This article is presented by Connect Invest.
Many real estate investors obsess over IRR and cap rates, but overlook the strategic value of liquidity. It’s no secret that real estate is illiquid—in September 2025, the average home spent 62 days on the market. Add an extra month or so for all the paperwork to be completed, and you’re looking at waiting around three months before you’ll see your investment money once you decide to sell.
Whether you’re waiting on a 1031 exchange, prepping for your next flip, or just want optionality in a shifting market, your capital should work while it waits. And while you could invest in the stock market, it’s far more volatile than real estate.
This is one reason real estate-backed notes with short durations are a smart option for investors who want to stay active between longer-term commitments.
The Liquidity Issue
Real estate is largely thought of as a longer-term investment, largely because it takes so long to sell. Turning a single-family home into ready cash simply isn’t realistic. While you could try to sell as quickly as possible, you could lose out on value if you lower the price for the sake of a fast sell.
Even a fix-and-flip takes time to sell, as you need to not only take into account the time you spend renovating the property, but also the sales time. Daily-traded direct real estate funds also generally maintain high cash positions to compensate for the illiquid nature of real estate.
But having liquidity as an investor is vital for financial growth, even with real estate. It can impact your cash flow and ability to cover unexpected expenses or seize new investment opportunities. And keeping cash on hand instead of investing is inefficient, as the value of your cash depletes due to inflation.
How to Increase Your Real Estate Liquidity
There are, however, ways to increase the liquidity of your real estate holdings. One overlooked strategy is to invest in real estate-backed notes.
Real estate-backed notes are essentially a debt investment backed by real property. Instead of buying a property, you buy the debt. That means when the borrower pays back the debt, you get your investment back, plus the interest.
It’s a type of hybrid solution to real estate that gives you exposure to real estate assets, but ensures you get a steady cash return every month. You don’t have to be locked into owning property and be asset-rich and cash-poor.
With some platforms, you can even buy notes as short as three months. That can be advantageous for investors who want the ease of selling quickly but want exposure to real estate holdings.
Final Thoughts
While real estate is usually a longer-term investment with very little liquidity, it doesn’t have to be. There are ways to keep investing in real estate while having ready access to cash.
Learn how Connect Invest’s short-term offerings can help bridge the gap between deals without sacrificing returns.