About REITs: Real Estate Investment Trusts
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) were created in the 60's so that all investors would have access to income-producing real estate through the purchase and sale of liquid securities. Before REITs were created access to investment returns of commercial real estate equity was only available to institutions and wealthy individuals.
For over half a century, REITs have become an important part of the United States economy and investment markets. United States REITs have grown from ninety billion dollars to over three hundred billion dollars in the past decade and they have gained popularity all over the world.
During their early years, mortgage Real Estate Investment Trust dominated the industry, providing debt financing for commercial or residential properties through investments in mortgages and mortgage-backed securities. Interest in equity REITs which own and manage commercial properties was limited because of the requirements that ownership and management of assets remain separate. This restriction was lifted with the passage of the Tax Reform Act of 1986 which allowed REITs to both own and manage properties. Now, more than 90% of publicly traded United States REITs are equity REITs that own and manage commercial real estate. Most of their income is derived from rents owned by companies across the nation.
There are certain guidelines and standards in place that must be followed in order for a company to qualify as a REIT in the US. The Internal Revenue Code requires at least seventy five percent of total assets be invested in real estate which realize at least sevent five percent of its gross income from rents from real property or interest from mortgages. They must also distribute at least ninety percent of taxable income to shareholders annually in the form of dividends.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Looking for A Good Place to Put Your Money, Try REITs
Real Estate Apartment Investments – The Next Boom?
If you are looking for the right place to put your money, you may want to start looking into the real estate market.
If you have been following the media reports, there have been a lot of drops in real estate investments in the past year. Real estate has been a painful road to travel for many people and unfortunately many who had bought homes are struggling, losing those homes and having to give up on them.
While this may all sound like bad news for the real estate market, there is also a good side to all of this if you are investing. All of these people who have to leave their homes also have to go somewhere. For many this means they are moving into apartments as they try to regroup and start over.
This can be a boon for those who have investments in the apartment industry. While this is not recommending that you go out and purchase an apartment complex, you may want to look at some interests in the apartment sector. One way to do this is through real estate investment trusts or REITs.
A REIT is a fund that shareholders purchase a portion of in order to become part of a real estate investment group. It could be that it is a real estate construction group that is going to build a new apartment complex or perhaps you would prefer to get in with a real estate management group that is already running a complex.
The way you make money from REITs is through the money they make from their customers. The more people are renting those units, the more money the REIT makes. In the United States, REITs must give at least 90% of the profits they make in a year back to their investors.
With the numbers of people losing homes and moving into apartments that means there well could be a number of new leases being started up. That translates into more profit for you in those dividends from the funds.
Before you jump into anything, it's wise to do your research and know what you are getting into. In this case that means getting to better know the world of REITs and finding out what is out there and how they have been performing.
Begin this research by going to REITBuyer.com. This is a website that will have all the ins and outs of REIT buying as well as a lot of great tips and tools to help you in your investment purchases.
As you look through past performances, make sure you also look at overall market movements in that time period. Remember, we are coming out of an economic tough time and that means things will still look a bit rocky. But you are also looking at a market that may start to get better because of this situation.
Next, you will have to choose which REITs to purchase and make the buy. With REITBuyer.com you can do that all in one place as in addition to being an information source they are also a complete investment real estate broker.
If you are looking for the right place to put your money, you may want to start looking into the real estate market.
If you have been following the media reports, there have been a lot of drops in real estate investments in the past year. Real estate has been a painful road to travel for many people and unfortunately many who had bought homes are struggling, losing those homes and having to give up on them.
While this may all sound like bad news for the real estate market, there is also a good side to all of this if you are investing. All of these people who have to leave their homes also have to go somewhere. For many this means they are moving into apartments as they try to regroup and start over.
This can be a boon for those who have investments in the apartment industry. While this is not recommending that you go out and purchase an apartment complex, you may want to look at some interests in the apartment sector. One way to do this is through real estate investment trusts or REITs.
A REIT is a fund that shareholders purchase a portion of in order to become part of a real estate investment group. It could be that it is a real estate construction group that is going to build a new apartment complex or perhaps you would prefer to get in with a real estate management group that is already running a complex.
The way you make money from REITs is through the money they make from their customers. The more people are renting those units, the more money the REIT makes. In the United States, REITs must give at least 90% of the profits they make in a year back to their investors.
With the numbers of people losing homes and moving into apartments that means there well could be a number of new leases being started up. That translates into more profit for you in those dividends from the funds.
Before you jump into anything, it's wise to do your research and know what you are getting into. In this case that means getting to better know the world of REITs and finding out what is out there and how they have been performing.
Begin this research by going to REITBuyer.com. This is a website that will have all the ins and outs of REIT buying as well as a lot of great tips and tools to help you in your investment purchases.
As you look through past performances, make sure you also look at overall market movements in that time period. Remember, we are coming out of an economic tough time and that means things will still look a bit rocky. But you are also looking at a market that may start to get better because of this situation.
Next, you will have to choose which REITs to purchase and make the buy. With REITBuyer.com you can do that all in one place as in addition to being an information source they are also a complete investment real estate broker.
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