Invest in Sustainable Wellness-Oriented Housing

March 26, 2025

Invest in Sustainable Wellness-Oriented Housing


Since the pandemic, Americans have been spending more time at home. In 2019, people spent an average of 18.5 hours a day at home, but by 2021, that number increased to 19.5 hours. There has been a greater emphasis on health and wellness, and with more time spent at home, it’s essential to have everything needed for a healthy lifestyle nearby. The wellness real estate market grew by 18% annually from 2019-2023 and is projected to maintain a 15.8% growth rate through 2028, bringing the total global market to more than $912 billion. Its growing popularity is reshaping the residential real estate market and sustainable, wellness-oriented developments are coming to the forefront.

(Global Wellness Institute)


Sustainable development - creating energy efficient buildings with minimal environmental impact - isn’t just good for the planet, it’s essential for people. Sustainable approaches include using eco-friendly materials such as mass timber, an alternative to concrete and steel, incorporating green building techniques, and prioritizing renewable energy sources, all of which creates healthier living environments. The best sustainable developments integrate energy-efficient design with user-oriented wellness features.

Investing in sustainable development isn’t just about environmental responsibility—it’s about building spaces that support healthier lives while delivering strong financial returns.

Why Invest in Sustainable Real Estate Development?

Real estate has long been an attractive asset class for investors because of its ability to deliver both cash flow and appreciation, and high potential returns combined with steady, long-term results. Within the asset class, ground-up development has its own advantages. Getting in on the literal ground floor cuts out the middlemen and offers the highest profit potential, as investors are essentially getting wholesale prices on properties. 

Investing in sustainable real estate development offers several advantages over traditional development. First, energy-efficient designs that reduce emissions also reduce energy costs, in some cases by up to 60%, which leads to lower operating expenses, higher net operating income, and higher property values. Second, governments have begun incentivizing sustainability with different incentives and tax breaks, making sustainable development more profitable for investors.

Sustainable, wellness-oriented housing attracts and retains high-quality tenants more effectively than traditional multifamily developments. Rather than serving as just a place to sleep and store belongings, these residences support a lifestyle focused on health and well-being. These buildings also do a better job of fostering community, providing an environment where people feel at home.

Potential tenants and buyers are also becoming more conscious of their environmental impact and are increasingly prioritizing living spaces that align with their values. Natural building materials create a more pleasant living experience, and a focus on renewable and efficient energy can lead to lower or non-existent energy bills. Sustainable developments offer a higher quality of life and can demand top-of-market rents while seeing reduced tenant turnover. This is particularly true when these developments offer wellness spaces, such as fitness centers, pools, communal gardens, and green rooftops.

There is growing institutional demand to invest in sustainable real estate development, and not nearly enough supply. It is even harder for everyday investors to invest in this sector, with a lack of direct access to institutional-grade deals and the lack of developers offering investment opportunities to individuals.

Who is Neutral?

Founded in 2019, Neutral is a sustainable multifamily real estate developer building ground-up market-rate buildings in the Midwest. It has three major projects under construction in Wisconsin and currently has $344 million of assets under management. It was founded by Nate Helbach and Matt Frazer and is backed by a team with decades of experience developing multifamily and mixed-use projects. Nate started Neutral based on his Harvard thesis on sustainable construction, while Matt is a seasoned entrepreneur who was formerly the CEO of Tribute Technologies, a $1.2 billion company.

Neutral is anchored by its commitment to People, Place, Profit, and Planet, to build thriving communities that help residents, investors, the community, and the world. Neutral is a Certified B Corporation, which means it meets high standards of social and environmental impact, and follows high ethical standards in its business practices.

It is a vertically integrated company, with an in-house architecture and design firm, a construction management division, a carpentry and interior build department, and a research and development arm, all ensuring that their projects exceed sustainability and environmental responsibility standards.

One project that they developed from the ground up is Bakers Place, in Madison, Wisconsin, a 14 story mixed-use luxury rental building with more than 164,000 square feet of rentable space covering 206 units and 8,400 square feet of retail space. It includes top-line amenities such as a library, dog park, fitness center, co-working space, and interactive game room. It is slated to open in May 2025.

Neutral has received press coverage in USA Today, CNN, The Guardian, Newsweek, and a number of local newspapers and press outlets. It was recently named one of the most innovative companies of 2025 by Fast Company, and has gained global recognition as a leader in sustainability-focused real estate and resident well-being.

Current Investment Opportunities

This is a 31-story, 378 unit luxury rental building with more than 300,000 square feet of living space located right on the river in downtown Milwaukee. It is on track to be the tallest mass timber building in the world while also pursuing rigorous Passive House and Living Building Challenge certifications. Projected to be completed in late spring of 2027, it will have amenities promoting resident health and well-being. This includes a full-floor state-of-art wellness and fitness center, an on-site clinic, a restaurant and organic grocer, communal gardens on each amenity floor, a cafe, and a co-working club. For investors, there are both equity and debt options, with the former targeting a 15-20% annual return and the latter offering a 10-12% annual return paid quarterly. The project is available for direct investment via CSIP/SSID number 99978785 on Schwab’s platform.

This is a low-rise multifamily building with 33 units located in downtown Madison. There will be a cafe, co-working space, communal garden, and a private plaza. Construction is underway and is slated to be completed later this year. Similar to the Edison, there are both equity and debt options, with the former targeting a 15-20% annual return, and the latter offering a 10-12% annual return.

Why invest with Neutral?

Neutral is democratizing access to investments into institutional-grade ground-up development, a sector in real estate not traditionally available to everyday investors. It offers a straightforward, transparent way to invest into sustainable developments, with all the attendant tax benefits and the benefit of knowing that you are investing in projects that will benefit the community and the planet. Because every investor has different priorities, he or she can pick and choose which specific projects they want to invest in. Additionally, all the company’s partners invest tens of millions of personal funds into each project, ensuring the sponsor has skin in the game.

Neutral user dashboard

Their simple, user-friendly software makes it easy to track your investments. They offer both equity options and debt options to diversify your portfolio. The equity option is direct ownership into the properties as common equity, meaning the returns are based on the property’s performance. This offers the highest potential return, but does come with more risk and a longer holding period, with a target of 4-8 years. The debt option is simply lending money to the project at a 10%-12% interest rate, generally paid quarterly with a hold period of 2-4 years. Neutral also offers potential liquidity on a quarterly basis, with their secondary market that matches buyers and sellers of our projects.

Neutral partners with best-in-class companies, such as C.D. Smith Construction, an industry leader committed to providing the highest quality commercial construction services. Their property management partner, Hines, manages more than 15,000 units in 28 cities, with experience in multifamily, condominiums, student housing, and senior housing communities. This makes certain that the properties are of the highest quality and remain that way.

“Their professionalism, integrity, visionary approach, and excellent communication make them a standout in the industry.” - Jake D., actual Neutral investor.

Build a Sustainable Future while Growing your Portfolio

The wellness residential real estate market is booming right now, and investors can get in on the ground floor with Neutral, who is leading the way in wellness-oriented development. Investing in their projects offers strong potential returns while also aligning your investment portfolio with a positive social impact and a sustainable future.