Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) (2024)

FAQs

Is the minimum number of investors that a real estate investment trust REIT must have? ›

To ensure compliance with these tests, most REITs include percentage ownership limitations in their organizational documents. Due to the need to have 100 shareholders and the complexity of both of these tests, it is strongly recommended that tax and securities law counsel are consulted before forming a REIT.

How to Qualify as a REIT? 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.

The 75 percent test is comprised solely of real estate income. At least 75 percent of a REIT's gross income must be derived from rents from real property, interest on obligations secured by mortgages on real property, dividends from other REITs, and gain from the sale or other disposition of real property.

In order to meet the 95% test, at least 95% of a REIT's gross income must be derived from sources described in the 75% test as well as from earnings from certain types of portfolio income such as interest, dividends and gains from sales of securities.

A REIT must have at least 100 shareholders (the “100 shareholder test”) for at least 335 days of a 12-month taxable year or during a proportionate part of a taxable year that is less than 12 months. The days need not be consecutive. This requirement does not apply until the REIT's second taxable year.

These requirements include to primarily own income-generating real estate for the long term and distribute income to shareholders.3 Specifically, a company must meet the following requirements to qualify as a REIT: Invest at least 75% of total assets in real estate, cash, or U.S. Treasuries.

Invest at least 75% of its total assets in real estate. Derive at least 75% of its gross income from rents from real property, interest on mortgages financing real property or from sales of real estate. Pay at least 90% of its taxable income in the form of shareholder dividends each year.

The 80 percent limitation is calculated by multiplying current-year REIT taxable income before the dividends paid deduction by 80 percent.

There is a prohibited transaction safe harbor if a REIT sells fewer than 7 properties in a year and holds each property for more than 2 years. All potential sales transactions should be reviewed in order to consider potential issues. If a transaction is determined to be prohibited, then there is a 100% tax on the gain.

The lockout rule provides that subject to some exceptions, if the REIT election of a corporation (the former REIT) has been terminated or revoked for any tax year (the termination year),27 the former REIT will be ineligible to reelect REIT status for the four tax years following the termination year (the lockout period ...

Can you lose principal in a REIT? ›

Can you lose money in a REIT? As with other investments, you could lose money investing in a REIT. The value of REITs tends to follow the relevant market movements, the future cash flows of the REIT, dividend payments of REITs, and the value of the properties the REIT owns.

REITs should generally be considered long-term investments

In many cases, this can take around 10 years to occur. And with publicly traded REITs that fluctuate with the stock market, Jhangiani recommends holding onto them for at least three years.

4-3-2-1 rule

The front quarter of the standard site receives 40% of the total value. The second quarter receives 30% of the total value. The third quarter receives 20% of the total value; and the rear quarter receives just 10% of the total value.

2% Rule. The 2% rule is the same as the 1% rule – it just uses a different number. The 2% rule states that the monthly rent for an investment property should be equal to or no less than 2% of the purchase price. Here's an example of the 2% rule for a home with the purchase price of $150,000: $150,000 x 0.02 = $3,000.

200% Rule.

This rule says that the taxpayer can identify any number of replacement properties, as long as the total fair market value of what he identifies is not greater than 200% of the fair market value of what was sold as relinquished property.

A REIT will be closely held if more than 50 percent of the value of its outstanding stock is owned directly or indirectly by or for five or fewer individuals at any point during the last half of the taxable year. This is commonly referred to as the 5/50 Test.

The property held to produce rental income must remain in the REIT for at least two years. Any accumulated expenditures made through the REIT, during the two-year duration, may not exceed 30% percent of the property's net sale price.

“I recommend REITs within a managed portfolio,” Devine said, noting that most investors should limit their REIT exposure to between 2 percent and 5 percent of their overall portfolio. Here again, a financial professional can help you determine what percentage of your portfolio you should allocate toward REITs, if any.

By law and IRS regulation, REITs must pay out 90% or more of their taxable profits to shareholders in the form of dividends. REIT investors who receive these dividends are taxed as if they are ordinary income. Plus, whether REITs are public or private, they must pay out the standard 90% of their income.

Bad REIT Income means (i) the amount of gross income received by the Borrower (directly or indirectly) that would not constitute (A) “rents from real property” as defined in Section 856 of the Internal Revenue Code or (B) interest, dividends, gain from sales or other types of income, in each case, described in Section ...

Can I invest $1,000 in a REIT? ›

Congress created these entities in 1960 to enable anyone to invest in income-producing real estate. You can invest in most REITs for less than $1,000.

D/E ratios for companies in the real estate sector, including REITs, tend to be around 3.5:1.

To qualify as securities, REITs must payout at least 90% of their net earnings to shareholders as dividends. For that, REITs receive special tax treatment; unlike a typical corporation, they pay no corporate taxes on the earnings they payout.

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) both offer the potential to earn passive income during retirement. There are even REIT ETFs for investors who want the best of both worlds. Let's consider why you might want to choose or avoid each of these types of investments if you're retired.

The rule, applicable in many financial, commercial, and social contexts, states that 80% of consequences come from 20% of causes. For example, many researchers have found that: 80% of real estate deals are closed by 20% of the real estate teams.

Return a minimum of 90% of taxable income in the form of shareholder dividends each year. This is a big draw for investor interest in REITs. Invest at least 75% of total assets in real estate or cash.

The Rule of 72 is a simple way to determine how long an investment will take to double given a fixed annual rate of interest. By dividing 72 by the annual rate of return, investors obtain a rough estimate of how many years it will take for the initial investment to duplicate itself.

The credit ratings agency predicts that recessionary conditions, higher capital costs, and waning demand in some sectors will keep REITs from outperforming in 2023.

1. Federal Realty: The king. Federal Realty has increased its dividend annually for 54 consecutive years, which it claims (and there's no reason to doubt it) is the longest streak of any publicly traded real estate investment trust (REIT).

These REITs trade on a stock exchange, such as the Nasdaq or the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). They're highly liquid – meaning they can be bought or sold at any time so your money isn't tied up – and are open to all types of investors.

What happens to REIT in a recession? ›

When rates rise, REITs fall. At least that's the conventional wisdom. In recessions, interest rates fall. Normally bullish for REITs—consider them a “second-level” bet on a bond bounce.

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. Once a REIT is closed to the public, REIT companies may not offer early redemptions.

There are three provisions that will remedy the situation when a REIT fails to meet its distribution test: Declare the dividend in the current tax year and pay in January of the subsequent year. Declare and pay the dividend in the subsequent year. Declare a consent dividend.

Disadvantages of REIT Investment

REITs are subject to interest rate risk, which is the risk associated with changes in interest rates. REITs may be subject to liquidity risk, making it difficult for investors to sell their REIT investments quickly.

Compared to other investments such as stocks and bonds, REITs are subject to various risk factors that affect the investor's returns. Some of the main risk factors associated with REITs include leverage risk, liquidity risk, and market risk.

Most REITs are less volatile than the S&P 500, with some only half as volatile as the market at large. The self-storage REIT subgroup shows the highest returns, with annualized returns of 18.8% from 1994 to 2021.

While the macroeconomic outlook for the real estate sector will remain uncertain in 2023, especially in the first half, REIT returns could start to see a rebound during the year, particularly if the economy manages a soft landing instead of a recession, investment bankers say.

Lack of liquidity.

Non-traded REITs are illiquid investments, which mean that they cannot be sold readily in the market. Instead, investors generally must wait until the non-traded REIT lists its shares on an exchange or liquidates its assets to achieve liquidity.

REITs primarily pay through dividends and generally don't appreciate in value significantly. Because of their high dividend yield, holding a REIT in your Roth IRA or health savings account is generally the most tax-efficient strategy.

Rule No. 3: The price of your home should be no more than 3x your annual gross income. This is a quick way to screen for homes in an affordable price range. It also takes into consideration down payment percentages and prevents you from stretching too much, even with a high down payment.

How do you use the 70% rule in real estate? ›

When buying a home to flip, investors need to estimate how much they believe the property could sell for after it's been renovated. They can then multiply that amount by 70% and subtract it from the estimated cost of renovating the property.

This general guideline suggests that you charge around 1% (or within 0.8-1.1%) of your property's total market value as monthly rent payments. A property valued at $200,000, for instance, would rent for $2,000 a month, or within a range of $1,600-$2,200.

The 25% post-tax model

This model states your total monthly debt should be 25% or less of your post-tax income. Let's say you earn $5,000 after taxes. To calculate how much you can afford with the 25% post-tax model, multiply $5,000 by 0.25. Using this model, you can spend up to $1,250 on your monthly mortgage payment.

No More Than 10 Percent Down Payment

Say, for example, that you purchased a property for $150,000. Following the rule, you put $15,000 (10 percent) forward as a down payment. Think of that 10 percent as all the skin you have in the game. The bank took care of the rest, and you'll cover that debt when you sell the home.

If you know the rental income amount and the purchase price, you can see how close an investment property comes to meeting the one percent rule by using this formula: (Monthly rent / purchase price) x 100 = the percentage you can compare to one percent.

A good rule is that a 1% increase in interest rates will equal 10% less you are able to borrow but still keep your same monthly payment. It's said that when interest rates climb, every 1% increase in rate will decrease your buying power by 10%. The higher the interest rate, the higher your monthly payment.

A 1031 exchange is a real estate investing tool that allows investors to swap out an investment property for another and defer capital gains or losses or capital gains tax that you otherwise would have to pay at the time of sale.

If a property has been acquired through a 1031 Exchange and is later converted into a primary residence, it is necessary to hold the property for no less than five years or the sale will be fully taxable.

A REIT must be listed with an Exchange and, upon listing, have at least 1,000 Public shareholders each owning at the minimum 50 shares and which, in the aggregate, own at least 1/3 of the outstanding capital stock of the REIT.

We estimate that approximately 150 million Americans, or roughly 45% of American house- holds, are invested in REIT stocks.

What is the minimum investment in a private REIT? ›

U.S. listed REITs have an equity market capitalization of more than $1.3 trillion. In 2021, REITs paid an estimated $92.3 billion in dividends to shareholders.

Beneficial ownership in the organization must be held by at least 100 persons (including tax-exempt pension and profit-sharing trusts) for at least 335 days during the 12-month tax year or a proportionate part of the tax year; the days need not be consecutive, nor does the requirement need to be met in the first year ...

Notable REITs

The five largest REITs in the United States in 2021 are: American Tower Corporation, Prologis, Crown Castle International, Simon Property Group and Weyerhaeuser.

“I recommend REITs within a managed portfolio,” Devine said, noting that most investors should limit their REIT exposure to between 2 percent and 5 percent of their overall portfolio. Here again, a financial professional can help you determine what percentage of your portfolio you should allocate toward REITs, if any.

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.

BREIT is by far the largest private REIT, with a net asset value of $68 billion as of Nov. 30, 2022. Its biggest rival is Starwood Real Estate Income Trust, or SREIT, with a net asset value of $14 billion as of Nov.

The average REIT outperformance total return spread was 31.3%. REITs outperformed private real estate in nine of 11 instances, or 81.8% of the time. REIT recoveries have tended to be stronger with more extreme divergences.

While the macroeconomic outlook for the real estate sector will remain uncertain in 2023, especially in the first half, REIT returns could start to see a rebound during the year, particularly if the economy manages a soft landing instead of a recession, investment bankers say.