Real estate investment trusts? (2024)

Real estate investment trusts?

A REIT is a company that owns and typically operates income-producing real estate or related assets. These may include office buildings, shopping malls, apartments, hotels, resorts, self-storage facilities, warehouses, and mortgages or loans.

Because of the strong dividend income REITs provide, they are an important investment both for retirement savers and for retirees who require a continuing income stream to meet their living expenses.

REITs closely follow the overall real estate market and are subject to much of the same risks, including fluctuations in property value, leasing occupancy, and geographic demand. Real estate is typically very sensitive to changes in interest rates, which can affect property values and occupancy demand.

Since they aren't publicly available and don't register with the SEC, it's difficult to pinpoint specific investment minimums. However, investment firm Edward Jones says minimum investments for private REITs can range from $1,000 to $50,000.

Revenues are generated primarily through rents (not by reselling properties). Mortgage REITs. Mortgage REITs lend money to real estate owners and operators either directly through mortgages and loans, or indirectly through the acquisition of mortgage-backed securities.

Here are some of the main disadvantages of investing in a REIT. Market volatility: Value can fluctuate based on economic and market conditions. Interest rate risk: Changes in interest rates can affect the value of a REIT.

Any increase in the short-term interest rate eats into the profit—so if it doubled in our example above, there'd be no profit left. And if it goes up even higher, the REIT loses money. All of that makes mortgage REITs extremely volatile, and their dividends are also extremely unpredictable.

REITs are real estate investments so you need to have a long-term horizon and realize that quarterly results really aren't that important. Yet, most investors will trade in and out of REITs based on short-term results/news and are very quick to lose patience if their thesis isn't playing out within a few quarters.

Sensitive to interest rates.

Investments are influenced by a variety of factors, but REITs can be hypersensitive to changes in interest rates. Rising interest rates can spell trouble for the price of REIT stocks (also known as interest rate risk).

The value of a REIT is based on the real estate market, so if interest rates increase and the demand for properties goes down as a result, it could lead to lower property values, negatively impacting the value of your investment.

How do beginners invest in REITs?

As referenced earlier, you can purchase shares in a REIT that's listed on major stock exchanges. You can also buy shares in a REIT mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF). To do so, you must open a brokerage account. Or, if your workplace retirement plan offers REIT investments, you might invest with that option.

Investors can buy and sell shares of public REITs at any time during trading hours. With private REITs, on the other hand, investors may have to wait for a redemption event, which can occur quarterly or annually, before they can cash out their investment. Additionally, private REITs may charge redemption fees.

According to the data, REITs have outperformed stocks over the long term, delivering an 11.9% average annual return from 1972 to 2021 (compared to 10.7% for the S&P 500). At that rate of return, a monthly investment of $300 in REITs would grow into $1 million in about 30 years.

Most dividend-paying stocks (SCHD) make quarterly dividend payments. But real estate investment trusts, or REITs (VNQ), are a bit different. Quite a few of them pay on a monthly basis just as if you were a landlord collecting rent checks, month after month.

The strong fourth quarter carried over to an 11.3% return for 2023 as a whole for the REIT-focused index, underperforming the S&P 500's 26.3% return for the year.

While there are many benefits of REITs, it is important to know that there can be potential risk involved if not done with a proper strategy. Market fluctuations, interest rate change, and the potential for declines in property values can impact the performance of REITs.

REITs historically perform well during and after recessions | Pensions & Investments.

REITs have many built-in tax efficiencies for investors. For example, they do not pay corporate income taxes, return of capital distributions are tax-deferred and REIT investors can deduct 20% of their dividends earned for the qualified business income deduction.

If you are interested in a real estate investment that is reliable, hands-off and offers dividends, REITs could be the answer. If you're looking for a higher-risk – but high-potential – investment or want to be able to invest in specific companies you admire, buying individual stocks could be the answer.

While it is true that the underlying assets of a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) typically cannot go to zero, it is still possible for a REIT to go bankrupt. This can occur if the REIT takes on too much debt, mismanages its properties, or faces significant legal or regulatory issues.

How much money do I need to invest in a REIT?

While they aren't listed on stock exchanges, non-traded REITs are required to register with the SEC and are subject to more oversight than private REITs. According to the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts (Nareit), non-traded REITs typically require a minimum investment of $1,000 to $2,500.

REITs. When interest rates are falling, dependable, regular income investments become harder to find. This benefits high-quality real estate investment trusts, or REITs. Strictly speaking, REITs are not fixed-income securities; their dividends are not predetermined but are based on income generated from real estate.

Direct real estate investments may be more expensive upfront but give investors increased control and flexibility. Both real estate and REITs can help investors hedge inflation and market downturn risks. Both can also be a source of regular cash flow, though REITs are a much more passive investment than real estate.

To qualify as a REIT, a company must have the bulk of its assets and income connected to real estate investment and must distribute at least 90 percent of its taxable income to shareholders annually in the form of dividends.