Real estate has long been known for tradition—paper deeds, stacks of closing documents, and a county recording system that changes at a glacial pace. Yet if there’s one thing history shows us, it’s that innovation can hit even the most conventional industries. Taxis gave way to rideshares like Uber, and mail-order videos lost out to Netflix and streaming. Now it’s real estate’s turn to evolve.
In this blog post, we spotlight a conversation on the Technically Legal podcast between host Chad Main and Daniel Rollingher, General Counsel at Fabrica. They discuss Fabrica’s mission to move property onto the blockchain, how that shift changes ownership and lending, and why real estate is primed for an upgrade.
From Family Business to Onchain Real Estate
Daniel’s background in real estate runs deep—his grandfather was a developer across the Southwest U.S. and parts of Canada. Growing up, Daniel felt a sense of pride knowing his family was involved in creating commercial projects he could see in person. But as he pursued law school, he became more interested in real estate’s intersection with technology:
“I actually went to law school as a business-minded person and wound up diving into real estate tech. It was clear there were so many areas where technology could solve real pain points—especially around how we buy, manage, and sell property.”
A key moment came when he worked for a startup called RealtyShares, which used crowdfunding to finance development deals. That experience introduced Daniel to the complexities of bridging real estate with modern tools—and planted a seed for what would become Fabrica.
The Kernel of an Idea: Putting Real Estate on the Blockchain
Fabrica’s core mission is deceptively simple: allow people to buy, sell, and borrow against land without the messy overhead of traditional systems. At its heart sits the concept of tokenized property:
Create a “container” for each property.
This container is typically a trust. The property deed is transferred to the trust, so at the county records office, you’ll see the trust’s name as the titleholder—not an individual.Tie ownership to a blockchain token.
Whoever holds the token controls the trust—and thus, the land. As Daniel puts it:“Owning the token means you own the property. It’s that simple.”
Automate legal obligations.
For external obligations like property taxes or county notifications, Fabrica ensures the trust stays compliant. Internally, if you transfer the token onchain, you transfer ownership—no new deed, no notary, no repeated paperwork.
Why Use a Trust?
At first glance, it might sound complicated to set up a trust for each property. But as Daniel explains, the trust is a flexible legal tool:
“The trust is basically a signpost. It handles anything that needs a county’s stamp of approval. Everything else—the day-to-day power and control—flows straight to whoever holds the token.”
Crucially, these trusts can be self-run: you can be both trustee and beneficiary, maintaining complete control with fewer headaches.
Ensuring Security Without Traditional Title Insurance
Title insurance in real estate is old-school for a reason—it’s meant to protect owners from hidden claims or recording errors. But it’s also expensive, time-consuming, and often pays out very little in claims relative to fees. At Fabrica, the focus is on accuracy at the start:
Rigorous Data Checks:
Fabrica runs a “token score,” an internal system that checks title history, property details, and the onchain record. A low score means the property might have issues—like liens or incomplete filings—giving potential buyers or lenders a heads-up.Future “Warranty” on Data:
While Fabrica doesn’t replicate old-school title insurance, Daniel hints at offering a guarantee if there’s a mistake in Fabrica’s data. That’s something he believes can be done more transparently and more affordably than traditional title coverage.
Borrowing Against Tokenized Land
A property on Fabrica isn’t just for purchase or sale—it can be used as collateral in decentralized finance (DeFi). Rather than dealing with the complexities of a traditional mortgage, you lock your land token in a smart contract and borrow stablecoins or other crypto in seconds. This appeals especially to owners of unimproved land—an asset category banks typically overlook:
“In the U.S., unimproved land is a five trillion-dollar market. Yet it’s extremely underserved by traditional banks. Owners often can’t get a simple loan to pull out liquidity. We’re fixing that.”
How It Works
Instant Loan Offer:
Using partner lending protocols (like NFTfi or MetaStreet), a borrower lists their land token as collateral.Smart Contract Security:
The token is held in a smart contract until the loan is repaid. If there’s a default, the lender can claim the token.No Paper Chase:
Everything from credit checks to collateral appraisals is done through these onchain platforms, drastically cutting down time and cost.
The big innovation is that tokens can be lent against in a global marketplace. In other words, you don’t need a local bank to see your property’s potential; you can find a lender halfway around the world.
Adapting to Different States (and Eventually, the World)
One recurring question: “What about the county recorder’s office?” Each state in the U.S. has distinct rules for how property changes hands. Colorado might not require you to file new paperwork, while California does. Fabrica’s solution is to do the heavy lifting:
“Whenever there’s an NFT transfer, we handle the relevant filings so the county sees the record updated. States differ, but from the token holder’s perspective, it’s still the same process: you transfer the NFT onchain, and you own the property.”
Looking ahead, Daniel sees an even bigger shift internationally:
“Once we prove the model in enough states, there’s no reason it can’t expand to other countries. For many jurisdictions, a blockchain-based system offers more security than existing land registries.”
A Real Estate Industry Primed for Change
The real estate sector can be stubbornly resistant to innovation—but it’s also enormous. Daniel and Chad note how technology typically disrupts industries that rely on archaic processes. Daniel suggests that by giving landowners an easier route to liquidity and by lowering overhead for buyers, Fabrica could open the door to:
Faster transactions: Closing times measured in minutes, not weeks.
Deeper liquidity: More potential buyers and lenders, worldwide.
Streamlined property management: Automated property taxes, simplified lien tracking, and easy access to capital on DeFi platforms.
AI is also on Daniel’s radar:
“The heart of title insurance is checking records and cleaning them up. That’s exactly what large language models are great at. We’ve already found AI can dramatically improve how quickly we verify a property’s history.”
Looking Ahead
So where does Fabrica go from here? Daniel highlights a few next steps:
Expanding Lending Products
Instant, global access to capital can make land more dynamic. If someone needs quick liquidity, they can borrow against their property. If they want to store wealth, they can hold it—knowing that selling or refinancing is a few clicks away.Going Global
The same trust framework can be adapted in other countries. The key is bridging local rules with a unified onchain experience.Tokenization at Scale
Imagine entire real estate portfolios onchain, where each property token is easily traded, bundled, or used in financial products—like an index of raw land across the southwestern U.S., or farmland in the Midwest.AI for Title Cleanup
Speeding up the behind-the-scenes checks with AI can drastically reduce the friction of transferring properties and verifying who really owns them.
Final Thoughts
Fabrica’s approach to real estate merges the old and new—respecting the legal frameworks that keep property ownership stable, while harnessing blockchain and smart contracts to replace slow, error-prone steps with instant, verified transfers. If this seems like a radical shift, it’s useful to remember how quickly the internet changed taxi rides and film rentals. Real estate might be next in line.
Interested in learning more about Fabrica or exploring how to tokenize your property?
Check out Fabrica.land for our latest tools and property listings.
Browse some of our blog posts for more on the Fabrica Trust Agreement, our lending integrations, and the broader vision of onchain land.
Follow us on X and join our Discord community for updates, or reach out to our support team if you have questions about listing your own property.
A revolution in real estate ownership is underway—turning a system of deeds and stamps into a fluid, onchain process. As Daniel notes, “Anytime there’s friction, you can expect technology to step in.”
If frictionless land ownership sounds compelling, Fabrica is here to help pave the way.
Disclaimer: This blog post is provided for informational purposes only, reflecting the discussion between Chad Main and Fabrica’s General Counsel, and is not intended as legal advice. Real estate transactions can be highly regulated; always consult your own counsel or tax professional when making decisions.
