REITs: Take the Hassle Out of Real Estate Investing

Ever thought to yourself, I’d love to invest in real estate, but I don’t want the headaches that come with slow-paying tenants and busted pipes? Well, thanks to Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs, you can capitalize on real estate without ever having to chase down a late payment or fix a leaky faucet. In this post, I’ll discuss the reasons you might consider investing in REITs and talk about the types of REITs you can invest in.

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Podcast Time Index For “How to Purchase Real Estate Without Real Property Headaches”

• 01:50 – How to Purchase Real Estate Without Real Property Headaches
• 03:56 – Real Estate Investment Trusts
• 10:49 – REIT: Non-traded
• 14:35 – REIT: Publicly Traded
• 16:07 – Which is Better
• 17:51 – Crowd Funding Options
• 23:43 – The Bottom Line

Investing in Real Estate: Dream vs. Reality

Hollywood paints a glamorous picture of what it’s like to be a real estate investor. But here’s the reality: buying and managing real estate assets can be a pain. For example, I know over 100 real estate investors. Some have dozens of properties, and some have hundreds. And nearly all of them say it’s a headache.

Why?

Because they have to track down tenants, they have to collect payments, and they have to fix any problems that arise on the properties.

And those are just the headaches that come once they own the real estate. The difficulties start much earlier. Because before you can buy a rental property, you have to research the properties on the market, find one you like, and go through the pains of negotiating a purchase deal. And after that, you have to jump through the bank’s hoops to ensure you qualify for financing.

Then, if you decide to sell the property later, you’ll have to figure out the best way to structure the taxes, which opens up a whole other set of complications.

So you can see how investing in real property requires you to have a high threshold for pain—from start to finish.

But here’s the good news: there are ways to invest in real estate without purchasing physical assets. So you can reap benefits from investing in real estate without the hassle of managing a rental property.

One of the most common ways to do this is to invest in a Real Estate Investment Trust, or REIT.

What Is a REIT, and How Does It Work?

A real estate investment trust, or REIT, is defined by the US Securities Commission as a group or corporation that pools money from investors to buy and manage income-producing real estate. For example, a REIT could buy and rent out office buildings, shopping malls, apartments, hotels, resorts, single-family residences, storage warehouses—any type of property that will produce recurring rental revenue.

In fact, REITs are often categorized by the types of real estate they invest in.

Top 9 REIT Categories:

1. Lodging REITs – specialize in hotels and resorts
2. Storage REITs – specialize in storage units and warehouses
3. Infrastructure REITs – specialize in pipelines and cell towers
4. Industrial REITs – specialize in distribution centers and warehouses
5. Timber REITs – specialize in properties that grow, harvest and sell timber
6. Healthcare REITs -specialize in healthcare facilities
7. Residential REITs – specialize in residential properties
8. Office REITs – specialize in office buildings
9. Specialty REITs – invest in uncategorized properties like movie theaters and outdoor advertising spaces

Each of these REITs purchases and manages properties as part of a long term investment portfolio.

RELATED READING: Real Estate Investing – An In-depth Guide

In other words, REITs don’t buy properties with the intent to resell, or flip properties for a profit. Instead, they buy properties with the intention to rent them out for as long as possible. And that means investors get a steady dividend income along with some nice capital gains.

And since REITs are required by law to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income to shareholders, the dividends can be quite sizable. In fact, REIT dividends can be just as substantial as purchasing a physical real estate asset.

How Do REIT Dividends Stack Up Against Real Property and Other Portfolio Investments?

Imagine you bought a residential property for $100,000 and rented it out for $1,000 a month. You’d have a 12% yield, or dividend, on that rental property. (Here’s how the math breaks down: $1000 x 12 months = $12,000 per year, which is 12% of the $100,000 purchase price.)

But that 12% yield is the gross dividend—before taxes, insurance, repairs, maintenance, and depreciation are subtracted out. After take-outs, the actual profit could be anywhere from 4 to 9%.

On the other hand, the average return for REITs is 11.8%. That beats the 9.5% average for the S&P 500, the 9.6% average for international stocks, and the 8.1% average for government bonds.

So adding a REIT to your portfolio is worth considering for the high dividends alone.

Two REIT Investment Options

Before you invest in a REIT, you’ll need to consider whether to buy a non-traded REIT or a publicly-traded REIT. Both require 90% of their taxable income to go to stakeholders, and both are total return investments with the potential for high dividends. But each is designed for different purposes and has its advantages and disadvantages.

1. Non-Traded REITs:

Non-traded REITs, as their name implies, are sold by brokers instead of being listed on a public stock exchange. They’re designed to reduce or eliminate taxation returns, and they have strict holding requirements, sometimes up to 10 years. So they’re considered an illiquid investment.

Here are the two kinds of non-traded REITs you can choose from:

• Private REITs are not registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). So you must meet strict accreditation requirements, like having a minimum net worth of $1 million, before you can purchase a private REIT. The minimum investment for these REITs is usually not less than $10,000.
• Public Non-Listed REITs (PNLRs) are registered with the SEC. And since they’re federally regulated, there is no strict accreditation required to invest. The minimum investment for a public non-traded REIT can start as low as $1000.

Pros and Cons of Non-traded REITs

What are the upsides to investing in non-traded REITs?

Thanks to the fact that people aren’t trading them emotionally on the marketplace, you could have a potentially higher return than if you bought a publicly-traded REIT.

And, because they’re an illiquid investment, they have a relatively low correlation to equities and bonds. That means that if the market goes down, non-traded REITs typically go up and vice versa. Basically, non-traded REITs tend to zig and zag differently than other investments. And that makes them a great way to diversify your portfolio.

What are the downsides to investing in non-traded REITs?

Non-traded REITs can have upfront broker commissions as high as 16%.

Plus, you can’t quickly cash out of a non-traded REIT. If you need to exit your investment before a scheduled liquidation event, you’ll have to accept a loss—usually a big one.

2. Publicly Traded REITs

Publicly Traded REITs are listed on an exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ. And, as with any stock, you can buy and sell a publicly-traded REIT with relative ease. So these are highly liquid investments.

Pros and Cons of Publicly Traded REITs

What are the advantages of investing in publicly-traded REITs?

As I just mentioned, publicly-traded REITs are a liquid investment. In other words, there’s no requirement to hold onto a publicly-traded REIT for a long time. So if you put 10 grand into a traded REIT, then suddenly need to get your money back, you can turn around and resell it at market value.

Another advantage to traded REITs is that, like PNLRs, they have their securities registered with the SEC. So they have to submit to regulations and file regular financial reports. This can potentially make them a ‘safer’ (we know all investments have risk) investment for beginner real estate investors.

And unlike non-traded REITs, they have a low barrier to entry. You don’t have to be accredited to invest in them, and shares can start at less than $100.

What are the disadvantages of investing in publicly-traded REITs?

The most significant disadvantage is that traded REITs are subject to the unpredictable nature of the stock market. And even though the lower correlation to other stocks still makes these REITs a viable way to diversify, you also have to deal with daily market fluctuations.

So out of all the REITs we’ve discussed, which is best?

That depends on your investment goals, your personality, and your finances. I think there’s a place for all of them, depending on what you’d like to achieve.

Hopefully, this article has given you a good head start!

To get even more helpful investment articles, follow along with our Investing Series for Business Owners.

Also, remember, this article is not a solicitation for a securities product. Please conduct your own due diligence or speak with your advisor to determine if you should consider REITs as part of your investment portfolio. This blog post is for educational and informational purposes only.