Are REITs easy to sell?
REITs are easy to buy and sell, as most trade on public exchanges. REITs offer attractive risk-adjusted returns and stable cash flow. Including real estate in a portfolio provides diversification and dividend-based income. REIT companies will frequently use leverage as they buy and sell properties.
Since most non-traded REITs are illiquid, there are often restrictions to redeeming and selling shares. While a REIT is still open to public investors, investors may be able to sell their shares back to the REIT. However, this sale usually comes at a discount; leaving only about 70% to 95% of the original value.
Risks of investing in REITs include higher dividend taxes, sensitivity to interest rates, and exposure to specific property trends.
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.
Because you're smart, you may be asking yourself, What happens if the short-term interest rate goes up? 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.
By law, 75% of a REITs asset must be invested in real estate. The market value of the property owned by the REIT offers a bit of protection, as long as the value of the property doesn't go to zero. That's not to say that REIT values can't go down, though.
| REIT SUBGROUP | AVERAGE ANNUAL TOTAL RETURN (1994-2023) |
|---|---|
| Industrial | 14.4% |
| Residential | 12.7% |
| Health Care | 11.6% |
| Retail | 11.2% |
Summary of Why Investors May Not Want to Invest in REITs
But, REITs are not risk free. They may have highly variable returns, are sensitive to changes in interest rates, have income tax implications, may not be liquid, and fees can impact total returns.
REITs allow investors to pool their money and purchase real estate properties. By law, a REIT must pay at least 90% of its income to its shareholders, providing investors with a passive income option that can be helpful during recessions.
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.
What is the 2 year rule for REITs?
(iii) With respect to property that consists of land or improvements, the REIT has held the property for not less than two years for the production of rental income.
REITs should generally be considered long-term investments
This is especially true if you're planning to invest in non-traded REITs since you won't be able to easily access your money until the REIT lists its shares on a public exchange or liquidates its assets. In many cases, this can take around 10 years to occur.
While they provide a compelling set of benefits, it should be noted that, like any investment, non-traded REITs come with risks, including illiquidity, loss of principal, real estate risks, and more.
A lot of REIT investors focus too way much on the dividend yield. They think that a high dividend yield implies that a REIT is cheap and a good investment opportunity. In reality, it is often the opposite, and the dividend does not say much, if anything, about the valuation of a REIT.
REITs and stocks can both pay dividends, usually on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis. Some investments will also offer special dividends, but they're unpredictable.
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.
With healthy property fundamentals and a favorable interest rate environment, REIT fund managers expect the sector to deliver double digit returns this year.
Debt or Mortgage REITs and how they work
While equity REITs typically generate their potential income from rents, debt REITs generate their revenues from the interest earned on the debt instruments. Like equity REITs, mortgage REITs are required to distribute at least 90% of their annual taxable income to shareholders.
According to expert panelists at the recent Nareit REITworld annual conference, 2024 could be a year of opportunity for Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs). They added a note of caution, however, that there are still headwinds affecting investor perspectives on REITs and capital markets in general.
For investors seeking a steady stream of monthly income, real estate investment trusts (REITs) that pay dividends on a monthly basis emerge as a compelling financial strategy. In this article, we unravel two REITs that pay monthly dividends and have yields up to 8%.
Can I invest $1000 in a REIT?
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.
The Cheapest Option: REITs—$1,000 to $25,000 or more
These are securities and are traded on major exchanges like stocks. They invest in real estate directly, either through property purchases or through mortgage investments.
Direct real estate offers more tax breaks than REIT investments, and gives investors more control over decision making. Many REITs are publicly traded on exchanges, so they're easier to buy and sell than traditional real estate.
With rate cuts on the horizon, dividend yields for REITs may look more favorable than yields on fixed-income securities and money market accounts. However, REIT stocks are only as good as the properties they own — and some real estate sectors may be better positioned than others.
The majority of REIT dividends are taxed as ordinary income up to the maximum rate of 37% (returning to 39.6% in 2026), plus a separate 3.8% surtax on investment income.
