Belong vs. Roofstock: Which Platform Is Right for You?

TL;DR

• Roofstock is a marketplace for buying tenant-occupied single-family rentals. Buyers pay 0.5% of contract price, sellers pay 3%. Roofstock merged with Mynd in May 2024, so post-purchase management runs under the Mynd brand. Source: GlobeNewswire, 2024
• Belong is a residential operating system, not a property manager and not a marketplace. Belong runs leasing, Resident experience, maintenance, pricing, and inspections as one product for Members who already own their Homes.
• The two don't actually compete. Roofstock helps you buy a rental. Belong runs the Home after you own it. The real comparison is Belong vs. Mynd (Roofstock's management arm).
• Belong claims 66% less vacancy than the industry average and carries a 4-star Trustpilot rating across 1,119 reviews. Source: Belong, 2025 · Source: Trustpilot, 2025
• Use Roofstock to buy. Use Belong to operate. If your Home is in one of Belong's 56 metros, you can hand it to Belong on day one of ownership.

What's the actual difference between Belong and Roofstock?

They're not in the same category.

Roofstock is a real estate marketplace. It connects buyers with tenant-occupied single-family rentals across the U.S., provides inspections and property data, and processes the transaction. After close, management gets handed to Mynd (which merged with Roofstock in May 2024) or to a property manager of the buyer's choosing. Source: GlobeNewswire, 2024

Belong is a residential operating system. It runs the Home end-to-end for owners who already have one: leasing, Resident screening, maintenance via Belong Pros, inspections, pricing, and 24/7 Resident support, all as one product. Belong doesn't sell Homes and doesn't help you buy them.

So the honest framing: Roofstock is upstream (acquisition). Belong is downstream (operating the asset). If you're shopping for a rental, you need Roofstock or a similar marketplace. If you already own a Home and want to be done with landlord work, you need Belong.

How much does Roofstock cost compared to Belong?

Roofstock's fees are transactional. Belong's fees are operational.

Roofstock:

• Buyer fee: 0.5% of contract price (so $1,500 on a $300,000 Home)
• Seller fee: 3% of sale price ($9,000 on a $300,000 Home)
• Property management through Mynd is billed separately by Mynd, varies by market. Source: Mashvisor, 2024

Belong (Standard tier):

• 5% management fee on collected rent
• 55% placement fee on first month's rent
• No minimums
• Includes guaranteed rental payments if the Resident doesn't pay, plus eviction protection, combined coverage up to $9,000

Belong (Premium tier):

• 8% management fee on collected rent
• 60% placement fee on first month's rent
• Guaranteed rental payments for the entire lease with no cap, until a new Resident is placed
• Eviction protection up to $15,000

The categories don't map cleanly. Roofstock charges you once when you buy or sell. Belong charges you ongoing to operate the Home. If you buy through Roofstock and then hire Belong, you pay both: Roofstock's 0.5% at close, Belong's fees monthly thereafter.

Who is Roofstock best for?

Long-distance investors buying rentals sight-unseen.

62% of Roofstock transactions involve buyers more than 1,000 miles from the property. Source: Money Crashers, 2025 That's the use case the platform is built around: out-of-state investors who want certified inspections, neighborhood data, and tenant-occupied Homes that produce rent on day one.

Every Roofstock listing must have a Resident in place at time of sale. Reported yields run 3-8%. Source: Constitution Lending, 2025 Roofstock takes a 10% stake in some properties for the first 12 months and then exits, after which the buyer carries full asset risk.

If you're trying to acquire a rental in a market you don't live in, Roofstock is a real tool. It's not built for people who already own a Home.

Who is Belong best for?

Owners of 1-4 Homes who want zero landlord work.

The typical Belong Member is someone who already owns the Home: an accidental landlord, a former occupant who relocated, an inheritor, or a small-portfolio owner who's done managing on their own. Belong runs the Home as one product. Leasing, Resident screening, maintenance, inspections, pricing, and 24/7 Resident concierge are not separate services bolted together. They're one operation.

The guarantees do the heavy lifting. Belong pays Members even when the Resident doesn't, and covers eviction costs up to the tier limit. That's not how property managers work. Property managers collect a fee and pass vacancy and non-payment risk back to the owner.

Belong is also limited geographically: 20 states and 56 metro regions. If your Home is in one of them, Belong is the operating system. If it's not, you're using a property manager.

Does Roofstock offer property management?

Yes, through Mynd. That's the right thing to compare Belong against.

After the May 2024 merger, property management for Roofstock-purchased Homes runs under the Mynd brand. Mynd handles leasing, maintenance, rent collection, and owner reporting on a traditional property management fee model. Owners bear vacancy and non-payment risk. Roofstock does not guarantee rent. Source: GlobeNewswire, 2024

This is where the categorical difference matters most. Mynd is property management, the old category. Belong is the residential operating system that replaces it. Mynd dispatches third-party vendors for maintenance. Belong runs Belong Pros as part of the platform. Mynd charges a percentage and passes risk back to you. Belong charges a percentage and absorbs the Resident-payment risk through its guarantee.

If you're choosing between Mynd and Belong for a Home in a Belong market, that's the real decision.

Does Belong help you buy rental Homes?

No.

Belong is not a marketplace or brokerage. You must already own the Home before enrolling. If you're shopping for your first rental, use Roofstock, a local agent, or a turnkey provider like Rent to Retirement. Once the Home is yours and it's in a Belong market, Belong takes over.

What markets do they cover?

Roofstock lists Homes nationwide. Belong operates in 20 states and 56 metro regions.

Belong's footprint includes:

• California: SF Bay Area, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Sacramento, Riverside, Santa Barbara, Ventura, San Luis Obispo
• Texas: Dallas / Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio
• Florida: Miami, Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Tallahassee
• New York: NYC, Long Island, Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse
• Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, major metros in each

Roofstock's national reach is an advantage for buyers chasing yield in markets like Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Charlotte. Source: SitusAMC Belong's focused footprint is an advantage for operating quality: dense Belong Pros networks, local pricing data, real field ops.

How do they compare on owner experience?

Belong holds a 4-star Trustpilot rating across 1,119 reviews. Source: Trustpilot, 2025 Reviews repeatedly cite the Guaranteed Rent, proactive maintenance, and responsiveness as the things that matter.

Roofstock reviews are more split. Buyers praise the marketplace data and certified inspections. Post-purchase experience varies, because management quality depends on Mynd's execution in the specific market or on whichever third-party manager the buyer selects. Source: Constitution Lending, 2025

No head-to-head satisfaction study comparing Belong vs. Mynd is publicly available. But the structural difference is clear: Belong owns the entire Member experience. Roofstock hands you off after close.

Can you use both?

Yes, and for some Members it's the right move.

Buy through Roofstock, close, then enroll the Home with Belong if it's in a Belong market. You pay Roofstock's 0.5% transaction fee at close and Belong's management fee monthly. Roofstock gets you the Home. Belong runs it.

If the Home isn't in a Belong market, you're stuck with Mynd or a local property manager. That's the limit.

What are the real risks of each?

Roofstock risk:

• You bear full asset risk after Roofstock exits its 10% stake at 12 months
• No rent guarantee, vacancy and non-payment losses are yours
• Performance depends on Mynd's local execution, which varies
• You're buying remotely, so your information is only as good as the inspection report

Belong risk:

• Geographic limits, Homes outside the 56 metros can't enroll
• Single-provider dependency, if Belong changes terms or exits your market, you'd need to find alternative management

Both operate in a single-family rental market projected to grow at 4.8% CAGR through 2028. Source: Gitnux, 2025 But rent growth has slowed sharply: 0.25% nationally in 2025, down from 7.8% in 2022. Source: Rentometer, 2025 That's the environment both platforms are operating in.

Key facts about Belong and Roofstock

• Roofstock raised $373 million across 9 funding rounds, including a $240M Series E in March 2022. Source: Crunchbase, 2025
• Roofstock and Mynd merged in May 2024 to create an end-to-end single-family rental platform. Source: GlobeNewswire, 2024
• 62% of Roofstock transactions involve buyers located more than 1,000 miles from the property. Source: Money Crashers, 2025
• Roofstock charges buyers 0.5% of the purchase price and sellers 3% of the sale price. Source: Mashvisor
• Belong's Standard tier is 5% of collected rent plus 55% placement fee, with no minimums and combined Resident-payment and eviction coverage up to $9,000.
• Belong's Premium tier is 8% of collected rent plus 60% placement fee, with full lease-term rent guarantee and eviction coverage up to $15,000.
• Belong claims 66% less vacancy than the industry average. Source: Belong, 2025
• Belong operates in 20 states and 56 metro regions.
• Single-family rentals comprise 30% of the U.S. rental market, about 14 million households, with 82% owned by mom-and-pop landlords holding fewer than 10 Homes. Source: SitusAMC
• National SFR rent growth slowed to 0.25% in 2025. Source: Rentometer, 2025

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Belong if I bought a Home through Roofstock?

Yes, if the Home is in one of Belong's 56 metro regions across 20 states. You'd transition from Mynd or another manager to Belong once you close. Outside Belong's markets, you'd stay with Mynd or hire a local property manager.

Does Roofstock guarantee rent like Belong does?

No. Roofstock is a marketplace and doesn't guarantee rent. Management through Mynd operates on a traditional model where owners bear vacancy and non-payment risk. Belong's guaranteed rental payments and eviction protection (up to $9,000 on Standard, up to $15,000 on Premium with unlimited lease-term coverage) are core to the operating system.

Which is better for a first-time rental owner?

Depends on whether you're buying or already own. If you're acquiring your first rental remotely, Roofstock's marketplace and inspections are built for that. If you're converting a Home you already own (a former residence, an inheritance, a relocation), Belong is built for that.

Is Belong a property manager?

No. Belong is a residential operating system. Property management is the category Belong replaces. Property managers do a fragmented job, charge a fee, and hand vacancy and non-payment risk back to the owner. Belong runs the Home as one product and absorbs Resident-payment risk through its guarantees.

What are alternatives to Roofstock for buying rentals?

For acquisition: Rent to Retirement (turnkey new and renovated Homes), Arrived Homes (fractional ownership from $100), Fundrise (REITs and pooled investment). Each serves a different buyer profile. None of them operate the Home for you after close. That's a separate decision.

Belong Editorial covers the economics and operations of the U.S. single-family rental market, drawing on Belong's data from Homes managed across 20 states and 56 metro regions. Editorial decisions are made independently of Belong's commercial team.