In 1970 there was a number one hit song from the one-hit-wonder band, The Ides of March. The song was “Vehicle,” and it led with the words, “I’m the friendly stranger in the black sedan / Won’t you hop inside my car / I’ve got pictures, got candy, I’m a lovable man / And I’ll take you to the nearest star.”

Who among us would advise our kids to listen to the friendly stranger? Not many, I hope.

A sign that the commercial real estate recovery is now widely perceived can be found in the entry of retail-level vehicles into the marketplace. Without a doubt, individual real asset investors will be hearing from crowdfunding promoters in 2015, if they have not already. As someone who is an optimist by temperament, but who has acquired some skepticism by analytical training and as a witness to history, I believe that there are a number of economic questions that should be asked in examining crowdfunding “opportunities.”

Like any new product, crowdfu