reviewing and editing the company’s federal securities filings and sales contracts. Previous to that, he served as a Regulatory Analyst for the Financial Services Roundtable from May 2011 to August 2011, where he reviewed and analyzed legislation and regulation, particularly the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act rulemakings. From May 2010 to August 2010, Mr. Bhargava served as an Honors Intern in Trading and Markets with the SEC, at which he was tasked with researching and analyzing the May 6, 2010 Flash Crash in addition to reviewing proposed rules, comments on proposed rules and SRO filings. As an Enforcement Intern with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority from May 2009 to August 2009, Mr. Bhargava was responsible for developing enforcement actions against broker-dealers. Prior to these positions, Mr. Bhargava worked as a Trader for TD Waterhouse Inc. from September 2006 to February 2008 and had responsibility for taking and executing trade orders for equities and equity options for high value accounts. Mr. Bhargava received his LLM from Duke University School of Law in 2012, a JD from American University in 2011, and a BS in Biological Sciences and Business from University of Alberta in 2006.

Patrick Donoghue (52) is Vice President Market Risk of our Manager and previously served as our Sponsor’s Director of Lending Operations since March 2016, previously serving in this role on a contract basis. Prior to this, Mr. Donoghue served as Senior Associate for RevitaLending from May 2015 to January 2016, where he worked to optimize the firm’s capital market structure and proliferate the loan growth model. Previously serving as Vice President of Wholesale Operations for ACC Mortgage from Mary 2014 until Mary 2015, Mr. Donoghue managed the entire loan process for a significant broker channel reviewing and funding private money loan transactions. Mr. Donoghue has been active in the private lending space since 2006 underwriting, originating and servicing private money loans. Prior to this, Mr. Donoghue served as production manager and originator for various mortgage companies and began his career as a Branch Manager for the United States Senate FCU. Mr. Donoghue graduated from Edinboro University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Psychology in 1997.

Ben Sutton (36) is Senior Vice President Finance of our Manager and previously serving in various finance and operation roles with our Sponsor since February 2017. Prior to this, Mr. Sutton served as Senior Financial Reporting Analyst for GMS Inc. from December 2014 to February 2017, where he worked in the financial reporting group during the Company's initial public offering. Previously serving as a Senior Associate for KPMG, an international accounting firm, from August 2011 until November 2014. Mr. Sutton received a M.S. in Accounting from the University of North Florida in 2011, B.S. in Accounting from the University of Florida in 2009 and is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of Georgia.

The investment committee of our Manager is a standing committee, established to assist our Manager in fulfilling its oversight responsibilities by (1) considering and approving of each investment made by us, (2) establishing our investment guidelines and overseeing our investments, and the investment activity of other accounts and funds held for our benefit and (3) overseeing the investment activities of certain of our subsidiaries. The investment committee consists of at least three members, including our Sponsor’s Chief Executive Officer, our Sponsor’s Chief Operating Officer, and a third member chosen unanimously by the other two members of the investment committee, who will serve until such time as such investment committee member resigns or is replaced. The current investment committee is comprised of Nick Bhargava (our Sponsor’s executive vice president and co-founder), Patrick Donoghue (our Sponsor’s vice president of market and risk, and Benjamin Sutton (our Sponsor’s vice president of finance). See “Conflicts of Interest—Certain Conflict Resolution Measures—Our Policies Relating to Conflicts of Interest”.

We do not currently have any employees nor do we currently intend to hire any employees who will be compensated directly by us. Each of the executive officers of our Manager also serves as an executive officer of our Manager. Each of these individuals receives compensation for his or her services, including services performed for us on behalf of our Manager, from our Sponsor. As executive officers of our Manager, these individuals serve to manage our day-to-day affairs, oversee the review, selection and recommendation of investment opportunities, service acquired investments and monitor the performance of these investments to ensure that they are consistent with our investment objectives. Although we indirectly bear some of the costs of the compensation paid to these individuals, through fees we pay to our Manager, we have not paid and do not intend to pay any compensation directly to these individuals.

Subject to certain limitations, our operating agreement limits the liability of our Manager, its officers and directors, our Sponsor and our Sponsor’s shareholder and affiliates, for monetary damages and provides that we will indemnify and pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to our Manager, its officers and directors, our Sponsor and our Sponsor’s shareholder and affiliates.

Our operating agreement provides that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law our Manager, its officers and directors, our Sponsor and our Sponsor’s shareholders and affiliates are not liable to us. In addition, pursuant to our operating agreement, we have agreed to indemnify our Manager, its officers and directors, our Sponsor and our Sponsor’s shareholders and affiliates, to the fullest extent permitted by law, against all expenses and liabilities (including judgments, fines, penalties, interest, amounts paid in settlement with the approval of our Company and attorney’s fees and disbursements) arising from the performance of any of their obligations or duties in connection with their service to us or the operating agreement, including in connection with any civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other action, suit or proceeding to which any such person may hereafter be made party by reason of being or having been the Manager or one of our Manager’s directors or officers.

Insofar as the foregoing provisions permit indemnification of directors, officers or persons controlling us for liability arising under the Securities Act, we have been informed that, in the opinion of the SEC, this indemnification is against public policy as expressed in the Securities Act and is therefore unenforceable.

Our operating agreement provides that our Manager will serve as our manager for an indefinite term, but that our Manager may be removed by us, or may choose to withdraw as manager, under certain circumstances.

Our shareholders may only remove our Manager at any time with 30 days prior written notice for “cause”, following the affirmative vote of two-thirds of our shareholders. If the Manager is removed for “cause”, the Members will have the power to elect a replacement Manager upon the affirmative vote of the holders of a majority of our common shares. “Cause” is defined as:

Unsatisfactory financial performance of the Company does not constitute “cause” under the operating agreement.

Our Manager may assign its rights under our operating agreement in its entirety or delegate certain of its duties under the operating agreement to any of its affiliates, including pursuant to the shared services agreement described above under “—Shared Services Agreement” without the approval of our shareholders so long as our Manager remains liable for any such affiliate’s performance.

Our Manager may withdraw as our Manager if we become required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, with such withdrawal deemed to occur immediately before such event.

In the event of the removal or withdrawal of our Manager, our Manager will cooperate with us and take all reasonable steps to assist in making an orderly transition of the management function. Our Manager will determine whether any succeeding manager possesses sufficient qualifications to perform the management function.

Our Sponsor previously acquired 5,000 common shares in connection with our formation in a private placement at the same $1.00 per share, for net proceeds to us of $5,000.

We will continue to conduct this offering primarily on the Groundfloor Platform, which will host this offering in connection with the distribution of the common shares offered pursuant to this Offering Circular. The Groundfloor Platform is owned and operated by our Sponsor. We will not pay our Sponsor any sales commissions or other remuneration for hosting this offering on the Groundfloor Platform. The Groundfloor Platform has previously hosted offerings of other affiliates of the Sponsor under similar arrangements.

We have entered into a license agreement with our Sponsor pursuant to which our Sponsor granted us a non-exclusive, royalty free license to use the name “Groundfloor”. Other than with respect to this license, we have no legal right to use the “Groundfloor” name. In the event that our Manager ceases to manage us, we would be required to change our name to eliminate the use of “Groundfloor”.

Our Manager and its affiliates will receive fees and expense reimbursements for services relating to this offering and the investment and management of our assets. The items of compensation are summarized in the following table. Neither our Manager nor its affiliates will receive any selling commissions or dealer manager fees in connection with the offer and sale of our common shares.

(1) At the election of our Manager we will start to reimburse our Manager, without interest, for these organization and offering costs incurred both before and after such date, which include expected organizational costs of approximately $5,000 and up to $100,000 of legal fees incurred in preparing this offering. Reimbursement payments will be made in monthly installments, but the aggregate monthly amount reimbursed can never exceed 0.50% of the aggregate gross offering proceeds from this Offering. If the sum of the total unreimbursed amount of such organization and offering costs, plus new costs incurred since the last reimbursement payment, exceeds the reimbursement limit described above for the applicable monthly installment, the excess will be eligible for reimbursement in subsequent months (subject to the 0.50% limit), calculated on an accumulated basis, until our Manager has been reimbursed in full.

(2) Amount reflected is an estimate. Includes all expenses paid by the Manager and to be reimbursed by us in connection with the formation of our Company and the qualification of the offering of common shares in this Offering Circular, and the marketing and distribution of common shares, including, without limitation, expenses for printing, engraving and amending offering statements or supplementing offering circulars, mailing and distributing costs, telephones, internet and other telecommunications costs, all advertising and marketing expenses, charges of experts and fees, expenses and taxes related to the filing, registration and qualification of the sale of shares under federal and state laws, including taxes and fees and accountants’ and attorneys’ fees.

(3) The Manager has sole discretion to determine whether an asset is deemed to be a non-performing asset.

(4) Our Manager in its sole discretion may defer or waive any fee or reimbursements payable to it under the operating agreement. All or any portion of any deferred fees or reimbursements will be deferred without interest and paid when the Manager determines.

In our first fiscal year, assuming we are successful in raising the maximum offering amount of $75,000,000 of our common shares, and our Sponsor fulfilled its commitment to purchase $5,000 of our common shares, we will have $74,900,000 available for acquisitions after deducting organization and offering costs, which are expected to be $105,000. We do not currently expect to use leverage at the Company-level with respect to our investments. On that basis, we would expect to be able to invest approximately $74,900,000 in assets and, assuming our Aggregate Loan Amount is $74,900,000, then the annualized Management Fee would equal $749,000 (1.0% of the Aggregate Loan Amount, the metric upon which the Management Fee is based).

The following table sets forth the approximate beneficial ownership of our common shares as of the date of this Offering Circular for each person or group that holds more than 10% of our common shares, for each director and executive officer of our Manager and for the directors and executive officers of our Manager as a group. To our knowledge, each person that beneficially owns our common shares has sole voting and disposition power with regard to such shares.

Unless otherwise indicated below, each person or entity has an address in care of our principal executive offices at 1201 Peachtree St NE, Suite 1104 - 400 Colony Square, Atlanta, GA 30361.

(1) Under SEC rules, a person is deemed to be a “beneficial owner” of a security if that person has or shares “voting power,” which includes the power to dispose of or to direct the disposition of such security. A person also is deemed to be a beneficial owner of any securities which that person has a right to acquire within 60 days. Under these rules, more than one person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of the same securities and a person may be deemed to be a beneficial owner of securities as to which he or she has no economic or pecuniary interest.

(2) As of the date of this Offering Circular, Groundfloor Finance Inc. owns all of our issued and outstanding common shares.

The following descriptions of our common shares, certain provisions of Delaware law and certain provisions of our certificate of formation and operating agreement, which will be in effect upon consummation of this offering, are summaries and are qualified by reference to Delaware law, our certificate of formation and our operating agreement, copies of which are filed as exhibits to the offering statement of which this Offering Circular is a part. See “Where You Can Find More Information.”

We are a recently organized Delaware limited liability company organized on October 18, 2023 under the Delaware Limited Liability Company Act, or Delaware LLC Act, issuing limited liability company interests. The limited liability company interests in our Company will be denominated in common shares of limited liability company interests (“common shares”) and, if created in the future, preferred shares of limited liability company interests (“preferred shares”). Our operating agreement provides that we may issue an unlimited number of common shares with the approval of our Manager and without shareholder approval.

All of the common shares offered by this Offering Circular will be duly authorized and validly issued. Upon payment in full of the consideration payable with respect to the common shares, as determined by our Manager, the holders of such shares will not be liable to us to make any additional capital contributions with respect to such shares (except for the return of distributions under certain circumstances as required by Sections 18-215, 18-607 and 18-804 of the Delaware LLC Act). Holders of common shares have no conversion, exchange, sinking fund or appraisal rights, no pre-emptive rights to subscribe for any securities of our Company and no preferential rights to distributions. Furthermore, we will not operate a redemption plan for our common shares and the common shares will not be redeemable by the Company. Shareholders should view their investment in our common shares as a long-term investment and should purchase these securities only if they are able to bear the risk of, and to withstand, the total loss of your investment.

We intend to have a December 31^st fiscal year end. In addition, we intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes commencing with our taxable year ending December 31, 2023.

We do not expect to declare any distributions until the proceeds from this Offering are invested and generating operating cash flow from payments of interest and principal on the Loans in our portfolio and no sooner than following the conclusion of this Offering. Once we begin to make distributions, we expect that our Manager will make them from all of our cash flow from payments of interest and principal from the Loans in our portfolio after the payment of our expenses and liabilities and allocating reasonable cash reserves. Because we will make distributions from, and not reinvest, the repaid principal amount of the loans in our portfolio, we expect that our assets will decline over time as capital is returned to the holders of our common stock.

Our distributions will constitute a return of capital to the extent that they exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits as determined for U.S. federal income tax purposes. To the extent that a distribution is treated as a return of capital for U.S. federal income tax purposes, it will reduce a holder’s adjusted tax basis in the holder’s shares, and to the extent that it exceeds the holder’s adjusted tax basis, it will be treated as gain resulting from a sale or exchange of such shares.

Our common shareholders will have voting rights only with respect to certain matters, as described below. Each outstanding common share entitles the holder to one vote on all matters submitted to a vote of common shareholders. Generally, matters to be voted on by our shareholders must be approved by either a majority or supermajority, as the case may be, of the votes cast by all common shares present in person or represented by proxy. Our operating agreement provides that special meetings of shareholders may be called by our Manager. If any such vote occurs, you will be bound by the majority or supermajority vote, as applicable, even if you did not vote with the majority or supermajority.

The following circumstances will require the approval of holders representing a majority or supermajority, as the case may be, of the common shares:

Public Announcements; Notices. In the case of specified dispositions, we will publicly announce or otherwise provide specified information to holders of common shares.

Meetings. Our operating agreement provides that special meetings of shareholders may only be called by our Manager. There will be no annual or regular meetings of the Members.

Payment of Taxes. If any person exchanging a certificate representing common shares wants us to issue a certificate in a different name than the registered name on the old certificate, that person must pay any transfer or other taxes required by reason of the issuance of the certificate in another name or establish, to the satisfaction of us or our agent, that the tax has been paid or is not applicable.

In the event of a liquidation, termination or winding up of our Company, whether voluntary or involuntary, we will first pay or provide for payment of our debts and other liabilities, including the liquidation preferences of any class of preferred shares. Thereafter, holders of our common shares will share in our funds remaining for distribution pro rata in accordance with their respective interests in our Company.

Section 215(e) of the Delaware LLC Act also specifically authorizes the creation of ownership interests of different classes of limited liability company interests, having such relative rights, powers and duties as the limited liability company agreement may provide, and may make provision for the future creation in the manner provided in the limited liability company agreement of additional classes of membership interests. In accordance with this provision, our operating agreement provides that our Manager is authorized to provide for the issuance from time to time of an unlimited amount of one or more classes or series of preferred shares of limited liability company interests (“preferred shares”). Unless otherwise required by law or by any stock exchange, if applicable, any such authorized preferred shares will be available for issuance without further action by our common shareholders. Our Manager is authorized to fix the number of preferred shares, the relative powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions applicable to each class or series thereof by resolution authorizing the issuance of such class or series and without shareholder approval. As of the date of this Offering Circular, no preferred shares are outstanding and we have no current plans to issue any preferred shares.

We could issue a class or series of preferred shares that could, depending on the terms of the class or series, impede or discourage an acquisition attempt or other transaction that some, or a majority, of holders of common shares might believe to be in their best interests or in which holders of common shares might receive a premium for their common shares.

Preferred Shares to Meet 100 Investor REIT Requirement. Following completion of this offering, to the extent necessary to assist us in obtaining a sufficient number of shareholders to meet certain of the qualification requirements for taxation as a REIT under the Code, we may undertake to issue and sell up to approximately 125 shares of a new series of preferred shares in a private placement to up to approximately 125 investors who qualify as “accredited investors” (as that term is defined in Rule 501(a) of Regulation D under the Securities Act). The preferred shares are expected to be perpetual, pay an annual market dividend for securities of this type and be redeemable by us at a premium to the aggregate liquidation value. For example, if we issue 125 preferred shares with a liquidation price of $1,000 per share and an annual dividend of 12.5%, we would raise additional capital of $125,000 and be required to be pay or set aside for payment, in the aggregate, approximately $15,625 annually, before any distributions on our common shares could be made.

We will serve as our own transfer agent and registrar in connection with this Offering. We do not intend to engage a transfer agent until such time as we are required to do so in order to satisfy the conditional exemption from mandatory registration of a class of equity securities under Section 12(g) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), provided in Exchange Act Rule 12g5-1(a)(7).

Our operating agreement designates Groundfloor Advisors, LLC, an affiliate of our Sponsor, as our non-member manager. Our Manager will generally not be entitled to vote on matters submitted to our shareholders, although its approval will be required with respect to certain amendments to the operating agreement that would adversely affect its rights. Our Manager will not have any distribution, redemption, conversion or liquidation rights by virtue of its status as the Manager.

Our operating agreement further provides that the Manager, in exercising its rights in its capacity as the Manager, will be entitled to consider only such interests and factors as it desires, including its own interests, and will have no duty or obligation (fiduciary or otherwise) to give any consideration to any interest of or factors affecting us or any of our shareholders and will not be subject to any different standards imposed by our operating agreement, the Delaware LLC Act or under any other law, rule or regulation or in equity.

We were formed on October 18, 2023, as Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC, a Delaware limited liability company. We will remain in existence until dissolved in accordance with our operating agreement.

Under our operating agreement, we are permitted to engage in any business activity that lawfully may be conducted by a limited liability company organized under Delaware law and, in connection therewith, to exercise all of the rights and powers conferred upon us pursuant to the agreement relating to such business activity; provided, however, that, our Manager may only revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our shareholders, if it determines that it is no longer in our best interests to qualify as a REIT.

By purchasing a common share, you will be admitted as a member of our Company and will be bound by the provisions of, and deemed to be a party to, our operating agreement. Pursuant to this agreement, each shareholder and each person who acquires a common share from a shareholder grants to our Manager a power of attorney to, among other things, execute and file documents required for our qualification, continuance or dissolution. The power of attorney also grants our Manager the authority to make certain amendments to, and to execute and deliver such other documents as may be necessary or appropriate to carry out the provisions or purposes of, our operating agreement.

We operate under the direction of our Manager, which is responsible for directing the management of our business and affairs, managing our day-to-day affairs, and implementing our investment strategy. Our Manager performs its duties and responsibilities pursuant to our operating agreement. Our Manager maintains a contractual, as opposed to a fiduciary relationship, with us and our shareholders. Furthermore, we have agreed to limit the liability of our Manager and to indemnify our Manager against certain liabilities.

Subject to certain limitations, our operating agreement limits the liability of our Manager, its officers and directors, our Sponsor and our Sponsor’s shareholders and affiliates, for monetary damages and provides that we will indemnify and pay or reimburse reasonable expenses in advance of final disposition of a proceeding to our Manager, its officers and directors, our Sponsor and our Sponsor’s shareholders and affiliates.

Our operating agreement provides that to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law our Manager, its officers and directors, our Sponsor and our Sponsor’s shareholders and affiliates will not be liable to us. In addition, pursuant to our operating agreement, we have agreed to indemnify our Manager, its officers and directors, our Sponsor and our Sponsor’s shareholders and affiliates, to the fullest extent permitted by law, against all expenses and liabilities (including judgments, fines, penalties, interest, amounts paid in settlement with the approval of the Company and attorney’s fees and disbursements) arising from the performance of any of their obligations or duties in connection with their service to us or the operating agreement, including in connection with any civil, criminal, administrative, investigative or other action, suit or proceeding to which any such person may hereafter be made party by reason of being or having been the manager or one of our Manager’s directors or officers.

Amendment of Our Operating Agreement; Exclusive Authority of our Manager to Amend our Operating Agreement

Amendments to our operating agreement may be proposed only by or with the consent of our Manager. Our Manager will not be required to seek approval of the shareholders to adopt or approve any amendment to our operating agreement, except to the extent that such amendment would limit the rights of the holders of any class or series of shares or would otherwise have an adverse effect on such holders. In such a case, the proposed amendment must be approved in writing by holders representing a majority of the class or series of shares so affected.

We will continue as a limited liability company until terminated under our operating agreement. We will dissolve upon: (1) the election of our Manager to dissolve us; (2) the sale, exchange or other disposition of all or substantially all of our assets; (3) the entry of a decree of judicial dissolution of our Company; or (4) at any time that we no longer have any shareholders, unless our business is continued in accordance with the Delaware LLC Act.

We are required to keep appropriate books of our business at our principal offices. The books will be maintained for both tax and financial reporting purposes on a basis that permits the preparation of financial statements in accordance with GAAP. For financial reporting purposes and U.S. federal income tax purposes, our fiscal year and our tax year (unless otherwise required by the Code) are the calendar year.

Any determinations made by our Manager under any provision described in our operating agreement will be final and binding on our shareholders, except as may otherwise be required by law, or as a result of any determination by our Manager to revoke or otherwise terminate our REIT election, without approval of our shareholders, if the Manager determines that it is no longer in our best interests to qualify as a REIT. We will prepare a statement of any determination by our Manager respecting the fair market value of any properties, assets or securities, and will file the statement with our Company secretary.

In order for us to qualify as a REIT under the Code, shares of our Company must be owned by 100 or more persons during at least 335 days of a taxable year of 12 months (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made) or during a proportionate part of a shorter taxable year. Also, not more than 50% of the value of our outstanding shares may be owned, directly or indirectly, by five or fewer individuals (as defined in the Code to include certain entities) during the last half of a taxable year (other than the first year for which an election to be a REIT has been made). To qualify as a REIT, we must satisfy other requirements as well. See “U.S. Federal Income Tax Considerations—Requirements for Qualification as a REIT.”

To assist us in qualifying as a REIT, our operating agreement, subject to certain exceptions, contains restrictions on the number and value of our common shares and the number and value of shares of our Company that a person may own. Our operating agreement provides that generally no person may own, or be deemed to own by virtue of certain attribution provisions of the Code, either more than 9.8% in value or in number of our common shares, whichever is more restrictive, or more than 9.8% in value or in number of our shares, whichever is more restrictive. Accordingly, no person may own, or be deemed to own, more than 9.8% in value or in number of our shares, whichever is more restrictive. We refer to these limits collectively as the “ownership limit.” An individual or entity that becomes subject to the ownership limit or any of the other restrictions on ownership and transfer of the shares of our Company described below is referred to as a “prohibited owner” if, had the violative transfer or other event been effective, the individual or entity would have been a beneficial owner or, if appropriate, a record owner of shares.

The applicable constructive ownership rules under the Code are complex and may cause our shares owned actually or constructively by a group of individuals and/or entities to be owned constructively by one individual or entity. As a result, the acquisition of less than 9.8% by value or number of our common shares, whichever is more restrictive, or 9.8% by value or number of our shares, whichever is more restrictive, (or the acquisition of an interest in an entity that owns, actually or constructively, our shares by an individual or entity), could, nevertheless, cause that individual or entity, or another individual or entity, to own constructively in excess of the ownership limit.

Our Manager may, in its sole discretion, subject to such conditions as it may determine and the receipt of certain representations and undertakings, prospectively or retroactively, waive the ownership limit or establish a different limit on ownership, or excepted holder limit, for a particular shareholder if the shareholder’s ownership in excess of the ownership limit would not result in our Company being “closely held” within the meaning of Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year) or otherwise would result in our Company failing to qualify as a REIT. As a condition of its waiver or grant of excepted holder limit, our Manager may, but is not required to, require an opinion of counsel or IRS ruling satisfactory to our Manager in order to determine or ensure our Company’s qualification as a REIT. In addition, our Manager will reject any investor’s subscription in whole or in part if it determines that such subscription would violate such ownership limits.

In connection with granting a waiver of the ownership limit, creating an excepted holder limit or at any other time, our Manager may from time to time increase or decrease the ownership limit for all other individuals and entities unless, after giving effect to such increase, five or fewer individuals could beneficially or constructively own in the aggregate, more than 49.9% in value of the shares then outstanding of our Company or our Company would otherwise fail to qualify as a REIT. Prior to the modification of the ownership limit, our Manager may require such opinions of counsel, affidavits, undertakings or agreements as it may deem necessary or advisable in order to determine or ensure our qualification as a REIT. A reduced ownership limit will not apply to any person or entity whose percentage ownership of our common shares or shares of our Company, as applicable, is in excess of such decreased ownership limit until such time as such individual’s or entity’s percentage ownership of our common shares or shares of our Company, as applicable, equals or falls below the decreased ownership limit, but any further acquisition of our common shares or shares of our Company, as applicable, in excess of such percentage ownership of our common shares or shares of our Company will be in violation of the ownership limit.

Any person who acquires or attempts or intends to acquire beneficial or constructive ownership of our shares that will or may violate the ownership limit or any of the other foregoing restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares, or who would have owned our shares transferred to a trust as described below, must immediately give us written notice of the event, or in the case of an attempted or proposed transaction, must give at least 15 days’ prior written notice to us and provide us with such other information as we may request in order to determine the effect of such transfer on our qualification as a REIT. The foregoing restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares will not apply if our Manager determines that it is no longer in our best interests to attempt to qualify, or to continue to qualify, as a REIT or that compliance with the restrictions and limitations on ownership and transfer of our shares as described above is no longer required in order for us to qualify as a REIT.

If any transfer of our shares would result in our shares being beneficially owned by fewer than 100 persons, such transfer will be null and void and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares. In addition, if any purported transfer of our shares or any other event would otherwise result in any person violating the ownership limit or an excepted holder limit established by our Manager or in our Company being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year) or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT, then that number of shares (rounded up to the nearest whole share) that would cause us to violate such restrictions will be automatically transferred to, and held by, a trust for the exclusive benefit of one or more charitable organizations selected by us and the intended transferee will acquire no rights in such shares. The automatic transfer will be effective as of the close of business on the business day prior to the date of the violative transfer or other event that results in a transfer to the trust. Any dividend or other distribution paid to the prohibited owner, prior to our discovery that the shares had been automatically transferred to a trust as described above, must be repaid to the trustee upon demand for distribution to the beneficiary by the trust. If the transfer to the trust as described above is not automatically effective, for any reason, to prevent violation of the applicable ownership limit or our Company being “closely held” under Section 856(h) of the Code (without regard to whether the ownership interest is held during the last half of a taxable year) or otherwise failing to qualify as a REIT, then our operating agreement provides that the transfer of the shares will be null and void.

Shares of our Company transferred to the trustee are deemed offered for sale to us, or our designee, at a price per share equal to the lesser of (1) the price paid by the prohibited owner for the shares (or, if the event that resulted in the transfer to the trust did not involve a purchase of such shares at market price, the last reported Aggregate Loan Amount on the day of the event which resulted in the transfer of such shares to the trust) and (2) the last reported Aggregate Loan Amount on the date we accept, or our designee accepts, such offer (or $1.00 if no Aggregate Loan Amount has been reported). We may reduce the amount payable by the amount of any dividend or other distribution that we have paid to the prohibited owner before we discovered that the shares had been automatically transferred to the trust and that are then owed to the trustee as described above, and we may pay the amount of any such reduction to the trustee for the benefit of the charitable beneficiary. We have the right to accept such offer until the trustee has sold the shares held in the trust as discussed below. Upon a sale to us, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares sold terminates, the trustee must distribute the net proceeds of the sale to the prohibited owner and any dividends or other distributions held by the trustee with respect to such shares will be paid to the charitable beneficiary.

If we do not buy the shares, the trustee must, as soon as practicable after receiving notice from us of the transfer of shares to the trust, sell the shares to a person or entity designated by the trustee who could own the shares without violating the ownership limit or the other restrictions on ownership and transfer of shares of our Company. After the sale of the shares, the interest of the charitable beneficiary in the shares transferred to the trust will terminate and the trustee must distribute to the prohibited owner an amount equal to the lesser of (1) the price paid by the prohibited owner for the shares (or, if the event which resulted in the transfer to the trust did not involve a purchase of such shares at market price, the last reported Aggregate Loan Amount value for our common shares on the day of the event which resulted in the transfer of such shares to the trust) and (2) the sales proceeds (net of commissions and other expenses of sale) received by the trust for the shares. The trustee may reduce the amount payable to the prohibited owner by the amount of any dividend or other distribution that we paid to the prohibited owner before we discovered that the shares had been automatically transferred to the trust and that are then owed to the trustee as described above. Any net sales proceeds in excess of the amount payable to the prohibited owner will be immediately paid to the beneficiary of the trust, together with any dividends or other distributions thereon. In addition, if, prior to discovery by us that our shares have been transferred to a trust, such shares are sold by a prohibited owner, then such shares will be deemed to have been sold on behalf of the trust and to the extent that the prohibited owner received an amount for or in respect of such shares that exceeds the amount that such prohibited owner was entitled to receive, such excess amount will be paid to the trustee upon demand. The prohibited owner has no rights in the shares held by the trustee.

The trustee will be designated by us and will be unaffiliated with us and with any prohibited owner. Prior to the sale of any shares by the trust, the trustee will receive, in trust for the beneficiary of the trust, all dividends and other distributions paid by us with respect to the shares held in trust and may also exercise all voting rights with respect to the shares held in trust. These rights will be exercised for the exclusive benefit of the beneficiary of the trust. Any dividend or other distribution paid prior to our discovery that our shares have been transferred to the trust will be paid by the recipient to the trustee upon demand.

Subject to Delaware law, effective as of the date that the shares have been transferred to the trust, the trustee will have the authority, at the trustee’s sole discretion:

However, if we have already taken irreversible company action, then the trustee may not rescind and recast the vote.

In addition, if our Manager determines in good faith that a proposed transfer or other event would violate the restrictions on ownership and transfer of our shares, our Manager may take such action as it deems advisable to refuse to give effect to or to prevent such transfer, including, but not limited to, causing us to redeem our shares, refusing to give effect to the transfer on our books or instituting proceedings to enjoin the transfer.

Every owner of 5% or more (or such lower percentage as required by the Code or the Treasury Regulations promulgated thereunder) of our shares, within 30 days after the end of each taxable year, must give us written notice, stating the shareholder’s name and address, the number of shares of each class of our Company that the shareholder beneficially owns and a description of the manner in which the shares are held. Each such owner must provide to us in writing such additional information as we may request in order to determine the effect, if any, of the shareholder’s beneficial ownership on our qualification as a REIT and to ensure compliance with the ownership limit. In addition, each shareholder must provide to us in writing such information as we may request in good faith in order to determine our qualification as a REIT and to comply with the requirements of any taxing authority or governmental authority or to determine such compliance.

Any certificates representing our shares will bear a legend referring to the restrictions described above.

These restrictions on ownership and transfer could delay, defer or prevent a transaction or a change in control that might involve a premium price for the common shares or otherwise be in the best interest of the holders of the common shares.

Our operating agreement provides that we may elect to repurchase, at a price equal to $1.00 per share prior to the end of the first quarterly period following the conclusion of this Offering, and equal to the greater of $1.00 or an amount equal to our Aggregate Loan Amount per common share as of the end of the prior quarterly period (or such other period as determined by our Manager in its sole discretion, but no less frequently than annually) thereafter, all of the common shares held by an investor in the event that such investor fails to conform its personal conduct to common and accepted standards of good citizenship or conducts itself in a way that reflects poorly upon us, as determined by the Manager in its sole and absolute discretion. The purchase price will be payable to the investor in a single payment, with the payment becoming due fifteen (15) business days following the date on which we provide notice to the investor of our decision to repurchase the common shares.

Our Manager may determine that it is in our best interest to (i) contribute to, or convert the Company into, an alternative vehicle, through consolidation, merger or other similar transaction with other companies, some of which may be managed by our Manager or its affiliates (a “Roll-Up”) or (ii) list our shares (or shares of the Roll-Up vehicle) on a NSE. In connection with a Roll-Up, shareholders may receive from the Roll-Up vehicle cash, stock, securities or other interests or assets of such vehicle, on such terms as our Manager deems fair and reasonable, provided, however, that our Manager will be required to obtain approval of shareholders holding a majority of the outstanding common shares if required by applicable laws or regulations.

Under the Arbitration Provision contained in our operating agreement, either party may, at its sole election, require that the sole and exclusive forum and remedy for resolution of a claim be final and binding arbitration. We have not determined whether we will exercise our right to demand arbitration but reserve the right to make that determination on a case by case basis as claims arise. In this regard, the Arbitration Provision is similar to a binding arbitration provision as we are likely to invoke the Arbitration Provision to the fullest extent permissible. The Arbitration Provision applies to claims under the U.S. federal securities laws and to all claims that are related to the Company, including with respect to this offering, our holdings, our common shares, our ongoing operations and the management of our investments, among other matters.

Any arbitration brought pursuant to the Arbitration Provision must be conducted in the State of Georgia. The term “Claim” as used in the Arbitration Provision is very broad and includes any past, present, or future claim, dispute, or controversy involving you (or persons claiming through or connected with you), on the one hand, and us (or persons claiming through or connected with us), on the other hand, relating to or arising out of your subscription agreement, the Groundfloor Platform, and/or the activities or relationships that involve, lead to, or result from any of the foregoing, including (except an individual Claim that you may bring in Small Claims Court or an equivalent court, if any, so long as the Claim is pending only in that court) the validity or enforceability of the Arbitration Provision, any part thereof, or the entire subscription agreement. Claims are subject to arbitration regardless of whether they arise from contract; tort (intentional or otherwise); a constitution, statute, common law, or principles of equity; or otherwise. Claims include (without limitation) matters arising as initial claims, counter-claims, cross-claims, third-party claims, or otherwise. The scope of the Arbitration Provision is to be given the broadest possible interpretation that will permit it to be enforceable. Based on discussions with and research performed by the Company’s counsel, we believe that the Arbitration Provision is enforceable under federal law, the laws of the State of Delaware, the laws of the State of Georgia, or under any other applicable laws or regulations. However, the issue of enforceability is not free from doubt and to the extent that one or more of the provisions in our subscription agreement or our operating agreement with respect to the Arbitration Provision or otherwise requiring you to waive certain rights were to be found by a court to be unenforceable, we would abide by such decision.

Before purchasing shares, a potential investor must acknowledge, understand, and agree that: (a) arbitration is final and binding on the parties; (b) the parties are waiving their right to seek remedies in court, including the right to jury trial; (c) pre-arbitration discovery is generally more limited than and potentially different in form and scope from court proceedings; (d) the Arbitration Award is not required to include factual findings or legal reasoning and any party's right to appeal or to seek modification of a ruling by the arbitrators is strictly limited; and (e) the panel of arbitrators may include a minority of persons engaged in the securities industry. The Arbitration Provision limits the rights of an investor to many legal remedies and rights otherwise available. See “How to Subscribe—Arbitration Provision.”

BY AGREEING TO BE SUBJECT TO THE ARBITRATION PROVISION IN OUR OPERATING AGREEMENT, INVESTORS WILL NOT BE DEEMED TO WAIVE THE COMPANY’S COMPLIANCE WITH THE FEDERAL SECURITIES LAWS AND THE RULES AND REGULATIONS PROMULGATED THEREUNDER.

The following is a summary of certain provisions of our operating agreement and Delaware law that may be deemed to have the effect of discouraging, delaying or preventing transactions that involve an actual or threatened change of control of our Company. These provisions include the following:

Our operating agreement authorizes us to issue additional common shares or other securities of our Company for the consideration and on the terms and conditions established by our Manager without the approval of our shareholders. In particular, our Manager is authorized to provide for the issuance of an unlimited amount of one or more classes or series of shares of our Company, including preferred shares, and to fix the number of shares, the relative powers, preferences and rights, and the qualifications, limitations or restrictions applicable to each class or series thereof by resolution authorizing the issuance of such class or series. Our ability to issue additional shares and other securities could render more difficult or discourage an attempt to obtain control over us by means of a tender offer, merger or otherwise.

We are a limited liability company organized under Delaware law. Some provisions of Delaware law may delay or prevent a transaction that would cause a change in our control. Section 203 of the DGCL, which restricts certain business combinations with interested shareholders in certain situations, does not apply to limited liability companies unless they elect to utilize it. Our operating agreement does not currently elect to have Section 203 of the DGCL apply to us. In general, this statute prohibits a publicly held Delaware corporation from engaging in a business combination with an interested shareholder for a period of three years after the date of the transaction by which that person became an interested shareholder, unless the business combination is approved in a prescribed manner. For purposes of Section 203, a business combination includes a merger, asset sale or other transaction resulting in a financial benefit to the interested shareholder, and an interested shareholder is a person who, together with affiliates and associates, owns, or within three years prior did own, 15% or more of voting shares. Our Manager may elect to amend our operating agreement at any time to have Section 203 apply to us.

At the end of each quarterly period following the conclusion of this Offering, our Sponsor’s internal accountants and asset management team will calculate the Aggregate Loan Amount.

As there is no market value for our Loans, our goal is to determine a reasonable estimate of the aggregate value of the Loans in our portfolio on a quarterly basis for purposes of calculating the Management Fee that we must pay to our Manager. The majority of our assets will consist of commercial real estate loans and, as with any commercial real estate valuation protocol, the conclusions reached by our Sponsor’s internal accountants or asset management team, as the case may be, will be based on a number of judgments, assumptions and opinions about future events that may or may not prove to be correct. The use of different judgments, assumptions or opinions would likely result in different estimates of the value of our commercial real estate assets and investments. In addition, for any given semi-annual period (or such other period as determined by our Manager in its sole discretion, but no less frequently than annually), our published Aggregate Loan Amount may not fully reflect certain material events, to the extent that the financial impact of such events on our portfolio is not immediately quantifiable.

As of July 31, 2023, our Sponsor’s real estate and accounting teams were composed of approximately 20 individuals. All of these professionals play a role in asset management because our Sponsor takes a full lifecycle approach to asset management. This means that the same team that closes a deal is then responsible for asset management of the property for the life of the investment. Members of our Sponsor’s real estate team have previously worked as real estate developers, fund managers, real estate brokers, and homebuilders, while members of our Sponsor’s accounting team have worked as auditors, accountants, consultants, private equity accountants, tax accountants, and property accountants. Through July 31, 2023, our Sponsor’s real estate and accounting teams have acquired and asset managed more than 2,500 commercial real estate loans with total loan value over $1 billion. Based on this experience, we believe that our Sponsor’s real estate team has a more intimate and detailed understanding of the Loans than typical outside consultants and that its real estate and accounting teams can more accurately estimate our Aggregate Loan Amount. In addition, we believe that our Sponsor will ultimately be much more cost effective and efficient to produce the Aggregate Loan Amount through its own asset management team than through the use of outside valuation consultants.

Our operating agreement requires that we prepare an annual report and deliver it to our common shareholders within 120 days after the end of each fiscal year. Our Manager is required to take reasonable steps to ensure that the annual report complies with our operating agreement provisions and with applicable securities laws.

Under the Securities Act, we must update this Offering Circular upon the occurrence of certain events, such as asset acquisitions. We will file updated offering circulars and offering circular supplements with the SEC. We are also subject to the informational reporting requirements of the Exchange Act that are applicable to Tier 2 companies whose securities are registered pursuant to Regulation A, and accordingly, we will file annual reports, semi-annual reports and other information with the SEC. In addition, we will provide you directly with periodic updates, including offering circulars, offering circular supplements, semi-annual pricing supplements, semi-annual information statements and other information.

We will provide such periodic updates electronically through the Groundfloor Platform website at www.groundfloor.com, and documents will be provided electronically. You may access and print all periodic updates provided through the Groundfloor Platform website. As periodic updates become available, we will notify you of this by sending you an e-mail message that will include instructions on how to retrieve the periodic updates. If our e-mail notification is returned to us as “undeliverable,” we will contact you to obtain your updated e-mail address. We will provide you with paper copies at any time upon request. The contents of the Groundfloor Platform website are not incorporated by reference in or otherwise a part of this Offering Circular.

We are subject to various conflicts of interest arising out of our relationship with our Manager and its affiliates. We discuss these conflicts below. We discuss these conflicts below and conclude this section with a discussion of the corporate governance measures we have adopted to mitigate some of the risks posed by these conflicts.

The officers and directors of our Manager and the key real estate and debt finance professionals of our Sponsor who perform services for us on behalf of our Manager are also officers, directors, managers, and/or key professionals of our Sponsor and other affiliates of our Sponsor. These persons have legal obligations with respect to those entities that are similar to their obligations to us. In the future, these persons and other affiliates of our Sponsor may organize other real estate-related or debt-related programs and acquire for their own account real estate-related investments that may be suitable for us. In addition, our Sponsor may grant equity interests in our Manager to certain management personnel performing services for our Manager.

Our Manager is a wholly-owned subsidiary of our Sponsor. We will pay fees and expenses to our Manager, and its affiliates, including our Sponsor, which were not determined on an arm’s length basis. The asset management fee paid to our Manager will be based on our Aggregate Loan Amount, which is based on the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding Loans in our portfolio at the end of each quarterly period beginning with the last day of the calendar quarter in which this Offering terminates beginning. Our Manager may, in its sole discretion, waive its asset management fee, in whole or in part.

We rely on our Manager’s executive officers and our Sponsor’s key real estate and debt finance professionals who act on behalf of our Manager to identify suitable investments. Our Sponsor and other affiliates of our Sponsor also rely on these same key real estate and debt finance professionals.

If a sale, financing, investment or other business opportunity would be suitable for more than one program, our Sponsor will allocate it using its business judgment. Any allocation of this type may involve the consideration of a number of factors that our Sponsor determines to be relevant. The factors that our Sponsor’s real estate professionals could consider when determining the entity for which an investment opportunity would be the most suitable include the following:

If a subsequent event or development causes any investment, in the opinion of our Sponsor’s real estate professionals, to be more appropriate for another Groundfloor entity, they may offer the investment to such entity.

Except under any policies that may be adopted by our Manager or Sponsor, no Groundfloor Platform investment opportunity (including us) will have any duty, responsibility or obligation to refrain from:

We rely on our Sponsor’s key real estate professionals who act on behalf of our Manager, including Nick Bhargava, for the day-to-day operation of our business. Nick Bhargava is also the executive vice president of our Sponsor and other affiliates of our Sponsor. As a result of his interests in other our Sponsor and its affiliates, his obligations to other investors and the fact that he engages in and will continue to engage in other business activities on behalf of himself and others, Nick Bhargava faces conflicts of interest in allocating his time among us, our Manager and other affiliates of or investment opportunities sponsored by our Sponsor and other business activities in which he is involved. However, we believe that our Manager and its affiliates have sufficient real estate professionals to fully discharge their responsibilities to us and the other Groundfloor entities for which they work.

Our Manager and its affiliates receive substantial fees from us, which fees are not negotiated at arm’s length. These fees could influence our Manager’s advice to us as well as the judgment of affiliates of our Manager, some of whom also serve as our Manager’s officers and directors and the key real estate professionals of our Sponsor. Among other matters, these compensation arrangements could affect their judgment with respect to:

Duties Owed by Some of Our Affiliates to Our Manager and our Manager’s Affiliates

Our Manager’s officers and directors and the key real estate and debt finance professionals of our Sponsor performing services on behalf of our Manager are also officers, directors, managers and/or key professionals of:

As a result, they owe duties to each of these entities, their shareholders, members and limited partners. These duties may from time to time conflict with the duties that they owe to us.

As we are conducting this Offering without the aid of an independent underwriter, you will not have the benefit of an independent due diligence review and investigation of the type normally performed by an independent underwriter in connection with the offering of securities. See “Plan of Distribution”.

We have entered into a license agreement with our Sponsor, pursuant to which our Sponsor granted us a non-exclusive, royalty free license to use the name “Groundfloor”. See “Management—License Agreement”.

In addition to the provisions in our operating agreement described below and our Manager’s investment allocation policies described above, we have adopted the following policies prohibiting us from entering into certain types of transactions with our Manager, our Sponsor, their officers or any of their affiliates in order to further reduce the potential for conflicts inherent in transactions with affiliates.

In addition, pursuant to these conflicts of interest policies, we will neither make any loans to our Manager, our Sponsor, their officers or any of their affiliates nor borrow money from our Manager, our Sponsor, their officers or any of their affiliates, except as otherwise provided in the Offering Circular. These restrictions on loans will only apply to advances of cash that are commonly viewed as loans, as determined by the Manager. By way of example only, the prohibition on loans would not restrict advances of cash for legal expenses or other costs incurred as a result of any legal action for which indemnification is being sought nor would the prohibition limit our ability to advance reimbursable expenses incurred by our Manager, our Sponsor, their officers or any of their affiliates.

These conflicts of interest policies may be amended at any time in our Manager’s discretion.

Our operating agreement contains many other restrictions relating to conflicts of interest including the following:

Term of our Manager. Our operating agreement provides that our Manager will serve as our manager for an indefinite term, but that our Manager may be removed by us, or may choose to withdraw as manager, under certain circumstances. Our shareholders may remove our Manager at any time with 30 days prior written notice for “cause”, following the affirmative vote of two-thirds of our shareholders. Unsatisfactory financial performance does not constitute “cause” under the operating agreement. Our Manager may withdraw as manager if we become required to register as an investment company under the Investment Company Act, with such withdrawal deemed to occur immediately before such event. In the event of the removal of our Manager, our Manager will cooperate with us and take all reasonable steps to assist in making an orderly transition of the management function. Our Manager will determine whether any succeeding manager possesses sufficient qualifications to perform the management function. See “Management—Term and Removal of the Manager”.

Other Transactions Involving Affiliates. Before engaging in a transaction involving an affiliate, our Manager must conclude that all other transactions between us and our Sponsor, our Manager, any of their officers or directors, or any of their affiliates are fair and reasonable to us and on terms and conditions not less favorable to us than those available from unaffiliated third parties. See “Management—Investment Committee of our Manager”.

The Manager and certain affiliates of the Manager will receive fees and compensation in connection with the Company’s public offering, and the acquisition, management and sale of the Company’s real estate investments.

The Manager will be reimbursed for organization and offering expenses incurred in conjunction with our organization and the Offering, but the aggregate monthly amount reimbursed can never exceed 0.50% of the aggregate gross offering proceeds from this Offering. Organization and offering expenses include all expenses paid by the Manager and to be reimbursed by us in connection with the formation of our Company and the qualification of the common shares offered in this Offering Circular, and the marketing and distribution of shares, including, without limitation, expenses for printing, engraving and amending offering statements or supplementing offering circulars, mailing and distributing costs, telephones, internet and other telecommunications costs, all advertising and marketing expenses, charges of experts and fees, expenses and taxes related to the filing, registration and qualification of the sale of shares under federal and state laws, including taxes and fees and accountants’ and attorneys’ fees. See “Management Compensation” for more information.

The Company will pay the Manager a quarterly asset management fee of one-fourth of 1.0%, which will be based on our Aggregate Loan Amount, which is based on the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding Loans in our portfolio at the end of each quarterly period beginning with the last day of the calendar quarter in which this Offering terminates beginning. Our Manager may, in its sole discretion, waive its asset management fee, in whole or in part.

The Company will reimburse the Manager for actual expenses incurred on our behalf in connection with the special servicing of non-performing assets. The Manager will determine, in its sole discretion, whether an asset is non-performing.

As an alternative means of acquiring loans or other investments for which we do not yet have sufficient funds, and in order to comply with certain state lending requirements, Groundfloor Credit LLC, an affiliate of our Sponsor, or its affiliates may close and fund a Loan or other investment prior to it being acquired by us. The ability to warehouse investments allows us the flexibility to deploy our offering proceeds as funds are raised. We then will acquire such investment at a price equal to the fair market value of the Loan or other investment (including reimbursements for servicing fees and accrued interest, if any), so there is no mark-up (or mark-down) at the time of our acquisition.

Groundfloor Finance Inc. owns and operates an online investment platform https://www.groundfloor.com (the “Groundfloor Platform”) that allows investors to invest in interests in real estate opportunities that may have been historically difficult to access for some investors. Groundfloor Finance Inc. is the sole member of the Company and holds 5,000 shares as of March 26, 2024.

As of the date these financial statements are issued, the executive officers of our Manager and their positions and offices are as follows:

Nick Bhargava (39) is Chief Executive Officer of our Manager, co-founder of the Company, and has served on our Sponsor’s Board of Directors and as its Secretary since its inception. Mr. Bhargava was also named Executive Vice President, Legal and Regulatory of our Sponsor in July 2014. Mr. Bhargava completed a Practicum with SciQuest Inc. from January 2012 to May 2012 where he was responsible for reviewing and editing the company’s federal securities filings and sales contracts. Previous to that, he served as a Regulatory Analyst for the Financial Services Roundtable from May 2011 to August 2011, where he reviewed and analyzed legislation and regulation, particularly the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act rulemakings. From May 2010 to August 2010, Mr. Bhargava served as an Honors Intern in Trading and Markets with the SEC, at which he was tasked with researching and analyzing the May 6, 2010 Flash Crash in addition to reviewing proposed rules, comments on proposed rules and SRO filings. As an Enforcement Intern with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority from May 2009 to August 2009, Mr. Bhargava was responsible for developing enforcement actions against broker-dealers. Prior to these positions, Mr. Bhargava worked as a Trader for TD Waterhouse Inc. from September 2006 to February 2008 and had responsibility for taking and executing trade orders for equities and equity options for high value accounts. Mr. Bhargava received his LLM from Duke University School of Law in 2012, a JD from American University in 2011, and a BS in Biological Sciences and Business from University of Alberta in 2006.

The following is a summary of certain U.S. federal income tax considerations relating to our qualification and taxation as a REIT and the acquisition, holding, and disposition of our common shares. For purposes of this section, references to “we”, “us” or our “Company” means only Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC and not its subsidiaries or other lower-tier entities, except as otherwise indicated. This summary is based upon the Code, the current, temporary, and proposed regulations promulgated by the U.S. Treasury Department (the “Treasury Regulations”), current administrative interpretations and practices of the IRS (including administrative interpretations and practices expressed in private letter rulings which are binding on the IRS only with respect to the particular taxpayers who requested and received those rulings) and judicial decisions, all as currently in effect and all of which are subject to differing interpretations or to change, possibly with retroactive effect. No assurance can be given that the IRS would not assert, or that a court would not sustain a position contrary to any of the tax considerations described below. No advance ruling has been or will be sought from the IRS regarding any matter discussed in this summary. Thus, it is possible that the IRS could challenge the statements in this discussion that do not bind the IRS or the courts and that a court could agree with the IRS. The summary is also based upon the assumption that the operation of our Company, and of any subsidiaries and other lower-tier affiliated entities, will be in accordance with its applicable organizational documents and as described in this Offering Circular. This summary is for general information only, and does not purport to discuss all aspects of U.S. federal income taxation that may be important to a particular shareholder in light of its investment or tax circumstances or to shareholders subject to special tax rules, such as:

Except to a limited extent noted below, this summary does not address state, local, or non-U.S. tax considerations. This summary assumes that shareholders will hold our common shares as capital assets, within the meaning of Section 1221 of the Code, which generally means as property held for investment.

For the purposes of this summary, a U.S. person is a beneficial owner of our common shares who for U.S. federal income tax purposes is:

For the purposes of this summary, a U.S. shareholder is a beneficial owner of our common shares who is a U.S. person. A tax exempt organization is a U.S. person who is exempt from U.S. federal income tax under Section 401(a) or 501(a) of the Code. For the purposes of this summary, a non-U.S. person is a beneficial owner of our common shares who is a nonresident alien individual or a non-U.S. corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and a non-U.S. shareholder is a beneficial owner of our common shares who is a non-U.S. person. The term “corporation” includes any entity treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and the term “partnership” includes any entity treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes.

THE U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX TREATMENT OF HOLDERS OF OUR COMMON SHARES DEPENDS IN SOME INSTANCES ON DETERMINATIONS OF FACT AND INTERPRETATIONS OF COMPLEX PROVISIONS OF U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX LAW FOR WHICH NO CLEAR PRECEDENT OR AUTHORITY MAY BE AVAILABLE. IN ADDITION, THE TAX CONSEQUENCES OF HOLDING OUR COMMON SHARES TO ANY PARTICULAR SHAREHOLDER WILL DEPEND ON THE SHAREHOLDER’S PARTICULAR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES. YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT YOUR TAX ADVISOR REGARDING THE U.S. FEDERAL, STATE, LOCAL, AND NON-U.S. INCOME AND OTHER TAX CONSEQUENCES TO YOU, IN LIGHT OF YOUR PARTICULAR INVESTMENT OR TAX CIRCUMSTANCES, OF ACQUIRING, HOLDING, AND DISPOSING OF OUR COMMON SHARES.

We intend to elect to be taxed as a REIT under the Code, commencing with the taxable year ending December 31, 2023. A REIT generally is not subject to U.S. federal income tax on the income that it distributes to its shareholders if it meets the applicable REIT distribution and other requirements for qualification. We believe that we will be organized, owned and operated in conformity with the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code, and that our proposed ownership, organization and method of operation will enable us to meet the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT under the Code. However, given the highly complex nature of the rules governing REITs, the ongoing importance of factual determinations (including with respect to matters that we may not control or for which it is not possible to obtain all the relevant facts) and the possibility of future changes in our circumstances or applicable law, no assurance can be given by us that we will so qualify for any particular year or that the IRS will not challenge our conclusions with respect to our satisfaction of the REIT requirements.

Qualification and taxation as a REIT depends on our ability to meet, on a continuing basis, through actual results of operations, distribution levels, diversity of share ownership and various qualification requirements imposed upon REITs by the Code, discussed below. In addition, our ability to qualify as a REIT may depend in part upon the operating results, organizational structure and entity classification for U.S. federal income tax purposes of certain entities in which we invest, which we may not control. Our ability to qualify as a REIT also requires that we satisfy certain asset and income tests, some of which depend upon the fair market values of assets directly or indirectly owned by us or which serve as security for loans made by us. Such values may not be susceptible to a precise determination. Accordingly, no assurance can be given that the actual results of our operations for any taxable year will satisfy the requirements for qualification and taxation as a REIT.

Provided that we qualify as a REIT, we will generally be entitled to a deduction for dividends that we pay and, therefore, will not be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax on our net taxable income that is currently distributed to our shareholders. This treatment substantially eliminates the “double taxation” at the corporate and shareholder levels that results generally from investment in a corporation. Rather, income generated by a REIT is generally taxed only at the shareholder level, upon distributions by the REIT.

Even if we qualify for taxation as a REIT, however, we will be subject to U.S. federal income taxation as follows:

In addition, we may be subject to a variety of taxes other than U.S. federal income tax, including state, local, and non-U.S. income, franchise property and other taxes.

We intend to elect to be taxable as a REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ending December 31, 2023 and for all subsequent taxable years. In order to have so qualified, we must meet and continue to meet the requirements discussed below (or as in effect for prior years), relating to our organization, ownership, sources of income, nature of assets and distributions of income to shareholders.

The discussion below summarizes current law except where expressly noted otherwise. We do not believe any differences between the current requirements for qualification as a REIT and the requirements in effect for any prior year have prevented us from qualifying as a REIT for any period.

For purposes of condition (1), “directors” generally means persons treated as “directors” for purposes of the Investment Company Act, which we believe includes our Manager. Our shares are generally freely transferable, and we believe that the restrictions on ownership and transfers of our shares do not prevent us from satisfying condition (2). Although we are organized as a limited liability company, for U.S. federal income tax purposes we elected to be classified as a corporation in compliance with condition (3). We believe that the shares sold in this offering will allow us to timely comply with conditions (5) and (6). However, depending on the number of shareholders who subscribe for shares in this offering and the timing of subscriptions, we may need to conduct an additional offering of preferred shares to timely comply with (5). For purposes of determining common shares ownership under condition (6) above, a certain stock bonus, pension, or profit-sharing plan, supplemental unemployment compensation benefits plan, a private foundation and a portion of a trust permanently set aside or used exclusively for charitable purposes generally are each considered an individual. A trust that is a qualified trust under Code Section 401(a) generally is not considered an individual, and beneficiaries of a qualified trust generally are treated as holding shares of a REIT in proportion to their actuarial interests in the trust for purposes of condition (6) above.

To monitor compliance with the share ownership requirements, we are generally required to maintain records regarding the actual ownership of our shares. Provided we comply with these record keeping requirements and that we would not otherwise have reason to believe we fail the 5/50 Test after exercising reasonable diligence, we will be deemed to have satisfied the 5/50 Test. In addition, our operating agreement provides restrictions regarding the ownership and transfer of our shares, which are intended to assist us in satisfying the share ownership requirements described above.

For purposes of condition (9) above, we will use a calendar year for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and we intend to comply with the applicable recordkeeping requirements.

In the case of a REIT that is a partner in an entity that is treated as a partnership for U.S. federal income tax purposes, the REIT is deemed to own its proportionate share of the partnership’s assets and to earn its proportionate share of the partnership’s gross income based on its pro rata share of capital interests in the partnership for purposes of the asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, as described below. However, solely for purposes of the 10% value test, described below, the determination of a REIT’s interest in partnership assets will be based on the REIT’s proportionate interest in any securities issued by the partnership, excluding for these purposes, certain excluded securities as described in the Code. For purposes of determining the amount of the REIT’s taxable income that must be distributed, or is subject to tax, the REIT’s share of partnership income is determined under the partnership tax provisions of the Code and will reflect any special allocations of income or loss that are not in proportion to capital interests. Income earned through partnerships retains its character for U.S. federal income tax purposes when allocated among its partners. We intend to obtain covenants from any partnerships in which we invest but do not control to operate in compliance with the REIT requirements, but we may not control any particular partnership into which we invest, and thus no assurance can be given that any such partnerships will not operate in a manner that causes us to fail an income or asset test requirement. In general, partnerships are not subject to U.S. federal income tax. However, if a partnership in which we invest is audited, it may be required to pay the hypothetical increase in partner level taxes (including interest and penalties) resulting from an adjustment of partnership tax items on the audit, unless the partnership elects an alternative method under which the taxes resulting from the adjustment (and interest and penalties) are assessed at the partner level. It is possible that partnerships in which we directly and indirectly invest may be subject to U.S. federal income tax, interest and penalties in the event of a U.S. federal income tax audit.

If a REIT owns a corporate subsidiary that is a “qualified REIT subsidiary”, that subsidiary is disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and all assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the subsidiary are treated as assets, liabilities and items of income, deduction and credit of the REIT itself, including for purposes of the gross income and asset tests applicable to REITs, as summarized below. A qualified REIT subsidiary is any corporation, other than a TRS, that is wholly owned by a REIT, by other disregarded subsidiaries of a REIT or by a combination of the two. Single member limited liability companies or other domestic unincorporated entities that are wholly owned by a REIT are also generally disregarded as separate entities for U.S. federal income tax purposes, including for purposes of the REIT gross income and asset tests unless they elect TRS status. Disregarded subsidiaries, along with partnerships in which we hold an equity interest, are sometimes referred to herein as “pass-through subsidiaries”.

In the event that a disregarded subsidiary ceases to be wholly owned by us (for example, if any equity interest in the subsidiary is acquired by a person other than us or another disregarded subsidiary of ours), the subsidiary’s separate existence would no longer be disregarded for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Instead, it would have multiple owners and would be treated as either a partnership or a taxable corporation. Such an event could, depending on the circumstances, adversely affect our ability to satisfy the various asset and gross income tests applicable to REITs, including the requirement that REITs generally may not own, directly or indirectly, more than 10% of the value or voting power of the outstanding securities of another corporation. See “—Asset Tests” and “—Gross Income Tests”.

A REIT, in general, may jointly elect with a subsidiary corporation, whether or not wholly owned, to treat the subsidiary corporation as a TRS. The separate existence of a TRS or other taxable corporation, unlike a disregarded subsidiary as discussed above, is not ignored for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Accordingly, such an entity would generally be subject to U.S. federal income tax on its taxable income, which may reduce the cash flow generated by us and our subsidiaries in the aggregate and our ability to make distributions to our shareholders.

A REIT is not treated as holding the assets of a TRS or other taxable subsidiary corporation or as receiving any income that the subsidiary earns. Rather, the stock issued by the subsidiary is an asset in the hands of the REIT, and the REIT generally recognizes dividend income when it receives distributions of earnings from the subsidiary. This treatment can affect the gross income and asset test calculations that apply to the REIT, as described below. Because a parent REIT does not include the assets and income of its TRSs in determining the parent REIT’s compliance with the REIT requirements, such entities may be used by the parent REIT to undertake indirectly activities that the REIT rules might otherwise preclude the parent REIT from doing directly or through pass-through subsidiaries. If dividends are paid to us by one or more domestic TRSs we may own, then a portion of the dividends that we distribute to shareholders who are taxed at individual rates generally will be eligible for taxation at preferential qualified dividend income tax rates rather than at ordinary income rates. See “—Taxation of Taxable U.S. Shareholders” and “—Annual Distribution Requirements”.

We may hold certain investments through one or more TRSs, including property that we believe would be treated as held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of our trade or business for U.S. federal income tax purposes and that cannot be sold within a statutory safe harbor to avoid the 100% tax on “prohibited transactions” that otherwise would apply to gain from the sale of such property. Generally, a TRS can perform impermissible tenant services without causing us to receive impermissible tenant services income from those services under the REIT income tests. A TRS may also engage in other activities that, if conducted by us other than through a TRS, could result in the receipt of non-qualified income or the ownership of non-qualified assets. However, several provisions regarding the arrangements between a REIT and its TRSs ensure that a TRS will be subject to an appropriate level of U.S. federal income taxation. For example, we will be obligated to pay a 100% penalty tax on some payments that we receive or certain other amounts or on certain expenses deducted by the TRS if the economic arrangements among us, our tenants and/or the TRS are not comparable to similar arrangements among unrelated parties. While we intend to manage the size of our TRSs and dividends from our TRSs in a manner that permits us to qualify as a REIT, it is possible that the equity investments appreciate to the point where our TRSs exceed the thresholds mandated by the REIT rules. In such cases, we could lose our REIT status if we are unable to satisfy certain exceptions for failing to satisfy the REIT income and asset tests. In any event, any earnings attributable to equity interests held in TRSs or origination activity conducted by TRSs will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax, and the amount of such taxes could be substantial.

To the extent we hold an interest in a non-U.S. TRS, we may be required to include our portion of its earnings in our income irrespective of whether or not such non-U.S. TRS has made any distributions. Any such income will not be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test but based on IRS guidance are expected to be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test.

We may enter into transactions that could result in us being considered to own interests in one or more taxable mortgage pools. An entity, or a portion of an entity, is classified as a taxable mortgage pool under the Code if:

A taxable mortgage pool generally is treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes. However, special rules apply to a REIT, a portion of a REIT, or a qualified REIT subsidiary that is a taxable mortgage pool. If a REIT owns, directly or indirectly through one or more qualified REIT subsidiaries or other entities that are disregarded as a separate entity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, 100% of the equity interests in the taxable mortgage pool, the taxable mortgage pool will be a qualified REIT subsidiary and, therefore, ignored as an entity separate from the REIT for U.S. federal income tax purposes and would not generally affect the tax qualification of the REIT. Rather, the consequences of the taxable mortgage pool classification would generally, except as described below, be limited to the REIT’s shareholders. See “—Excess Inclusion Income.”

If we own less than 100% of the ownership interests in a subsidiary that is a taxable mortgage pool, the foregoing rules would not apply. Rather, the subsidiary would be treated as a corporation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, and could be subject to corporate income tax. In addition, this characterization would alter our REIT income and asset test calculations and could adversely affect our compliance with those requirements.

In order to maintain our qualification as a REIT, we annually must satisfy two gross income tests. First, at least 75% of our gross income for each taxable year, excluding gross income from sales of inventory or dealer property in “prohibited transactions” and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must be derived from investments relating to real property or mortgages on real property, including “rents from real property”, dividends received from and gains from the disposition of other shares of REITs, interest income derived from mortgage loans secured by real property or by interests in real property, and gains from the sale of real estate assets, including personal property treated as real estate assets, as discussed below (but not including certain debt instruments of publicly-offered REITs that are not secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property), as well as income from certain kinds of temporary investments. Interest and gain on debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs that are not secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property are not qualifying income for purposes of the 75% income test. Second, at least 95% of our gross income in each taxable year, excluding gross income from prohibited transactions and certain hedging and foreign currency transactions, must be derived from some combination of income that qualifies under the 75% income test described above, as well as other dividends, interest, and gain from the sale or disposition of stock or securities, which need not have any relation to real property.

Interest income constitutes qualifying mortgage interest for purposes of the 75% gross income test to the extent that the obligation is secured by a mortgage on real property. If we receive interest income with respect to a mortgage loan that is secured by both real property and other property and the highest outstanding balance of the loan during a taxable year exceeds the fair market value of the real property on the date of our commitment to make or purchase the mortgage loan, the interest income will be apportioned between the real property and the other property, and our income from the arrangement will qualify for purposes of the 75% gross income test only to the extent that the interest is allocable to the real property. With respect to loans to develop or improve real property, we are permitted to include as real property collateral for the foregoing apportionment purposes the sum of the fair market value of the undeveloped land plus the reasonably estimated cost of the improvements or developments (other than personal property) which will secure the loan and which are to be constructed from the proceeds of the loan. The failure of a loan to qualify as an obligation secured by a mortgage on real property within the meaning of the REIT rules could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT. Notwithstanding the foregoing, a mortgage loan secured by both real property and personal property will be treated as a wholly qualifying real estate asset (as discussed below under “—Asset Tests”) and all interest will be qualifying income for the purposes of the 75% income test if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, even if the real property collateral value is less than the outstanding principal balance of the loan.

In the event a mortgage loan is modified, with the exception of loans secured by both real property and personal property in which the fair market value of the personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, we may be required to retest the loan under the apportionment rules discussed above by comparing the outstanding balance of the modified loan to the fair market value of the collateral real property at the time of modification.

Even if a loan is not secured by real property or is under secured, the income that it generates may nonetheless qualify for purposes of the 95% gross income test.

To the extent that the terms of a loan provide for contingent interest that is based on the cash proceeds realized upon the sale of the property securing the loan (or a shared appreciation provision), income attributable to the participation feature will be treated as gain from sale of the underlying property for purposes of the income tests, and generally will be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests, provided that the property is not inventory or dealer property in the hands of the borrower or us.

To the extent that we derive interest income from a loan where all or a portion of the amount of interest payable is contingent, such income generally will qualify for purposes of the gross income tests only if it is based upon the gross receipts or sales and not the net income or profits of any person. This limitation does not apply, however, to a mortgage loan where the borrower derives substantially all of its income from the property from the leasing of substantially all of its interest in the property to tenants, to the extent that the rental income derived by the borrower would qualify as rents from real property had it been earned directly by us.

Although not currently contemplated, we may receive various fees and expense reimbursements from borrowers in connection with originating loans. Fees that are for entering into agreements to make loans are qualifying income for both gross income tests. Other fees that are treated as “points” are treated as additional interest on the loan and are qualifying or nonqualifying based on whether the loan is a real estate asset. However, fees for services will not be qualifying income for purposes of both the 75% and 95% gross income tests. In addition, certain expense reimbursements received from the borrower, and even certain expenses paid by the borrower directly to a third party service provider, may result in nonqualifying income for both gross income tests to the extent such amounts are reimbursements for expenses that benefit us. Any fees earned by a TRS will not be included for purposes of the gross income tests but the use of a TRS to originate loans to avoid such nonqualifying income may increase the taxes paid by the TRS.

We may receive material distributions from our TRSs. These distributions are generally classified as dividend income to the extent of the earnings and profits of the distributing corporation. Such distributions generally constitute qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test, but not the 75% gross income test.

If we invest in an entity treated as a “passive investment foreign company” or “controlled foreign corporation” for U.S. federal income tax purposes we could be required to include our portion of its earnings in our income prior to the receipt of any distributions. Any such income inclusions would not be treated as qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test but based on recent IRS guidance are expected to be qualifying income for purposes of the 95% gross income test.

We may hold loans with relatively high loan-to-value ratios and/or high yields. Additionally, we may receive equity interests in our borrowers in connection with originating our loans. These participation features are sometimes referred to as “kickers.” These features can cause a loan to be treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes. Although we intend to structure each of our loans so that the loan should be respected as debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes, there can be no assurance that the IRS will not challenge our treatment of one or more of our loans as debt for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In the event the IRS were successful in such a challenge, all or a portion of the income from such loans could be viewed as guaranteed payments under the partnership tax rules, in which case such income may not be qualifying income for the REIT income tests. As a result, such a recharacterization could adversely affect our ability to qualify as a REIT. If the underlying activity was a prohibited transaction, the income from such loans, to the extent the loans were characterized as equity, would be subject to a 100% tax.

We may acquire interests in real property (including equity participations). However, to the extent that we own real property or interests therein, rents we receive qualify as “rents from real property” in satisfying the gross income tests described above, only if several conditions are met, including the following. If rent attributable to personal property leased in connection with a lease of real property is greater than 15% of the total rent received under any particular lease (determined based on the fair market values as of the beginning and end of the taxable year), then all of the rent attributable to such personal property will not qualify as rents from real property. The determination of whether an item of personal property constitutes real or personal property under the REIT provisions of the Code is subject to both legal and factual considerations and therefore can be subject to different interpretations.

In addition, in order for rents received by us to qualify as “rents from real property,” the rent must not be based in whole or in part on the income or profits derived by any person from such real property. However, an amount will not be excluded from rents from real property solely by reason of being based on a fixed percentage or percentages of sales or if it is based on the net income of a tenant which derives substantially all of its income with respect to such property from subleasing of substantially all of such property, to the extent that the rents paid by the subtenants would qualify as rents from real property, if earned directly by us. Moreover, for rents received to qualify as “rents from real property,” we generally must not furnish or render certain services to the tenants of such property, other than through an “independent contractor” who is adequately compensated and from which we derive no income or through a TRS. We are permitted, however, to perform services that are “usually or customarily rendered” in connection with the rental of space for occupancy only and are not otherwise considered rendered to the occupant of the property. In addition, we may directly or indirectly provide non-customary services to tenants of our properties without disqualifying all of the rent from the property if the payment for such services or, if greater, 150% of our cost of providing such services, does not exceed 1% of the total gross income from the property. In such a case, only the amounts for non-customary services are not treated as rents from real property and the provision of the services does not disqualify the related rent.

Rental income will qualify as rents from real property only to the extent that we do not directly or constructively own, (1) in the case of any tenant which is a corporation, stock possessing 10% or more of the total combined voting power of all classes of stock entitled to vote, or 10% or more of the total value of shares of all classes of stock of such tenant, or (2) in the case of any tenant which is not a corporation, an interest of 10% or more in the assets or net profits of such tenant.

Due to the nature of the assets in which we may invest, we may be required to recognize taxable income from those assets in advance of our receipt of cash flow on or proceeds from disposition of such assets, and may be required to report taxable income in early periods that exceeds the economic income ultimately realized on such assets. For example, we may originate debt instruments or mortgage backed securities at a discount from face value. To the extent we originate any instruments at a discount or purchase such instruments at a discount in connection with their original issuance, the discount will be “original issue discount” if it exceeds certain de minimis amounts, which must be accrued on a constant yield method even though we may not receive the corresponding cash payment until maturity. In such cases, the value of the equity interest would result in discount that must be accrued over the life of the loan. We may also acquire debt instruments that provide for interest that accrues or is payable in kind, in which case we will be required to include that income for tax purposes as it accrues rather than when it is paid in cash. To the extent we purchase debt instruments at a discount after their original issuance, the discount may represent “market discount.” Unlike original issue discount, market discount is not required to be included in income on a constant yield method. However, we will be required to treat a portion of any principal payments as ordinary income in an amount equal to the market discount that has accrued while we held the debt instrument. If we ultimately collect less on a debt instrument than our purchase price and any original issue discount or accrued market discount that we have included in income, there may be limitations on our ability to use any losses resulting from that debt instrument.

We may make loans that provide us with rights to participate in the appreciation of the collateral real property securing our debt instrument at specified times or that provide for other contingent payments based on the borrower’s performance. In circumstances where such equity features are part of the loan and not treated as a separate equity investment, we generally will be required to accrue for tax purposes the projected increase in the yield on the loan attributable to the participation feature or contingent payments over the term of the loan, even though we do not receive any cash attributable to the participation feature or contingent payments until some point in the future, if ever. In circumstances where our equity participation is structured as a separate interest from the loans, we will be required to allocate the amount we pay for the loan and the equity interest between those securities and, depending on the circumstances, such allocation may result in additional discount on the loan that must be accrued for tax purposes over the life of the loan (even though no corresponding cash payment is made until later).

We may also acquire debt instruments below par that are subsequently modified by agreement with the borrower. Under applicable Treasury Regulations, these modifications may be treated as a taxable event in which we exchange the old debt instrument for a new debt instrument, the value of which may be treated as equal to the face amount of the new debt instrument. Because our tax basis in such debt instruments may be substantially less than the face value, we could have significant income without any corresponding receipt of cash. Such a modification also may require us to retest the status of the modified loan for purposes of determining whether the loan is fully secured by real property.

In addition, in the event that any debt instruments acquired by us are delinquent as to mandatory principal and interest payments, or in the event payments with respect to a particular debt instrument are not made when due, we may nonetheless be required to continue to accrue the unpaid interest as taxable income.

Finally, we may be required under the terms of our indebtedness to use cash received from interest payments to make nondeductible principal payments on that indebtedness, with the effect of recognizing income but not having a corresponding amount of cash available for distribution to our shareholders.

Due to each of these potential timing differences between income recognition or expense deduction and cash receipts or disbursements, there is a significant risk that we may have substantial taxable income in excess of cash available for distribution. In that event, we may need to borrow funds or take other action to satisfy the REIT distribution requirements for the taxable year in which this “phantom income” is recognized. See “—Annual Distribution Requirements.”

We intend to monitor our sources of income, including any non-qualifying income received by us, and manage our assets so as to ensure our compliance with the gross income tests. We cannot assure you, however, that we will be able to satisfy the gross income tests. If we fail to satisfy one or both of the 75% or 95% gross income tests for any taxable year, we may still qualify as a REIT for the year if we are entitled to relief under applicable provisions of the Code. These relief provisions will generally be available if our failure to meet these tests was due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect and, following the identification of such failure, we set forth a description of each item of our gross income that satisfies the gross income tests in a schedule for the taxable year filed in accordance with the Treasury Regulations. It is not possible to state whether we would be entitled to the benefit of these relief provisions in all circumstances. If these relief provisions are inapplicable to a particular set of circumstances involving us, we will not qualify as a REIT. As discussed above under “—Taxation of REITs in General,” even where these relief provisions apply, a tax would be imposed upon the profit attributable to the amount by which we fail to satisfy the particular gross income test.

At the close of each calendar quarter, we must also satisfy five tests relating to the nature of our assets. First, at least 75% of the value of our total assets must be represented by some combination of “real estate assets”, cash, cash items, and U.S. Government securities. For this purpose, real estate assets include loans secured by mortgages on real property or on interests in real property to the extent described below, certain mezzanine loans and mortgage backed securities, interests in real property (such as land, buildings, leasehold interests in real property and personal property leased with real property if the rents attributable to the personal property would be rents from real property under the income tests discussed above), shares in other qualifying REITs, debt instruments issued by publicly offered REITs, and stock or debt instruments held for less than one year purchased with the proceeds from an offering of our common shares or certain debt. Second, not more than 25% of our assets may be represented by securities other than those in the 75% asset test. Third, of the assets that do not qualify for purposes of the 75% test and that are not securities of our TRSs: (i) the value of any one issuer’s securities owned by us may not exceed 5% of the value of our gross assets, and (ii) we generally may not own more than 10% of any one issuer’s outstanding securities, as measured by either voting power or value. Fourth, the aggregate value of all securities of TRSs held by us may not exceed 20% of the value of our gross assets. Fifth, not more than 25% of the value of our gross assets may be represented by debt instruments of publicly offered REITs that are not secured by mortgages on real property or interests in real property.

The 10% value test does not apply to certain “straight debt” and other excluded securities, as described in the Code, including any loan to an individual or an estate, any obligation to pay rents from real property and any security issued by a REIT. In addition, (1) a REIT’s interest as a partner in a partnership is not considered a security for purposes of applying the 10% value test; (2) any debt instrument issued by a partnership (other than straight debt or other excluded security) will not be considered a security issued by the partnership if at least 75% of the partnership’s gross income is derived from sources that would qualify for the 75% REIT gross income test; and (3) any debt instrument issued by a partnership (other than straight debt or other excluded security) will not be considered a security issued by the partnership to the extent of the REIT’s interest as a partner in the partnership.

For purposes of the 10% value test, “straight debt” means a written unconditional promise to pay on demand on a specified date a sum certain in money if (1) the debt is not convertible, directly or indirectly, into stock and (2) the interest rate and interest payment dates are not contingent on profits, the borrower’s discretion, or similar factors other than certain contingencies relating to the timing and amount of principal and interest payments, as described in the Code. In the case of an issuer which is a corporation or a partnership, securities that otherwise would be considered straight debt will not be so considered if we, and any of our “controlled taxable REIT subsidiaries” as defined in the Code, hold any securities of the corporate or partnership issuer which (A) are not straight debt or other excluded securities (prior to the application of this rule), and (B) have an aggregate value greater than 1% of the issuer’s outstanding securities (including, for the purposes of a partnership issuer, our interest as a partner in the partnership). As a result, the straight debt exception would not be available to us with respect to a loan where we also hold an equity participation in the borrower through a TRS.

Except as provided below, a real estate mortgage loan that we own generally will be treated as a real estate asset for purposes of the 75% REIT asset test if, on the date that we acquire or originate the mortgage loan, the value of the real property securing the loan is equal to or greater than the principal amount of the loan. Existing IRS guidance provides that certain rules described above that are applicable to the gross income tests may apply to determine what portion of a mortgage loan will be treated as a real estate asset if the mortgage loan is secured both by real property and other assets. Under special guidance issued by the IRS, if the value of the mortgage loan exceeds the greater of the current value of the real property securing the loan and the value of the real property securing the loan at the time we committed to acquire the loan, such excess will not be a qualifying real estate asset. Furthermore, we may be required to retest modified loans to determine if the modified loan is adequately secured by real property as of the modification date if the modification results in a taxable exchange. However, under special guidance issued by the IRS, if a loan modification occurred as a result of default or we reasonably believed that there was a significant risk of default and the modification reduced such risk, we generally would not be required to retest such modified loan. Notwithstanding the foregoing, as discussed above under “ – Gross Income Tests – Interest Income,” a mortgage loan secured by both real property and personal property will be treated as a wholly qualifying real estate asset if the fair market value of such personal property does not exceed 15% of the total fair market value of all such property, even if the real property collateral is less than the outstanding principal balance on the loan.

As discussed above under “—Gross Income Tests,” certain loans that we might originate could be at risk of being treated as equity interests in the borrower for U.S. federal income tax purposes. In such cases, we would likely be treated as owning our proportionate share of the borrower’s assets (if the borrower is a pass-through entity) or as owning corporate stock (if the borrower is a corporation), which could adversely affect our ability to comply with the asset tests.

As discussed above under “—Gross Income Tests,” there may be circumstances in which our mezzanine loans do not comply with the safe harbor under Revenue Procedure 2003-65. To the extent that any of our mezzanine loans do not meet all of the requirements for reliance on the safe harbor set forth in the Revenue Procedure, such loans may not be real estate assets and could adversely affect our REIT status.

As discussed above under “—Gross Income Tests,” participation interests in loans that we acquire may not be treated as direct interests in the underlying mortgage loan, which may cause the participation interest to not qualify as a real estate asset. While we intend that any such participation interests will be structured in a manner so as to be treated for REIT purposes as equivalent to a direct interest in the loan, and therefore, as a real estate asset, there can be no guarantee that such treatment is respected by the IRS.

We believe that our assets will comply with the above asset tests commencing with the close of our first calendar quarter and that we can operate so that we can continue to comply with those tests. However, our ability to satisfy these asset tests depends upon our analysis of the characterization and fair market values of our assets (or the value of the collateral securing our loans), some of which are not susceptible to a precise determination, are subject to change in the future, and for which we will not obtain independent appraisals. In some cases, we may rely on our own valuation that differs from the value determined by an appraiser. There can be no assurance that the IRS will not disagree with our determinations.

After initially meeting the asset tests at the close of any quarter, we will not lose our qualification as a REIT for failure to satisfy the asset tests at the end of a later quarter solely by reason of changes in asset values. If we fail to satisfy the asset tests because we acquire assets during a quarter, we can cure this failure by disposing of sufficient non-qualifying assets within 30 days after the close of that quarter. If we fail the 5% asset test, or the 10% vote or value asset tests at the end of any quarter and such failure is not cured within 30 days thereafter, we may dispose of sufficient assets (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which the identification of the failure to satisfy these asset tests occurred) to cure such a violation that does not exceed the lesser of 1% of our assets at the end of the relevant quarter or $10 million. If we fail any of the other asset tests or our failure of the 5% and 10% asset tests is in excess of the de minimis amount described above, as long as such failure was due to reasonable cause and not willful neglect, we are permitted to avoid disqualification as a REIT, after the 30 day cure period, by taking steps, including the disposition of sufficient assets to meet the asset test (generally within six months after the last day of the quarter in which we identified the failure to satisfy the REIT asset test) and paying a tax equal to the greater of (x) $50,000 or (y) the amount determined by multiplying the net income generated during a specified period by the assets that cause the failure by the highest U.S. federal income tax rate applicable to corporations.

In order to qualify as a REIT, we are required to distribute dividends, other than capital gain dividends, to our shareholders in an amount at least equal to:

These distributions must be paid in the taxable year to which they relate or in the following taxable year if such distributions are declared in October, November or December of the taxable year, are payable to shareholders of record on a specified date in any such month and are actually paid before the end of January of the following year. Such distributions are treated as both paid by us and received by each shareholder on December 31 of the year in which they are declared. In addition, at our election, a distribution for a taxable year may be declared before we timely file our tax return for the year and be paid with or before the first regular dividend payment after such declaration, provided that such payment is made during the 12-month period following the close of such taxable year. These distributions are taxable to our shareholders in the year in which paid, even though the distributions relate to our prior taxable year for purposes of the 90% distribution requirement.

In order for distributions to be counted towards our distribution requirement and to give rise to a tax deduction by us, they must not be “preferential dividends”. A dividend is not a preferential dividend if it is pro rata among all outstanding shares of stock within a particular class and is in accordance with the preferences among different classes of stock as set forth in the organizational documents. To avoid paying preferential dividends, we must treat every shareholder of the class of shares with respect to which we make a distribution the same as every other shareholder of that class, and we must not treat any class of shares other than according to its dividend rights as a class. Under certain technical rules governing deficiency dividends, we could lose our ability to cure an under-distribution in a year with a subsequent year deficiency dividend if we pay preferential dividends. Preferential dividends potentially include “dividend equivalent redemptions”. Accordingly, we intend to pay dividends pro rata within each class, and to abide by the rights and preferences of each class of our shares if there is more than one, and will seek to avoid dividend equivalent redemptions. If, however, we qualify as a “publicly offered REIT” (within the meaning of Section 562(c) of the Code) in the future, the preferential dividend rules will cease to apply to us. In addition, the IRS is authorized to provide alternative remedies to cure a failure to comply with the preferential dividend rules, but as of the date hereof, no such authorized procedures have been promulgated.

To the extent that we distribute at least 90%, but less than 100%, of our “REIT taxable income”, as adjusted, we will be subject to tax at ordinary U.S. federal corporate tax rates on the retained portion. In addition, we may elect to retain, rather than distribute, our net long-term capital gains and pay tax on such gains. In this case, we could elect to have our shareholders include their proportionate share of such undistributed long-term capital gains in income and receive a corresponding credit or refund, as the case may be, for their proportionate share of the tax paid by us. Our shareholders would then increase the adjusted basis of their stock in us by the difference between the designated amounts included in their long-term capital gains and the tax deemed paid with respect to their proportionate shares.

If we fail to distribute during each calendar year at least the sum of (1) 85% of our REIT ordinary income for such year, (2) 95% of our REIT capital gain net income for such year and (3) any undistributed taxable income from prior periods, we will be subject to a 4% excise tax on the excess of such required distribution over the sum of (x) the amounts actually distributed (taking into account excess distributions from prior periods) and (y) the amounts of income retained on which we have paid corporate income tax. We intend to make timely distributions so that we are not subject to the 4% excise tax.

It is possible that we, from time to time, may not have sufficient cash from operations to meet the distribution requirements, for example, due to timing differences between the actual receipt of cash and the inclusion of the corresponding items in income by us for U.S. federal income tax purposes prior to receipt of such income in cash or non-deductible expenditures. See “—Gross Income Tests—Phantom Income” above. In the event that such shortfalls occur, to meet our distribution requirements it might be necessary to arrange for short-term, or possibly long-term, borrowings, use cash reserves, liquidate non-cash assets at rates or times that we regard as unfavorable or pay dividends in the form of taxable stock dividends. In the case of a taxable stock dividend, shareholders would be required to include the dividend as income and would be required to satisfy the tax liability associated with the distribution with cash from other sources.

We may be able to rectify a failure to meet the distribution requirements for a year by paying “deficiency dividends” to shareholders in a later year, which may be included in our deduction for dividends paid for the earlier year. In this case, we may be able to avoid losing our qualification as a REIT or being taxed on amounts distributed as deficiency dividends. However, we will be required to pay interest and a penalty based on the amount of any deduction taken for deficiency dividends.

In the event that we undertake a transaction (such as a tax-free merger) in which we succeed to earnings and profits of a taxable corporation, in addition to the distribution requirements above we also must distribute such non-REIT earnings and profits to our shareholders by the close the taxable year of the transaction. Such additional dividends are not deductible against our REIT taxable income. We may be able to rectify a failure to distribute any such non-REIT earnings and profits by making distributions in a later year comparable to deficiency dividends noted above and paying an interest charge.

Liquidating distributions generally will be treated as dividends for purposes of the above rules to the extent of current earnings and profits in the year paid provided we complete our liquidation within 24 months following our adoption of a plan of liquidation. Compliance with this 24 month requirement could require us to sell assets at unattractive prices, distribute unsold assets to a “liquidating trust” for the benefit of our shareholders, or terminate our status as a REIT. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of a beneficial interest in a liquidating trust would vary significantly from the U.S. federal income treatment of ownership of our shares.

If we directly or indirectly acquire a residual interest in a REMIC or equity interests in a taxable mortgage pool, a portion of our income from such arrangements may be treated as “excess inclusion income.” See “—Effect of Subsidiary Entities—Taxable Mortgage Pools.” We are required to allocate any excess inclusion income to our shareholders in proportion to their dividends. We would be subject to U.S. corporate tax to the extent of any excess inclusion income from the REMIC residual interest or taxable mortgage pool that is allocable to the percentage of our shares held in record name by “disqualified organizations”, which are generally certain cooperatives, governmental entities and tax-exempt organizations that are exempt from tax on UBTI. Our operating agreement allows us to deduct such taxes from the distributions otherwise payable to the responsible disqualified organizations. Because this tax would be imposed on our Company, however, unless we can recover the tax out of distributions to the disqualified holders, all of our investors, including investors that are not disqualified organizations, would bear a portion of the tax cost associated with the classification of our Company or a portion of our assets as a taxable mortgage pool.

Shareholders who are not disqualified organizations will have to treat our dividends as excess inclusion income to the extent of their allocable shares of our excess inclusion income. This income cannot be offset by net operating losses of our shareholders. If the shareholder is a tax-exempt entity and not a disqualified organization, then this income is fully taxable as UBTI under Section 512 of the Code. If the shareholder is a foreign person, it would be subject to U.S. federal income tax withholding on this income without reduction or exemption pursuant to any otherwise applicable income tax treaty. If the shareholder is a REIT, a regulated investment company, common trust fund or other pass-through entity, the shareholder’s allocable share of our excess inclusion income could be considered excess inclusion income of such entity.

Net income we derive from a prohibited transaction outside of a TRS is subject to a 100% tax unless the transaction qualifies for a statutory safe harbor discussed below. The term “prohibited transaction” generally includes a sale or other disposition of property (other than foreclosure property) that is held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers, in the ordinary course of a trade or business by a REIT. For purposes of this 100% tax, income earned from a shared appreciation provision in a mortgage loan (see below) is treated as if the REIT sold an interest in the underlying property (thus subjecting such income to 100% tax if we hold the shared appreciation mortgage outside of a TRS and the underlying property is inventory or held for sale). The 100% tax will not apply to gains from the sale of property held through a TRS or other taxable corporations (which are taxed at regular corporate rates). Thus, we intend to conduct our operations so that loans or other assets owned by us (or assets that are the subject of a shared appreciation provision that we own) that are inventory or held primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of business are held through a TRS. However, whether property is held as inventory or “primarily for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business” depends on the particular facts and circumstances, and no assurance can be given that we will be successful in isolating all investments subject to the 100% tax in our TRSs or that we will not engage in prohibited transactions outside of our TRSs. With respect to kickers treated as equity for U.S. federal income tax purposes, as well as any loans treated as equity interests in our borrowers for U.S. federal income tax purposes (see, “—Gross Income Tests—Treatment of Certain Debt Instruments as Equity”), our income from such interests may be income from a prohibited transaction subject to the 100% tax if the underlying real property is treated as held as inventory or primarily for sale to customers.

Foreclosure property is real property and any personal property incident to such real property (1) that is acquired by a REIT as a result of the REIT having bid on the property at foreclosure or having otherwise reduced the property to ownership or possession by agreement or process of law after there was a default (or default was imminent) on a lease of the property or a mortgage loan held by the REIT and secured by the property, (2) for which the related loan or lease was acquired by the REIT at a time when default was not imminent or anticipated and (3) for which such REIT makes a proper election to treat the property as foreclosure property. REITs generally are subject to tax at the highest U.S. federal corporate rate on any net income from foreclosure property, including any gain from the disposition of the foreclosure property, other than income that would otherwise be qualifying income for purposes of the 75% gross income test. Any gain from the sale of property for which a foreclosure property election is in effect will not be subject to the 100% tax on gains from prohibited transactions described above, even if the property would otherwise constitute inventory or property held for sale in the hands of the selling REIT.

In the event that we violate a provision of the Code that would result in our failure to qualify as a REIT, we may nevertheless continue to qualify as a REIT under specified relief provisions available to us to avoid such disqualification if (i) the violation is due to reasonable cause and not due to willful neglect, (ii) we pay a penalty of $50,000 for each failure to satisfy a requirement for qualification as a REIT and (iii) the violation does not include a violation under the gross income or asset tests described above (for which other specified relief provisions are available). This cure provision reduces the instances that could lead to our disqualification as a REIT for violations due to reasonable cause. If we fail to qualify for taxation as a REIT in any taxable year and none of the relief provisions of the Code apply, we will be subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax. Distributions to our shareholders in any year in which we are not a REIT will not be deductible by us, nor will they be required to be made. In this situation, to the extent of current or accumulated earnings and profits, and, subject to limitations of the Code, distributions to our shareholders will generally be taxable as qualified dividend income, and, subject to certain limitations, dividends in the hands of our corporate U.S. shareholders may be eligible for the dividends received deduction. Unless we are entitled to relief under the specific statutory provisions, we will also be disqualified from re-electing to be taxed as a REIT for the four taxable years following a year during which qualification was lost. It is not possible to state whether, in all circumstances, we will be entitled to statutory relief.

This section summarizes the taxation of U.S. shareholders that are not tax exempt organizations.

Provided that we qualify as a REIT, distributions made to our taxable U.S. shareholders out of our current or accumulated earnings and profits, and not designated as capital gain dividends, will generally be taken into account by them as ordinary dividend income and will not be eligible for the dividends received deduction for corporations. Dividends received from REITs are generally not eligible to be taxed at the preferential qualified dividend income rates applicable to individual U.S. shareholders who receive dividends from taxable subchapter C corporations. However, for taxable years before January 1, 2026, subject to certain limitations, non-corporate U.S. shareholders may deduct 20% of “qualified REIT dividends”. Qualified REIT dividends eligible for this deduction generally will include our dividends received by a non-corporate U.S. shareholder that we do not designate as capital gain dividends and that are not qualified dividend income. If we fail to qualify as a REIT, such shareholders may not claim this deduction with respect to dividends paid by us. As discussed above, if we realize excess inclusion income from a residual interest in REMIC or a taxable mortgage pool and allocate such excess inclusion income to a taxable U.S. shareholder, that income cannot be offset by net operating losses of such shareholder.

Distributions from us that are designated as capital gain dividends will be taxed to U.S. shareholders as long-term capital gains, to the extent that they do not exceed our actual net capital gain for the taxable year, without regard to the period for which the U.S. shareholder has held our common shares. To the extent that we elect under the applicable provisions of the Code to retain our net capital gains, U.S. shareholders will be treated as having received, for U.S. federal income tax purposes, our undistributed capital gains as well as a corresponding credit or refund, as the case may be, for taxes paid by us on such retained capital gains. U.S. shareholders will increase their adjusted tax basis in our common shares by the difference between their allocable share of such retained capital gain and their share of the tax paid by us. Corporate U.S. shareholders may be required to treat up to 20% of some capital gain dividends as ordinary income. Long-term capital gains are generally taxable at maximum U.S. federal rates of 20% in the case of U.S. shareholders who are individuals and 21% for corporations. Capital gains attributable to the sale of depreciable real property held for more than 12 months generally are subject to a 25% maximum U.S. federal income tax rate for U.S. shareholders who are individuals, to the extent of previously claimed depreciation deductions.

Distributions from us in excess of our current or accumulated earnings and profits will not be taxable to a U.S. shareholder to the extent that they do not exceed the adjusted tax basis of the U.S. shareholder’s common shares in respect of which the distributions were made, but rather will reduce the adjusted tax basis of these shares. To the extent that such distributions exceed the adjusted tax basis of a U.S. shareholder’s common shares, they will be treated as gain from the disposition of the shares and thus will be included in income as long-term capital gain, or short-term capital gain if the shares have been held for one year or less.

To the extent that we have available net operating losses and capital losses carried forward from prior tax years, such losses, subject to limitations, may reduce the amount of distributions that must be made in order to comply with the REIT distribution requirements. See “—Taxation of Our Company” and “—Annual Distribution Requirements”. Such losses, however, are not passed through to U.S. shareholders and do not offset income of U.S. shareholders from other sources, nor do they affect the character of any distributions that are actually made by us.

In general, capital gains recognized by individuals and other non-corporate U.S. shareholders upon the sale or disposition of our common shares will be subject to tax at capital gains rates, if such shares were held for more than one year, and will be taxed at ordinary income rates if such shares were held for one year or less. Gains recognized by U.S. shareholders that are corporations are subject to U.S. federal corporate income tax, whether or not classified as long-term capital gains.

Capital losses recognized by a U.S. shareholder upon the disposition of our common shares held for more than one year at the time of disposition will be considered long-term capital losses (or short-term capital losses if the shares have not been held for more than one year), and are generally available only to offset capital gain income of the U.S. shareholder but not ordinary income (except in the case of individuals, who may offset up to $3,000 of ordinary income each year). In addition, any loss upon a sale or exchange of our common shares by a U.S. shareholder who has held the shares for six months or less, after applying holding period rules, will be treated as a long-term capital loss to the extent of distributions received from us that were required to be treated by the U.S. shareholder as long-term capital gain.

Once we have adopted (or are deemed to have adopted) a plan of liquidation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, liquidating distributions received by a U.S. shareholder with respect to our common shares will be treated first as a recovery of the shareholder’s basis in the shares (computed separately for each block of shares) and thereafter as gain from the disposition of our common shares. In general, the U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to REITs likely will require us to complete our liquidation within 24 months following our adoption of a plan of liquidation. Compliance with this 24 month requirement could require us to distribute unsold assets to a “liquidating trust”. Each shareholder would be treated as receiving a liquidating distribution equal to the value of the liquidating trust interests received by the shareholder. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of ownership an interest in any such liquidating trust would differ materially from the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in our shares.

U.S. shareholders that are individuals, estates or trusts may be required to pay an additional 3.8% tax on, among other things, dividends on our common shares (without regard to the 20% deduction on ordinary REIT dividends) and capital gains from the sale or other disposition of stock. U.S. shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the effect, if any, of these rules on their ownership and disposition of our common shares.

U.S. tax-exempt entities, including qualified employee pension and profit sharing trusts and individual retirement accounts, generally are exempt from U.S. federal income taxation. However, they are subject to taxation on their UBTI. While many investments in real estate may generate UBTI, the IRS has ruled that regular distributions from a REIT to a tax-exempt entity do not constitute UBTI. Based on that ruling, and provided that (1) a tax-exempt U.S. shareholder has not held our common shares as “debt financed property” within the meaning of the Code (that is, where the acquisition or holding of the property is financed through a borrowing by the tax-exempt shareholder) and (2) we do not hold REMIC residual interests or interests in a taxable mortgage pool that gives rise to “excess inclusion income”, distributions from us and income from the sale of our common shares generally should not give rise to UBTI to a tax-exempt U.S. shareholder. Excess inclusion income from REMIC residual interests or interests in a taxable mortgage pool, if any, that we allocate to a tax-exempt U.S. shareholder will be treated as UBTI (or, in the case of a disqualified organization, taxable to us). See “—Excess Inclusion Income.”

Tax-exempt U.S. shareholders that are social clubs, voluntary employee benefit associations or supplemental unemployment benefit trust plans exempt from U.S. federal income taxation under Sections 501(c)(7), (c)(9), or (c)(17) of the Code, respectively, are subject to different UBTI rules, which generally will require them to characterize distributions from us as UBTI.

A pension trust (1) that is described in Section 401(a) of the Code, (2) is tax-exempt under Section 501(a) of the Code, and (3) that owns more than 10% of our common shares could be required to treat a percentage of the dividends from us as UBTI if we are a “pension-held REIT”. We will not be a pension-held REIT unless (1) either (A) one pension trust owns more than 25% of the value of our common shares, or (B) a group of pension trusts, each individually holding more than 10% of the value of our common shares, collectively owns more than 50% of such common shares; and (2) we would not have satisfied the 5/50 Test but for a special rule that permits us to “look-through” such trusts to the ultimate beneficial owners of such trusts in applying the 5/50 Test.

In general, the U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to REITs will require us to complete our liquidation within 24 months following our adoption of a plan of liquidation. Compliance with this 24 month requirement could require us to distribute unsold assets to a liquidating trust. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of ownership an interest in any such liquidating trust would differ materially from the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in our common shares, including the potential incurrence of income treated as UBTI.

Tax-exempt U.S. shareholders are urged to consult their tax advisors regarding the U.S. federal, state, local and non-U.S. tax consequences of owning our common shares.

In general, non-U.S. shareholders will not be considered to be engaged in a U.S. trade or business solely as a result of their ownership of our common shares. In cases where a non-U.S. shareholder’s investment in our common shares is, or is treated as, effectively connected with the non-U.S. shareholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business, dividend income received in respect of our common shares and gain from the sale of our common shares generally will be “income effectively connected to a U.S. trade or business” (“ECI”) subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates in the same manner as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder, and such dividend income may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax (subject to possible reduction under a treaty) on the income after the application of the income tax in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder that is a corporation. Additionally, non-U.S. shareholders that are nonresident alien individuals who are present in the U.S. for 183 days or more during the taxable year and have a “tax home” in the U.S. are subject to a 30% withholding tax on their capital gains. The remaining discussion below assumes the dividends and gain generated in respect of our common shares is not effectively connected to a U.S. trade or business of the non-U.S. shareholder and that the non-U.S. shareholder is not present in the U.S. for more than 183 days during any taxable year.

Under the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act (“FIRPTA”), gains from U.S. real property interests (“USRPIs”) are generally treated as ECI subject to U.S. federal income tax at graduated rates in the same manner as if the non-U.S. shareholder were a U.S. shareholder (and potentially branch profits tax to non-U.S. corporations), and will generate return filing obligations in the United States for such non-U.S. shareholders. USRPIs for purposes of FIRPTA generally include interests in real property located in the United States and loans that provide the lender with a participation in the profits, gains, appreciation (or similar arrangements) of real property located in the United States. Loans secured by real property located in the United States that do not provide the lender with a participation in profits, gains, appreciation (or similar arrangements) of the real property are generally not treated as USRPIs.

In addition, stock of a domestic corporation (including a REIT such as us) will be a USRPI if at least 50% of its real property assets and assets used in a trade or business are USRPIs at any time during a prescribed testing period. We expect that our USRPIs will exceed 50% of our assets. Notwithstanding the foregoing rule, our common shares will not be a USRPI (i) if we are “domestically-controlled”, or (ii) with respect to a selling non-U.S. shareholder if the shares sold are of a class that is regularly traded on an established securities market and the selling non-U.S. shareholder owned, actually or constructively, 10% or less of our outstanding stock of that class at all times during a specified testing period (generally the lesser of the five year period ending on the date of disposition or the period of our existence). Special rules apply with respect to a selling non-U.S. shareholder that is a “qualified shareholder” (as described below) or a “qualified foreign pension fund” (as described below).

A domestically controlled REIT is a REIT in which, at all times during a specified testing period (generally the lesser of the five year period ending on the date of disposition of the REIT’s common shares or the period of the REIT’s existence), less than 50% in value of its outstanding common shares is held directly or indirectly by foreign persons. For these purposes, a person holding less than 5% of our common shares for five years will be treated as a U.S. person unless we have actual knowledge that such person is not a U.S. person.

Our shares are not currently traded on an established securities market, and we have no current intent to list our shares for trading. We also cannot assure you that we will be domestically-controlled at all times in the future. Thus, we cannot assure you that our common shares are not or will not become USRPIs in the future.

The portion of dividends received by non-U.S. shareholders payable out of our earnings and profits that are not attributable to gains from sales or exchanges of USRPIs, and that we do not designate as a capital gains dividend, will generally be subject to U.S. federal withholding tax at the rate of 30%, unless reduced or eliminated by an applicable income tax treaty. Under some treaties, however, lower rates generally applicable to dividends do not apply to dividends from REITs (or are not as favorable for REIT dividends as compared to non-REITs). In addition, any portion of the dividends paid to non-U.S. shareholders that are treated as excess inclusion income from REMIC residual interests or interests in a taxable mortgage pool will not be eligible for exemption from the 30% withholding tax or a reduced treaty rate.

A non-U.S. shareholder should not incur tax on a distribution not attributable to gain from our sale or exchange of a USRPI and in excess of our current and accumulated earnings and profits if the excess portion of the distribution does not exceed the adjusted basis of its common shares. Instead, the excess portion of the distribution will reduce the adjusted basis of its common shares. A non-U.S. shareholder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax on a distribution that exceeds both our current and accumulated earnings and profits and the adjusted basis of its stock unless our common shares constitute USRPIs and no other exception applies to the selling non-U.S. shareholder. If our common shares are USRPIs and no other exception applies to the selling non-U.S. shareholder, distributions in excess of both our earnings and the non-U.S. shareholder’s basis in our common shares will be treated as ECI subject to U.S. federal income tax. Regardless of whether the distribution exceeds basis, we will be required to withhold 15% of any distributions to non-U.S. shareholders in excess of our current year and accumulated earnings (i.e., including distributions that represent a return of the non-U.S. shareholder’s tax basis in our common shares). The withheld amounts will be credited against any U.S. tax liability of the non-U.S. shareholder, and may be refundable to the extent such withheld amounts exceed the shareholder’s actual U.S. federal income tax liability. Even in the event our common shares are not USRPIs, we may choose to withhold on the entire amount of any distribution at the same rate as we would withhold on a dividend because we may not be able to determine at the time we make a distribution whether or not the distribution will exceed our current and accumulated earnings and profits. However, a non-U.S. shareholder may obtain a refund of amounts that we withhold if we later determine that a distribution in fact exceeded our current and accumulated earnings and profits, to the extent such withheld amounts exceed the shareholder’s actual U.S. federal income tax liability.

Subject to the exceptions that may apply if our common shares are regularly traded on an established securities market or if non-U.S. shareholder is a “qualified shareholder” or a “qualified foreign pension fund”, each as described below, under a FIRPTA “look-through” rule, any of our distributions to non-U.S. shareholders of gain attributable to the sale of a USRPI will be treated as ECI and subject to the 21% FIRPTA withholding regardless of whether our common shares constitute a USRPI. Amounts treated as ECI under the look-through rule may also be subject to the 30% branch profits tax (subject to possible reduction under a treaty), after the application of the income tax to such ECI, in the case of a non-U.S. shareholder that is a corporation. In addition, we will be required to withhold tax at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate on the maximum amount that could have been designated as capital gains dividends. Capital gain dividends received by a non-U.S. shareholder that are attributable to dispositions of our assets other than USRPIs are not subject to U.S. federal income tax. This FIRPTA look through rule also applies to distributions in redemption of shares and liquidating distributions, to the extent they represent distributions of gain attributable to the sale of a USRPI.

A distribution that would otherwise have been treated as gain from the sale of a USRPI under the FIRPTA look-through rule will not be treated as ECI, and instead will be treated as otherwise described herein without regard to the FIRPTA look-through rule, if (1) the distribution is received with respect to a class of stock that is regularly traded on an established securities market located in the United States, and (2) the recipient non-U.S. shareholder does not own more than 10% of that class of stock at any time during the one-year period ending on the date on which the distribution is received. We currently are not publicly traded and such rules will not apply unless and until our common shares become “regularly traded” on an established securities exchange in the future.

A sale of our common shares by a non-U.S. shareholder generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless our shares are a USRPI. Subject to the exceptions that may apply if our common shares were regularly traded on an established securities market (as described above), if our shares are a USRPI, gain from the sale of our shares would be ECI to the non-U.S. shareholder unless such non-U.S. shareholder were a qualified shareholder or qualified foreign pension fund, each as described below. If our shares are not a USRPI, gain from the sale of our shares would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax.

To the extent our common shares are held directly (or indirectly through one or more partnerships) by a “qualified shareholder”, our common shares will not be treated as a USRPI. Thus, gain from the sale or exchange of our shares including any distributions treated as gain recognized from the sale or exchange of our common shares will not be subject to tax unless such gain is treated as effectively connected with the qualified shareholder’s conduct of a U.S. trade or business. Further, to the extent such treatment applies, any distribution to such shareholder will not be treated as gain recognized from the sale or exchange of a USRPI (and capital gain dividends and non-dividend distributions to such shareholder may be treated as ordinary dividends). For these purposes, a qualified shareholder is generally a non-U.S. shareholder that (i)(A) is eligible for treaty benefits under an income tax treaty with the United States that includes an exchange of information program, and the principal class of interests of which is listed and regularly traded on one or more stock exchanges as defined by the treaty, or (B) is a foreign limited partnership organized in a jurisdiction with an exchange of information agreement with the United States and that has a class of regularly traded limited partnership units (having a value greater than 50% of the value of all partnership units) on the New York Stock Exchange or Nasdaq, (ii) is a “qualified collective investment vehicle” (within the meaning of Section 897(k)(3)(B) of the Code) and (iii) maintains records of persons holding 5% or more of the class of interests described in clauses (i)(A) or (i)(B) above. However, in the case of a qualified shareholder having one or more “applicable investors”, the exception described in the first sentence of this paragraph will not apply to the applicable percentage of the qualified shareholder’s common shares (with “applicable percentage” generally meaning the percentage of the value of the interests in the qualified shareholder held by applicable investors after applying certain constructive ownership rules). The applicable percentage of the amount realized by a qualified shareholder on the disposition of our common shares or with respect to a distribution from us attributable to gain from the sale or exchange of a USRPI will be treated as amounts realized from the disposition of USRPI. Such treatment will also apply to applicable investors in respect of distributions treated as a sale or exchange of our shares with respect to a qualified shareholder. For these purposes, an “applicable investor” is a person (other than a qualified shareholder) who generally holds an interest in the qualified shareholder and holds more than 10% of our common shares applying certain constructive ownership rules.

For FIRPTA purposes, neither a “qualified foreign pension fund” (as defined below) nor a “qualified controlled entity” (as defined below) will be treated as a non-U.S. shareholder. Accordingly, the U.S. federal income tax treatment of ordinary dividends received by qualified foreign pension funds and qualified controlled entities will be determined without regard to the FIRPTA rules discussed above, and their gain from the sale or exchange of our stock, as well as our capital gain dividends and distributions treated as gain from the sale or exchange of our stock, will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax unless such gain is treated as effectively connected with the qualified foreign pension fund’s (or the qualified controlled entity’s) conduct of a U.S. trade or business. A “qualified foreign pension fund” is an organization or arrangement (i) created or organized under the laws of a foreign country, (ii) established to provide retirement or pension benefits to current or former employees (including self-employed individuals) or their designees by either (A) a foreign country (or one or more political subdivision thereof) as a result of services rendered by such employees to their employers, or (B) one or more employers in consideration for services rendered by such employees to such employers, (iii) which does not have a single participant or beneficiary that has a right to more than 5% of its assets or income, (iv) which is subject to government regulation and with respect to which annual information about its beneficiaries is provided, or is otherwise available, to relevant local tax authorities in the country in which it is established or operates and (v) with respect to which, under its local laws, (A) contributions that would otherwise be subject to tax are deductible or excluded from its gross income or taxed at a reduced rate, or (B) taxation of its investment income is deferred, or such income is excluded from its gross income or taxed at a reduced rate. A “qualified controlled entity” for purposes of the above summary means an entity all the interests of which are held by a qualified foreign pension fund. Alternatively, under proposed Treasury Regulations that taxpayers generally may rely on, but which are subject to change, a “qualified controlled entity” is a trust or corporation organized under the laws of a foreign country all of the interests of which are held by one or more qualified foreign pension funds either directly or indirectly through one or more qualified controlled entities or partnerships.

Once we have adopted (or are deemed to have adopted) a plan of liquidation for U.S. federal income tax purposes, liquidating distributions received by a non-U.S. shareholder with respect to our common shares will be treated first as a recovery of the shareholder’s basis in the shares (computed separately for each block of shares) and thereafter as gain from the disposition of our common shares. Subject to the FIRPTA look-through rule, (i) if our shares are a USRPI, gain from a liquidating distribution with respect our shares would be ECI to the non-U.S. shareholder unless such non-U.S. shareholder were a qualified shareholder or qualified foreign pension fund, as described above, and (ii) if our shares are not a USRPI, gain from a liquidating distribution with respect to our shares would not be subject to U.S. federal income tax. In general, the U.S. federal income tax rules applicable to REITs will require us to complete our liquidation within 24 months following our adoption of a plan of liquidation. Compliance with this 24 month requirement could require us to distribute unsold assets to a “liquidating trust”. The U.S. federal income tax treatment of ownership an interest in any such liquidating trust would differ materially from the U.S. federal income tax treatment of an investment in our common shares, including the potential incurrence of income treated as ECI and the likely requirement to file U.S. federal income tax returns.

The IRS takes the view that under the FIRPTA look-through rule, but subject to the exceptions described above that may apply to a holder of no more than 10% of our common shares if our common shares are regularly traded on an established securities market, to a qualified shareholder or to a qualified foreign pension fund, distributions in redemption of our common shares and liquidating distributions to non-U.S. shareholders will be treated as ECI and subject to withholding at the highest U.S. federal corporate income tax rate, and also potentially subject to branch profits tax in the case of corporate non-U.S. shareholders, to the extent that the distributions are attributable to gain from the sale of a USRPI, regardless of whether our common shares are USRPIs and regardless of whether the distribution is otherwise treated as a sale or exchange.

We will report to our U.S. shareholders and the IRS the amount of dividends paid during each calendar year and the amount of any tax withheld. Under the backup withholding rules, a U.S. shareholder may be subject to backup withholding with respect to dividends paid unless the holder is a corporation or comes within other exempt categories and, when required, demonstrates this fact or provides a taxpayer identification number or social security number, certifies as to no loss of exemption from backup withholding and otherwise complies with applicable requirements of the backup withholding rules. A U.S. shareholder that does not provide his or her correct taxpayer identification number or social security number may also be subject to penalties imposed by the IRS. Backup withholding is not an additional tax. In addition, we may be required to withhold a portion of dividends or capital gain distribution to any U.S. shareholder who fails to certify their non-foreign status.

We must report annually to the IRS and to each non-U.S. shareholder the amount of dividends paid to such holder and the tax withheld with respect to such dividends, regardless of whether withholding was required. Copies of the information returns reporting such dividends and withholding may also be made available to the tax authorities in the country in which the non-U.S. shareholder resides under the provisions of an applicable income tax treaty. A non-U.S. shareholder may be subject to backup withholding unless applicable certification requirements are met.

Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common shares within the United States is subject to both backup withholding and information reporting unless the beneficial owner certifies under penalties of perjury that it is a non-U.S. shareholder (and the payor does not have actual knowledge or reason to know that the beneficial owner is a U.S. person) or the holder otherwise establishes an exemption. Payment of the proceeds of a sale of our common shares conducted through certain U.S. related financial intermediaries is subject to information reporting (but not backup withholding) unless the financial intermediary has documentary evidence in its records that the beneficial owner is a non-U.S. shareholder and specified conditions are met or an exemption is otherwise established.

Backup withholding is not an additional tax. Any amounts withheld under the backup withholding rules may be allowed as a refund or a credit against such holder’s U.S. federal income tax liability provided the required information is timely furnished to the IRS.

Federal legislation commonly referred to as “FATCA” currently imposes withholding taxes on certain U.S. source passive payments to “foreign financial institutions” and certain other non-U.S. entities. Under this legislation, the failure to comply with additional certification, information reporting and other specified requirements could result in withholding tax being imposed on payments of dividends to U.S. shareholders who own our common shares through foreign accounts or foreign intermediaries and certain non-U.S. shareholders. The legislation imposes a 30% withholding tax on dividends on our common shares paid to a foreign financial institution or to a foreign entity other than a financial institution, unless (i) the foreign financial institution undertakes certain diligence and reporting obligations or (ii) the foreign entity is not a financial institution and either certifies it does not have any substantial U.S. owners or furnishes identifying information regarding each substantial U.S. owner. If the payee is a foreign financial institution (that is not otherwise exempt), it must either (1) enter into an agreement with the U.S. Treasury Department requiring, among other things, that it undertake to identify accounts held by certain U.S. persons or U.S.-owned foreign entities, annually report certain information about such accounts, and withhold 30% on payments to account holders whose actions prevent it from complying with these reporting and other requirements or (2) in the case of a foreign financial institution that is resident in a jurisdiction that has entered into an intergovernmental agreement to implement FATCA, comply with the revised diligence and reporting obligations of such intergovernmental agreement. Prospective investors should consult their tax advisors regarding this legislation.

We and our shareholders may be subject to state, local or non-U.S. taxation in various jurisdictions, including those in which it or they transact business, own property or reside. The state, local or non-U.S. tax treatment of us and our shareholders may not conform to the U.S. federal income tax treatment discussed above. Any non-U.S. taxes incurred by us would not pass through to shareholders as a credit against their U.S. federal income tax liability. Prospective shareholders should consult their tax advisors regarding the application and effect of state, local and non-U.S. income and other tax laws on an investment in our common shares.

The rules dealing with U.S. federal income taxation are constantly under review by persons involved in the legislative process and by the IRS and the U.S. Department of the Treasury. No assurance can be given as to whether, when, or in what form, U.S. federal income tax laws applicable to us and our shareholders may be enacted. Changes to the U.S. federal income tax laws and interpretations of U.S. federal income tax laws could adversely affect an investment in our common shares.

The Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, as amended (“ERISA”), is a broad statutory framework that governs most U.S. retirement and other U.S. employee benefit plans. ERISA and the rules and regulations of the Department of Labor (the “DOL”) under ERISA contain provisions that should be considered by fiduciaries of employee benefit plans subject to the provisions of Title I of ERISA (“ERISA Plans”) and their legal advisors. In particular, a fiduciary of an ERISA Plan should consider whether an investment in our common shares (or, in the case of a participant-directed defined contribution plan (a “Participant-Directed Plan”), making our common shares available for investment under the Participant-Directed Plan) satisfies the requirements set forth in Part 4 of Title I of ERISA, including the requirements that (1) the investment satisfy the prudence and diversification standards of ERISA, (2) the investment be in the best interests of the participants and beneficiaries of the ERISA Plan, (3) the investment be permissible under the terms of the ERISA Plan’s investment policies and governing instruments and (4) the investment does not give rise to a non-exempt prohibited transaction under ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.

In determining whether an investment in our common shares (or making our shares available as an investment option under a Participant-Directed Plan) is prudent for ERISA purposes, a fiduciary of an ERISA Plan should consider all relevant facts and circumstances including, without limitation, possible limitations on the transferability of our common shares, whether the investment provides sufficient liquidity in light of the foreseeable needs of the ERISA Plan (or the participant account in a Participant-Directed Plan), and whether the investment is reasonably designed, as part of the ERISA Plan’s portfolio, to further the ERISA Plan’s purposes, taking into consideration the risk of loss and the opportunity for gain (or other return) associated with the investment. It should be noted that we will invest our assets in accordance with the investment objectives and guidelines described herein, and that neither our Manager nor any of its affiliates has any responsibility for developing any overall investment strategy for any ERISA Plan (or the participant account in a Participant-Directed Plan) or for advising any ERISA Plan (or participant in a Participant-Directed Plan) as to the advisability or prudence of an investment in us. Rather, it is the obligation of the appropriate fiduciary for each ERISA Plan (or participant in a Participant-Directed Plan) to consider whether an investment in our common shares by the ERISA Plan (or making such shares available for investment under a Participant-Directed Plan in which event it is the obligation of the participant to consider whether an investment in our common shares is advisable), when judged in light of the overall portfolio of the ERISA Plan, will meet the prudence, diversification and other applicable requirements of ERISA.

Section 406 of ERISA and Section 4975 of the Code prohibit certain transactions involving the assets of an ERISA Plan, as well as those plans that are not subject to ERISA but that are subject to Section 4975 of the Code, such as individual retirement accounts (“IRAs”) and non-ERISA Keogh plans (collectively with ERISA Plans, “Plans”), and certain persons (referred to as “parties in interest” for purposes of ERISA or “disqualified persons” for purposes of the Code) having certain relationships to Plans, unless a statutory or administrative exemption is applicable to the transaction. A party in interest or disqualified person who engages in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be subject to non-deductible excise taxes and other penalties and liabilities under ERISA and the Code, and the transaction might have to be rescinded. In addition, a fiduciary who causes an ERISA Plan to engage in a non-exempt prohibited transaction may be personally liable for any resultant loss incurred by the ERISA Plan and may be subject to other potential remedies.

A Plan that proposes to invest in our common shares (or to make our shares available for investment under a Participant-Directed Plan) may already maintain a relationship with our Manager or one or more of its affiliates, as a result of which our Manager or such affiliate may be a “party in interest” under ERISA or a “disqualified person” under the Code, with respect to such Plan (e.g., if our Manager or such affiliate provides investment management, investment advisory or other services to that Plan). ERISA (and the Code) prohibits plan assets from being used for the benefit of a party in interest (or disqualified person). This prohibition is not triggered by “incidental” benefits to a party in interest (or disqualified person) that result from a transaction involving the Plan that is motivated solely by the interests of the Plan. ERISA (and the Code) also prohibits a fiduciary from using its position to cause the Plan to make an investment from which the fiduciary, its affiliates or certain parties in which it has an interest would receive a fee or other consideration or benefit. In this circumstance, Plans that propose to invest in our common shares should consult with their counsel to determine whether an investment in our common shares would result in a transaction that is prohibited by ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code.

If our assets were considered to be assets of a Plan (referred to herein as “Plan Assets”), our management might be deemed to be fiduciaries of the investing Plan. In this event, the operation of our Company could become subject to the restrictions of the fiduciary responsibility and prohibited transaction provisions of Title I of ERISA and/or the prohibited transaction rules of Section 4975 of the Code.

The DOL has promulgated a final regulation under ERISA, 29 C.F.R. § 2510.3-101 (as modified by Section 3(42) of ERISA, the “Plan Assets Regulation”), that provides guidelines as to whether, and under what circumstances, the underlying assets of an entity will be deemed to constitute Plan Assets for purposes of applying the fiduciary requirements of Title I of ERISA (including the prohibited transaction rules of Section 406 of ERISA) and the prohibited transaction provisions of Code Section 4975.

Under the Plan Assets Regulation, the assets of an entity in which a Plan or IRA makes an equity investment will generally be deemed to be assets of such Plan or IRA unless the entity satisfies one of the exceptions to this general rule. Generally, the exceptions require that the investment in the entity be one of the following:

The shares will constitute an “equity interest” for purposes of the Plan Assets Regulation, and the shares may not constitute “publicly offered securities” for purposes of the Plan Assets Regulation. In addition, the shares will not be issued by a registered investment company.

The 25% Limit. Under the Plan Assets Regulation, and assuming no other exemption applies, an entity’s assets would be deemed to include “plan assets” subject to ERISA on any date if, immediately after the most recent acquisition of any equity interest in the entity, 25% or more of the value of any class of equity interests in the entity is held by “benefit plan investors” (the “25% Limit”). For purposes of this determination, the value of equity interests held by a person (other than a benefit plan investor) that has discretionary authority or control with respect to the assets of the entity or that provides investment advice for a fee with respect to such assets (or any affiliate of such a person) is disregarded. The term “benefit plan investor” is defined in the Plan Assets Regulation as (a) any employee benefit plan (as defined in Section 3(3) of ERISA) that is subject to the provisions of Title I of ERISA, (b) any plan that is subject to Section 4975 of the Code and (c) any entity whose underlying assets include plan assets by reason of a plan’s investment in the entity (to the extent of such plan’s investment in the entity). Thus, while our assets would not be considered to be “plan assets” for purposes of ERISA so long as the 25% Limit is not exceeded. Our operating agreement provides that if benefit plan investors exceed the 25% Limit, we may redeem their interests at a price equal to the then current NAV per share. We intend to rely on this aspect of the Plan Assets Regulation.

Operating Companies. Under the Plan Assets Regulation, an entity is an “operating company” if it is primarily engaged, directly or through a majority-owned subsidiary or subsidiaries, in the production or sale of a product or service other than the investment of capital. In addition, the Plan Assets Regulation provides that the term operating company includes an entity qualifying as a real estate operating company (“REOC”) or a venture capital operating company (“VCOC”). An entity is a REOC if: (i) on its “initial valuation date and on at least one day within each annual valuation period”, at least 50% of the entity’s assets, valued at cost (other than short-term investments pending long-term commitment or distribution to investors) are invested in real estate that is managed or developed and with respect to which such entity has the right to substantially participate directly in management or development activities; and (ii) such entity in the ordinary course of its business is engaged directly in the management and development of real estate during the 12-month period. The “initial valuation date” is the date on which an entity first makes an investment that is not a short-term investment of funds pending long-term commitment. An entity’s “annual valuation period” is a pre-established period not exceeding 90 days in duration, which begins no later than the anniversary of the entity’s initial valuation date. Certain examples in the Plan Assets Regulation clarify that the management and development activities of an entity looking to qualify as a REOC may be carried out by independent contractors (including, in the case of a partnership, affiliates of the general partner) under the supervision of the entity. An entity will qualify as a VCOC if (i) on its initial valuation date and on at least one day during each annual valuation period, at least 50% of the entity’s assets, valued at cost, consist of “venture capital investments”, and (ii) the entity, in the ordinary course of business, actually exercises management rights with respect to one or more of its venture capital investments. The Plan Assets Regulation defines the term “venture capital investments” as investments in an operating company (other than a VCOC) with respect to which the investor obtains management rights.

If the 25% Limit is exceeded and we do not exercise our right to redeem benefit plan investors as described above, we may try to operate in a manner that will enable us to qualify as a VCOC or a REOC or to meet such other exception as may be available to prevent our assets from being treated as assets of any investing Plan for purposes of the Plan Assets Regulation. Accordingly, we believe, on the basis of the Plan Assets Regulation, that our underlying assets should not constitute “plan assets” for purposes of ERISA. However, no assurance can be given that this will be the case.

If our assets are deemed to constitute “plan assets” under ERISA, certain of the transactions in which we might normally engage could constitute a non-exempt “prohibited transaction” under ERISA or Section 4975 of the Code. In such circumstances, in our sole discretion, we may void or undo any such prohibited transaction, and we may require each investor that is a “benefit plan investor” to redeem their shares upon terms that we consider appropriate.

Prospective investors that are subject to the provisions of Title I of ERISA and/or Code Section 4975 should consult with their counsel and advisors as to the provisions of Title I of ERISA and/or Code Section 4975 relevant to an investment in our common shares.

As discussed above, although IRAs and non-ERISA Keogh plans are not subject to ERISA, they are subject to the provisions of Section 4975 of the Code, prohibiting transactions with “disqualified persons” and investments and transactions involving fiduciary conflicts. A prohibited transaction or conflict of interest could arise if the fiduciary making the decision to invest has a personal interest in or affiliation with our Company or any of its respective affiliates. In the case of an IRA, a prohibited transaction or conflict of interest that involves the beneficiary of the IRA could result in disqualification of the IRA. A fiduciary for an IRA who has any personal interest in or affiliation with our Company or any of its respective affiliates, should consult with his or her tax and legal advisors regarding the impact such interest may have on an investment in our shares with assets of the IRA.

Shares sold by us may be purchased or owned by investors who are investing Plan assets. Our acceptance of an investment by a Plan should not be considered to be a determination or representation by us or any of our respective affiliates that such an investment is appropriate for a Plan. In consultation with its advisors, each prospective Plan investor should carefully consider whether an investment in our Company is appropriate for, and permissible under, the terms of the Plan’s governing documents.

Governmental plans, foreign plans and most church plans, while not subject to the fiduciary responsibility provisions of ERISA or the provisions of Code Section 4975, may nevertheless be subject to local, foreign, state or other federal laws that are substantially similar to the foregoing provisions of ERISA and the Code. Fiduciaries of any such plans should consult with their counsel and advisors before deciding to invest in our common shares.

The DOL has issued a final regulation significantly expanding the concept of “investment advice” for purposes of determining fiduciary status under ERISA. The DOL recognized that transactions such as the mere offering of the shares to sophisticated Plans could be characterized as fiduciary investment advice under this new regulation absent an exception and that such potential for fiduciary status would not be appropriate in these contexts. Accordingly, the DOL provided an exception based upon satisfaction of certain factual conditions. As the final regulation became effective in April 2017, we may elect to ensure these conditions are satisfied in connection with the offering of the shares. Finally, fiduciaries of Plans should be aware that the Manager is not undertaking to provide impartial investment advice or to give advice in a fiduciary capacity in connection with the offering or purchase of shares and that the Manager has financial interests associated with the purchase of shares including the fees and other allocations and distributions they may receive from us as a result of the purchase of shares by a Plan.

Form 5500. Plan administrators of ERISA Plans that acquire shares may be required to report compensation, including indirect compensation, paid in connection with the ERISA Plan’s investment in shares on Schedule C of Form 5500 (Annual Return/Report of Employee Benefit Plan). The descriptions in this memorandum of fees and compensation, including the fees paid to the Manager, are intended to satisfy the disclosure requirement for “eligible indirect compensation”, for which an alternative reporting procedure on Schedule C of Form 5500 may be available.

There is no established public market for the common shares, and there can be no assurance that any market will develop in the foreseeable future. Transfer of the common shares may also be restricted under the securities or securities regulations laws promulgated by various states and foreign jurisdictions, commonly referred to as “Blue Sky” laws. Absent compliance with such individual state laws, the common shares may not be traded in such jurisdictions. Because the securities qualified hereunder have not been registered for resale under the blue sky laws of any state, the holders of such common shares and persons who desire to purchase them or in any trading market that might develop in the future, should be aware that there may be significant state blue-sky law restrictions upon the ability of investors to sell the securities and of purchasers to purchase the securities. Accordingly, investors may not be able to liquidate their investments and should be prepared to hold the common shares for an indefinite period of time.

We currently do not intend to and may not be able to qualify securities for resale in states which require the common shares to be qualified before they can be resold by holders.

In accordance with the Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001, or the USA PATRIOT Act, the securities offered hereby may not be offered, sold, transferred or delivered, directly or indirectly, to any “unacceptable investor,” which means anyone who is:

The validity of the securities offered by this Offering Circular will be passed upon for us by Ketsal PLLC, Brooklyn, New York.

We have filed an offering statement on Form 1-A with the SEC under Regulation A of the Securities Act with respect to the common shares offered by this Offering Circular. This Offering Circular, which constitutes a part of the offering statement, does not contain all of the information set forth in the offering statement or the exhibits and schedules filed therewith. Statements contained in this Offering Circular regarding the contents of any contract or any other document that is filed as an exhibit to the offering statement are not necessarily complete, and each such statement is qualified in all respects by reference to the full text of such contract or other document filed as an exhibit to the offering statement. The offering statement, including its exhibits and schedules, may be inspected without charge at the public reference room maintained by the SEC, located at 100 F Street, N.E., Room 1580, Washington, D.C. 20549, and copies of all or any part of the offering statement may be obtained from such offices upon the payment of the fees prescribed by the SEC. Please call the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330 for further information about the public reference room. The SEC also maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information regarding registrants that file electronically with the SEC. The address of the site is www.sec.gov.

After the completion of this Offering, you may access this Offering Circular and other information about the Company at Groundfloor Platform website at www.groundfloor.com free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after they are electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. Information contained on the Groundfloor Platform website is not a part of this Offering Circular and the inclusion of the Groundfloor Platform website address in this Offering Circular is an inactive textual reference only.

After the completion of this Tier II, Regulation A offering, we do not intend on becoming subject to the information and periodic reporting requirements of the Exchange Act. If, however, we become subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, we will file periodic reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC. Such periodic reports, proxy statements and other information will be available for inspection and copying at the public reference room and on the SEC’s website referred to above. Until we become or never become subject to the reporting requirements of the Exchange Act, we will furnish the following reports, statements, and tax information to each holder of common shares:

1.    Reporting Requirements under Tier II of Regulation A. Following this Tier II, Regulation A offering, we will be required to comply with certain ongoing disclosure requirements under Rule 257 of Regulation A. We will be required to file: an annual report with the SEC on Form 1-K; a semi-annual report with the SEC on Form 1-SA; current reports with the SEC on Form 1-U; and a notice under cover of Form 1-Z. The necessity to file current reports will be triggered by certain corporate events, similar to the ongoing reporting obligation faced by issuers under the Exchange Act, however, the requirement to file a Form 1-U is expected to be triggered by significantly fewer corporate events than that of the Form 8-K. Such reports and other information will be available for inspection and copying at the public reference room and on the SEC’s website referred to above. Parts I & II of Form 1-Z will be filed by us if and when we decide to and are no longer obligated to file and provide annual reports pursuant to the requirements of Regulation A.

2.     Annual Reports. As soon as practicable, but in no event later than one hundred twenty (120) days after the close of our fiscal year, ending on the last Sunday of a calendar year, we will mail or make available, by any reasonable means, to each Holder of common shares as of a date selected by the Manager, an annual report containing our financial statements for such fiscal year, presented in accordance with GAAP, including a balance sheet and statements of operations, company equity and cash flows, with such statements having been audited by an accountant selected by the Company. The Company shall be deemed to have made a report available to each Holder of common shares as required if it has either (i) filed such report with the SEC via its Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval, or EDGAR, system and such report is publicly available on such system or (ii) made such report available on any website maintained by us and our affiliate and available for viewing by holders of common shares.

3.     Tax Information. As soon as practicable following the end of our fiscal year, which is currently January 1st through December 31^st, we will send to each holder of common shares such tax information as shall be reasonably required for federal and state income tax reporting purposes.

We may deliver the above information to each holder of common shares via the Groundfloor Platform.

We have audited the accompanying balance sheet of Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC (a Delaware limited liability company) as of December 31, 2023, the end of the initial accounting period of the Company, and the related notes to the financial statement.

In our opinion, the balance sheet referred to above present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC as of December 31, 2023, in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We conducted our audit in accordance with auditing standards generally accepted in the United States of America. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditor’s Responsibilities for the Audit of the Financial Statement section of our report. We are required to be independent of Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC and to meet our ethical responsibilities in accordance with the relevant ethical requirements relating to our audit. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our audit opinion.

Management is responsible for the preparation and fair presentation of this financial statement in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America, and for the design, implementation, and maintenance of internal control relevant to the preparation and fair presentation of a financial statement that is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error.

In preparing the financial statement, management is required to evaluate whether there are conditions or events, considered in the aggregate, that raise substantial doubt about Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC’s ability to continue as a going concern within one year after the date that the financial statement is available to be issued.

Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statement as a whole is free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance but is not absolute assurance and therefore is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. The risk of not detecting a material misstatement resulting from fraud is higher than for one resulting from error, as fraud may involve collusion, forgery, intentional omissions, misrepresentations, or the override of internal control. Misstatements are considered material if there is a substantial likelihood that, individually or in the aggregate, they would influence the judgment made by a reasonable user based on the financial statement.

In performing an audit in accordance with generally accepted auditing standards, we:

We are required to communicate with those charged with governance regarding, among other matters, the planned scope and timing of the audit, significant audit findings, and certain internal control related matters that we identified during the audit.

Groundfloor Loans 1 LLC (the “Company”) was formed on October 18, 2023, as a Delaware Limited Liability Company and intends to qualify as a real estate investment trust (“REIT”) for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The Company was organized primarily to originate, invest in and manage a diversified portfolio of commercial real estate investments and other real estate-related assets. The Company may make its investments through majority-owned subsidiaries, some of which may have rights to receive preferred economic returns. Substantially all of the Company’s business will be externally managed by Groundfloor Advisors, LLC (the “Manager”), a Delaware limited liability company.

Subject to certain restrictions and limitations, the Manager is responsible for managing the Company’s affairs on a day-to-day basis and for identifying and making acquisitions and investments on behalf of the Company.

The Company intends to file an initial offering statement on Form 1-A with the SEC with respect to an offering (the “Offering”) of up to $75,000,000 in common shares, for an initial price of $1.00 per share.

A maximum of $75,000,000 in the Company’s common shares may be sold to the public in the initial offering, once qualified. The Manager has the authority to issue an unlimited number of common shares. As of December 31, 2023, the Company had issued 5,000 common shares to Groundfloor Finance Inc. (the “Sponsor”), an owner of the Manager, for an aggregate purchase price of $5,000.

2.            Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The accompanying financial statements and related notes of the Company have been prepared on the accrual basis of accounting and conform to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”) and Article 8 of Regulation S-X of the rules and regulations of the SEC.

The preparation of the financial statements in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in the financial statements and accompanying notes. Actual results could materially differ from those estimates.

Due from member consists of receivables due to fund the purchase of common shares.

Organization and offering costs of the Company are initially being paid by the Manager on behalf of the Company. These organization and offering costs include all expenses to be paid by the Company in connection with the formation of the Company and the qualification of the Offering, and the marketing and distribution of shares, including, without limitation, expenses for printing, and amending offering statements or supplementing offering circulars, mailing and distributing costs, telephones, Internet and other telecommunications costs, all advertising and marketing expenses, charges of experts and fees, expenses and taxes related to the filing, registration and qualification of the sale of shares under federal and state laws, including taxes and fees and accountants’ and attorneys’ fees. The Company anticipates that, pursuant to the Company’s amended and restated operating agreement (the “Operating Agreement”), the Company will be obligated to reimburse the Manager, or its affiliates, as applicable, for organization and offering costs paid by them on behalf of the Company.

The Company intends to elect to be taxed as a REIT under the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, and intends to operate as such, commencing with the taxable year ending December 31, 2023. The Company expects to have little or no taxable income prior to electing REIT status. To qualify as a REIT, the Company must meet certain organizational and operational requirements, including a requirement to distribute at least 90% of the Company’s annual REIT taxable income to its members (which is computed without regard to the dividends paid deduction or net capital gain and which does not necessarily equal net income as calculated in accordance with U.S. GAAP). As a REIT, the Company generally will not be subject to U.S. federal income tax to the extent it distributes qualifying dividends to its members. Even if the Company qualifies for taxation as a REIT, it may be subject to certain state and local taxes on its income and property, and federal income and excise taxes on its undistributed income.

Under Section 107 of the JOBS Act, we are permitted to use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This permits us to delay the adoption of certain accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to use the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Securities Act for complying with new or revised accounting standards that have different effective dates for public and private companies until the earlier of the date that we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in Section 7(a)(2)(B). By electing to extend the transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards, these financial statements may not be comparable to companies that adopt accounting standard updates upon the public business entity effective dates.

The Manager and its affiliates will receive fees and expense reimbursements for services relating to this offering and the investment and management of our assets. The Manager is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Sponsor.

The Manager will be reimbursed for organization and offering expenses incurred in conjunction with our organization and the Offering, but the aggregate monthly amount reimbursed can never exceed 0.50% of the aggregate gross offering proceeds from this Offering. These organization and offering expenses include all expenses paid by the Manager and to be reimbursed by us in connection with the formation of the Company and the qualification of the Offering, and the marketing and distribution of shares, including, without limitation, expenses for printing, engraving and amending offering statements or supplementing offering circulars, mailing and distributing costs, telephones, internet and other telecommunications costs, all advertising and marketing expenses, charges of experts and fees, expenses and taxes related to the filing, registration and qualification of the sale of shares under federal and state laws, including taxes and fees and accountants’ and attorneys’ fees. See Note 2 – “Summary of Significant Accounting Policies – Organization and Offering Costs”.

Groundfloor Finance Inc. owns and operates an online investment platform https://www.groundfloor.com (the “Groundfloor Platform”) that allows investors to invest in interests in real estate opportunities that may have been historically difficult to access for some investors. Groundfloor Finance Inc. is the sole member of the Company and holds 5,000 shares as of December 31, 2023.

As of the date these financial statements are issued, the executive officers of our Manager and their positions and offices are as follows:

Under various agreements, the Company has engaged or will engage Groundfloor Advisors, LLC and its affiliates to provide certain services that are essential to the Company, including asset management services, asset acquisition and disposition decisions, the sale of the Company’s common shares available for issue, as well as other administrative responsibilities for the Company including accounting services and investor relations. As a result of these relationships, the Company is dependent upon Groundfloor Advisors, LLC and its affiliates. In the event that these companies were unable to provide the Company with the respective services, the Company would be required to find alternative providers of these services.

As of the date of the financial statements we are not currently named as a defendant in any active or pending litigation. However, it is possible that the Company could become involved in various litigation matters arising in the ordinary course of our business. Although we are unable to predict with certainty the eventual outcome of any litigation, management is not aware of any current litigation that we assess as being material to the financial statements.

In connection with the preparation of the accompanying financial statements, we have evaluated events and transactions occurring through January 26, 2024, the date at which the financial statement was available to be issued. Based on this evaluation, it was determined that subsequent events have occurred that require disclosure in the financial statements.

On January 16, 2024 the $5,000 Due from member balance was funded by the Sponsor.

The following prior performance tables provide information relating to the real estate investment programs sponsored by Groundfloor Finance Inc. (the “Sponsor”) and its affiliates, collectively referred to herein as the “Prior Programs”. These Prior Programs focus on the commercial market for lending to developers of residential and small commercial real estate projects owned and occupied by parties other than the Borrower (or its Principal(s)). The general investment objectives for all Prior Programs include providing investors with individual exposure to investment opportunities in specific commercial real estate loans.

The Sponsor’s prior real estate programs involve the sale of limited recourse obligations (the “LROs”) of the Sponsor or one of its affiliates offered in distinct series, with each series corresponding to a real estate development project financed by a commercial loan (each a “LRO Loan”) from our Sponsor or one of its affiliates (the “LRO Program”) Through October 31, 2023, the LRO Program consists of two issuers: Groundfloor Finance Inc. and Groundfloor Real Estate 1, LLC.

Each of the issuers affiliated with the Sponsor within the LRO Program issued LROs. With respect to each issuer, the Sponsor or one of its affiliates originated commercial real estate loans to developers of residential and small commercial real estate projects owned and occupied by parties other than the Borrower (or its Principal(s)) and then offered investors the opportunity to invest in the economic performance of these commercial real estate loans assets through the issuance of the LROs in distinct series, with each series of LROs wholly dependent upon the performance of an individual commercial real estate loan.

This information should be read together with the summary information included in the “Prior Performance Summary” section of this Offering Circular.

Investors should not construe inclusion of the following tables as implying, in any manner, that the Prior Programs of the Sponsor had similar investment objectives to the Company or that the Company will have results comparable to those reflected in such tables. Distributable cash flow, federal income tax deductions or other factors could be substantially different. Investors should note that by acquiring our shares, they will not be acquiring any interest in any prior program.

All information contained in the Tables in this Appendix A is as of October 31, 2023. The following tables are included herein:

Table I presents information showing the experience of the Sponsor and affiliates in raising and investing funds for the LRO Program in the most recent three years. Information is provided as to the manner in which the proceeds of the offerings have been applied. Also set forth is the timing and length of these offerings and information pertaining to the time period over which the proceeds have been invested. All figures are as of October 31, 2023.

The LRO Program is comprised of two issuers that issued LROs. All assets were pre-identified so offering proceeds were invested immediately upon closing of the offering. The length of time the offerings were outstanding ranged from 1 day to 2 months.

Table III sets forth the summary balance sheet, operating results and statement of cash flows of each of the issues that comprise the LRO Program. for each of the years ended December 31, 2022, December 31, 2021 and December 31, 2020.

Table IV presents summary information on the results of LRO Program investments that have completed operations (no longer hold assets) within each of the most recent five years.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THIS OFFERING CIRCULAR	i
CAUTIONARY STATEMENT REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS	iii
SUMMARY	v
TERMS OF THE OFFERING	xii
DETERMINATION OF OFFERING PRICE	1
DISTRIBUTIONS	2
RISK FACTORS	3
PLAN OF DISTRIBUTION	34
ESTIMATED USE OF PROCEEDS	39
DESCRIPTION OF BUSINESS	40
PRIOR PERFORMANCE SUMMARY	45
MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS	47
MANAGEMENT	50
MANAGEMENT COMPENSATION	56
SECURITY OWNERSHIP OF MANAGEMENT AND CERTAIN SECURITYHOLDERS	57
DESCRIPTION OF OUR COMMON SHARES	58
INTEREST OF MANAGEMENT AND OTHERS IN CERTAIN TRANSACTIONS	68
MATERIAL U.S. FEDERAL INCOME TAX CONSIDERATIONS	73
ERISA AND RELATED CONSIDERATIONS	94
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND RESTRICTIONS	97
LEGAL MATTERS	98
WHERE YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION	99
INDEX TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS OF GROUNDFLOOR LOANS 1 LLC	F-1
APPENDIX A: PRIOR PERFORMANCE TABLES	A-1

	Maximum Offering Amount(1)
Gross Offering Proceeds	$	75,000,000
Less:
Organization and Offering Expenses(2)(3)	$	105,000
Net Proceeds from this Offering	$	74,895,000
Net Proceeds from Sponsor Investment	$	5,000
Estimated Amount Available for Investments	$	74,900,000

Loan Principal		The total principal amount borrowed under each Loan will not exceed $1,000,000
Maturity Date		The maturity date of each Loan will range between six (6) months and twenty four (24) months.
Mortgage		All Loans will be secured by a first lien mortgage on the underlying property.
Interest Rate		Annual fixed interest rate between 5% and 15%.
Repayment and Prepayment Terms		Typically, Loans will require repayment either as a balloon payment at maturity or interest only on a monthly/quarterly basis, with the principal amount paid at maturity. Loans may be prepaid without penalty.

Geographic Location (United States)
Southeast	2,667
Midwest	519
Northeast	438
Mid-Atlantic	129
Southwest	97
Northwest	29
Total	3,879	⁽¹⁾

	Number of Shares		Percent of
Name of Beneficial Owner(1)	Beneficially Owned		All Shares
Groundfloor Finance Inc. (2)		5,000		100	%

	Per Share		Total Maximum
Public Offering Price	$	1.00	$	75,000,000	(1)
Underwriting Discounts and Commissions(2)	$	—	$	—
Proceeds to Us from this Offering to the Public (Before Expenses)	$	1.00	$	75,000,000	(1)

Type of Fee	Estimated Amount of Fee/Expense	Application of Fees
Reimbursement of Organization and Offering Expenses (1)(2)	$105,000	Our Manager will pay organization and offering expenses on our behalf in connection with the Offering of our common shares. We will reimburse our Manager for these costs and future organization and offering costs it may incur on our behalf. Organization and offering expenses include expected organizational costs of approximately $5,000 and up to $100,000 of legal fees incurred in preparing this offering. See “Estimated Use of Proceeds” for more information.
Special Servicing Expenses(3)	Variable	We will reimburse our Manager for actual expenses it incurs on our behalf in connection with special servicing of non-performing assets.
Management Fee (4)	Quarterly management fee equal to an annualized rate of 1.00%, which is based on the aggregate principal amount of all outstanding Loans in our portfolio at the end of each quarterly period beginning with the last day of the calendar quarter in which this Offering terminates. Our Manager may, in its sole discretion, waive its asset management fee, in whole or in part.	This is earned by Groundfloor Advisors, LLC, our Manager, to offset the costs of managing the Company.


	·	any person from transferring our shares if such transfer would result in our shares being owned by fewer than 100 persons (determined without reference to any rules of attribution).


	·	to recast the vote in accordance with the desires of the trustee acting for the benefit of the beneficiary of the trust.

Name		Position
Nick Bhargava		Chief Executive Officer
Patrick Donoghue Ben Sutton		Vice President Market Risk Senior Vice President Finance

Financial Statements
Independent Auditors’ Report	F-2
Balance Sheet	F-4
Notes to the Financial Statements	F-5

	As of December 31, 2023
Assets
Due from member	$	5,000
Total assets	$	5,000

Member’s equity
Common shares; unlimited shares authorized; 5,000 shares issued and outstanding	$	5,000
Total Member’s Equity		5,000
Total Liabilities and Member’s Equity	$	5,000

Name		Position
Nick Bhargava		Chief Executive Officer
Patrick Donoghue		Vice President of Markets and Risk
Ben Sutton		Senior Vice President Finance

	Groundfloor			Groundfloor
	Finance Inc.			Real Estate 1, LLC
Dollar Amount Offered	$	355,179,141	(1)	$	233,649,018	(1)
Dollar Amount Raised	$	310,318,120		$	207,677,756
Length of Offering (In Months)		Ongoing			Ongoing
Months to invest 90 percent of amount available for investment (measured from the beginning of offering)		1.03			0.91

	Groundfloor Finance Inc.
	2022			2021			2020
SUMMARY BALANCE SHEET
Total assets	$	197,120,155		$	116,255,937		$	32,323,723
Total liabilities		187,641,577			116,252,818			33,929,434
Total members’ equity		9,478,578			3,119			(1,605,711	)
SUMMARY OPERATING RESULTS
Gross revenues		21,792,678			11,220,099			5,415,222
Operating expense		(25,581,707	)		(15,454,031	)		(9,052,036	)
Operating income (loss)		(3,789,029	)		(4,233,932	)		(3,636,814	)
Interest/tax expense		(11,684	)		285,158			(1,149,819	)
Net income (loss) (GAAP Basis)		(3,800,713	)		(3,948,774	)		(4,786,633	)
SUMMARY STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$	(8,999,571	)	$	(3,079,871	)	$	(4,852,753	)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities		(74,536,596	)		(78,320,536	)		42,973,442
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		85,360,355			82,613,185			(38,389,013	)
AMOUNT AND SOURCE OF DISTRIBUTIONS
Total cash distributions paid and distributions reinvested	$	71,700,245		$	45,591,981		$	57,834,108
Distribution Data Per $1,000 Invested
Total Distributions paid to investors	$	1,066		$	1,055		$	1,076
From operations	$	70		$	80		$	82
From all other sources (financing or offering proceeds)	$	996		$	975		$	994

	Groundfloor Real Estate 1, LLC
	2022			2021			2020
SUMMARY BALANCE SHEET
Total assets	$	72,101,671		$	76,740,431		$	39,625,957
Total liabilities		72,101,671			76,740,431			39,625,957
Total members' equity		0			0			0
SUMMARY OPERATING RESULTS
Gross revenues		0			0			36,316
Operating expense		0			0			(36,316	)
Operating income (loss)		0			0			0
Interest/tax expense		0			0			0
Net income (loss) (GAAP Basis)		0			0			0
SUMMARY STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	$	0		$	0		$	(36,313	)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities		5,893,100			(35,510,460	)		(38,761,679	)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		(5,893,100	)		35,510,460			38,796,295
AMOUNT AND SOURCE OF DISTRIBUTIONS
Total cash distributions paid and distributions reinvested	$	107,425,942		$	41,028,099		$	13,933,348
Distribution Data Per $1,000 Invested
Total Distributions paid to investors	$	1,061		$	1,060		$	1,032
From operations	$	61		$	60		$	33
From all other sources (financing or offering proceeds)	$	1,000		$	1,000		$	999