Billionaire Ditches Skyscrapers for Satoshis—Calls Real Estate ‘Broken’ in Digital Age

High-profile investor dumps commercial properties, doubling down on Bitcoin instead. ‘Why own a building when you can own the blockchain?’ he shrugs—while Wall Street brokers choke on their artisanal lattes.

Real estate’s 3% annual returns? ‘Pathetic’ next to crypto’s volatility, argues the tycoon. Meanwhile, traditionalists cling to their spreadsheets—and their 20th-century asset allocations.

One hedge fund manager mutters: ‘At least my REITs won’t crash 30% before lunch.’ Spoiler: They just did.

Real Estate Viewed As An Expense, Not A Profit

Salinas didn’t hold back when talking about real estate. He said owning a house isn’t really an investment like many people think. Instead, he views it as something that drains money. Property comes with taxes, maintenance, and paperwork. It stays in one place and can’t be moved or changed easily.

Invertir en BIENES RAÍCES es una PÉSIMA INVERSION!!!

NO se dejen convencer, los bienes raíces NO son una buena inversión.

Comprar una casa para vivir es un gasto y comprar una casa o un departamento para rentar, es una pendejada, mejor inviertan en #Bitcoin.

Síganme para más… pic.twitter.com/2YYYrZOEOq

— Don Ricardo Salinas Pliego (@RicardoBSalinas) May 5, 2025

While most continue to view real estate as the conservative and default option, Salinas explicitly expressed his belief that perception is archaic. In a nutshell: individuals purchasing real estate as a speculative investment could be mistaken.

Bitcoin Offers Larger Gains

Numbers back what Salinas is claiming — at least in recent times. Between 2017 and 2024, property overall provided a return of 36%. During the same time frame, Bitcoin exploded by virtually 2,000%.

That type of spike is not typical, and some investors caution that Bitcoin is volatile and uncertain. However, it’s difficult to deny the figures. More people are taking notice, particularly after institutions started purchasing in.

Bitcoin requires no fixes. It requires no roof. There’s no water fee or renter to bother you. And to real estate, it’s considerably less difficult to purchase or sell rapidly.

According to a recent JPMorgan report, US home prices will only increase 3% in 2025. That’s a modest rise, considering inflation and other expenses are on the rise. Demand is also declining. Higher interest rates and economic uncertainty are driving many buyers out of the market.

Investors who previously specialized in houses are now turning elsewhere. Bitcoin, with increasing use and reduced maintenance costs, is becoming increasingly appealing to retail as well as big-money investors.

Salinas isn’t unfamiliar with Bitcoin. He’s spoken of it for years. But to keep 70% of his wealth in it? That’s a powerful indication that he thinks the future of it. For someone who heads a giant business empire such as Grupo Salinas and Grupo Elektra, the move speaks volumes.

Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView