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Real Estate Investment Trust-A step in the right direction for
Hospitality Industry
A good REIT has a diversified real estate portfolio consisting of apartments, office buildings, shopping centers and industrial properties. A REIT is a security which sells just like a stock on the major exchanges and invests in real estate directly, either through properties or mortgages.
There are two types of REIT's available to invest in: Equity REIT or a Mortgage REIT. An Equity REIT's would invest in and own properties. The revenues for an equity REIT are primarily generated through their properties rents. Mortgage REIT's on the other hand; deal primarily in investments and ownership of property mortgages. These real estate investment trusts loan money for mortgages to owners of real estate, or they purchase existing mortgages or mortgage backed securities. Their revenues are principally coming from the interest accrued on the mortgage loans.
REIT's receive special tax considerations depending on the type of REIT you are investing in. They are exempt from corporate income taxes as long as they distribute at least 90 percent of their income as dividends. REIT's are very attractive to potential investors because they typically return high yields as well as providing a highly liquid method of investing in real estate.
Further more there is a unique combination of the two REIT's; it is known as a Hybrid REIT. A hybrid REIT combines the investment strategies of an Equity REIT and a Mortgage REIT by investing in both properties and mortgages. This process of investing helps diversify risk making it a very lucrative investment.
An individual that may want to invest into a REIT can do so by purchasing their shares directly on an open exchange or by investing in a mutual fund that specializes in public real estate.
In addition to having great yields on REIT's, another benefit to investing in REIT's is that many are accompanied by dividend reinvestment plans, also known as DRIP's. REIT's invest in many different forms of real estate including shopping malls, office buildings, apartments, warehouses, and hotels. Some REIT's will invest specifically in one area of real estate or a specific region, while others will invest in a wide array of REIT's.
With the stock and bond markets producing smaller and erratic returns these days, the REIT market is increasingly being viewed as an essential component for a diversified portfolio.
A REIT basically is an investment which provides a liquid and dividend paying means of partaking in the real estate market. The biggest risk to a REIT is a rise in interest rates which tends to dampen the real estate market in general, by making it more expensive to finance or purchase real estate. Even though a rise in interest would hurt REIT share prices, it would be nearly impossible for the trusts to fall out of favor.
In conclusion, land will never go away and thus its value will always increase as long as there is a finite amount of land, along with more and more people to occupy it. The REIT market might have short periods of downturn, but in the long run it will always go up.