Thursday, February 26, 2009

About REITS: Investing in Real Estate Through the Sale of Liquid Securities

About REITs: Real Estate Investment Trusts

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) were created in the 60s 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 seventy 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.

Watch Your Money Grow With REITs

Real Estate Investment Trust – Building Your Bank Account

Have you ever wished that you could just make the right investments to the point where you could sit back and watch them grow? Perhaps you are not doing the right things with your money.

Many people who are looking for a long-term way to see constant increases on their investments choose to look into the REIT market as a way of seeing their money go further.

REITs are real estate investment trusts. In many cases, investors purchase REITs then sit back and let the monthly dividend check come in. From time to time they are able to purchase more shares and then watch larger divided checks come in.

The reason many people like REITs is that for the most part they are long-term investment options that are strong and stable. Since they are based on real estate holdings, and property always has value, they are a wise investment choice.

In the short term, this is a nice way to see a little money grow in your account from month to month. In the long term, if you play things right, it could end up meaning a lot of money down the road to the point where you have enough to live off of.

Having enough to live off of doesn’t happen over night. So, you need to start investing now to allow that little bundle of money time to grow into a major nest egg.

Begin by getting to know REITs. You should always have a good grounding on any type of investment that you are thinking of putting your money into. After all this is your hard earned cash you are putting into someone else's hands. Make sure you know what they are going to do with it and that you are confident they are going to take good care of it.

While you could search all over for the information you need, it's easier to do one stop shopping at REITBuyer.com. They are an investing real estate broker that also has a website that is meant to be the place to get all the information you need on the REIT market.

If you have never worked with REITs before, you can begin with the basic education on what REITs are and how they work. Then you can progress into the research section that will help you find REITs in your area of interest and find out how they have been doing as well as any analysis of those REITs and what they should be doing for the future.

When you're ready to make a purchase, you can also use the REITBuyer.com website to buy and sell your REITs and keep track of your portfolio.

Many people want financial freedom to happen overnight. It doesn't. It takes time, smart investments and smart decisions throughout the lifetime of those investments. But the important thing is to get started because the sooner you do the sooner those long term investments can get to work for you.