UNDERSTANDING STOCKS

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

Get a better understanding of what REITs are and considerations for incorporating them into your investing or trading strategy.

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What are REITs?

A REIT is a type of company that owns—and in most cases operates—income-producing real estate or related assets. Investors can participate in the gains and losses of these real estate assets by purchasing shares of a REIT, often on traditional stock exchanges. REITs offer a liquid method of real estate investing for investors and have special tax considerations that allow it to typically yield high dividends.

REITs are structured as a corporation and thus are not typically taxed at the entity level. Generally, they're required to invest in real assets and derive the majority of their income from real estate activities, including rents from properties and interest from mortgages. 90% of the REIT's annual income must also be paid in dividends which, when combined with a structure that avoids double taxation, allows REITs to typically pay out a higher dividend rate than many equity investments. Keep in mind that dividends received from REIT holdings are taxed as regular income. Learn more about how a Real Estate Investment Trust works.

Benefits and drawbacks of REITs

Benefits of REITs

Potential for higher yield
REITs typically pay higher dividends than common equities due to the cash-generating nature of real estate properties combined with their favorable tax structure.


Accessibility
REITs are typically listed on a national exchange and provide investors considerable liquidity. These securities invest in a portfolio of commercial real estate assets that are not typically available to retail investors.


Diversification
REITs can provide diversification by following the real estate cycle, which historically spans a decade or more—longer than the typical stock market cycle of 6 to 7 years on average.


Inflation hedging
REITs can serve as an effective hedge against rising inflation rates. In particular, REITs with commercial holdings frequently have agreements that allow them to raise rents in tandem with inflation.

Drawbacks of REITs

Real estate market fluctuations
REITs closely follow the overall real estate market and are subject to much of the same risks, including fluctuations in property value, leasing occupancy, and geographic demand.


Interest rates
Real estate is typically very sensitive to changes in interest rates, which can affect property values and occupancy demand.


Occupancy rates
In order to maintain the expected payouts, REITs must maintain certain occupancy levels. This closely ties in with the amount of rent that these properties are able to command. Lower rents and occupancy rates may negatively impact REITs.


Geographic focus
REITs can have a narrow geographic focus where the majority of the property is located in a particular area or region.


Business dependency
REITs can be highly susceptible to changes in the underlying business or industry that leases the properties, especially if sector-specific.

Schwab's perspective on REITs

REITs offer a number of attractive attributes such as income and diversification, and they have historically delivered strong results and provide attractive income relative to other asset classes. Historically, they have also been a good hedge against inflation; however, investors considering REITs should know they are often low-growth investments with little capital appreciation.

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Common types of REITs

There are two main types of REITs: mortgage and equity. Both types are used by investors for dividend income, with mortgage REITs typically providing higher yields while equity REITs offer more potential for capital appreciation.

Mortgage REITs

Invest in mortgages and derive their income from interest payments.

Equity REITs

Own and manage properties and collect payments from tenants.

Within Equity REITs, these are some of the categories based on the types of properties owned and operated by the REIT. Here are some examples:

Healthcare REITs

  • Hospitals
     
  • Medical centers
     
  • Nursing facilities
     

Commercial REITs

  • Shopping malls
     
  • Office buildings
     
  • Data warehouses 
     

Residential REITs

  • Multi-family apartments
     
  • Student housing
     
  • Single-family homes
     

REITs vs. Stocks

REITs

Since a REIT functions as an investment in a real estate company that generates income, they may suit investors who want regular dividend yields.

Stocks

Stocks represent shared ownership of a company, not necessarily related to real estate, and may generally be better suited for investors who want to tap into growth potential.

How do I invest in REITs?

Schwab offers multiple ways to get invested with REITs. Using a Schwab One® Brokerage Account, you can buy shares of an individual REIT, or you can invest in an exchange-traded fund or mutual fund that tracks a broad-based REIT index. Or call us at 877-566-0054 to talk to an experienced specialist about REITs.

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