Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Type of investment company that invests money in mortgages and various types of investment in real estate, in order to earn profits for shareholders. Shareholders receive income from the rents received from the properties and receive capital gains as properties are sold at a profit. REITs have been formed by a number of large financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies. The stocks of many of them are traded on security exchanges, thereby providing investors with a marketable interest in real estate investment portfolio. By law, REITs have to distribute 95 percent of their income to shareholders, and in turn they are exempt from corporate taxes on income or gains. In exchange for this special tax treatment, REITs are subject to numerous qualifications and limitations including:
- Qualified asset and income tests. REITs are required to have at least 75% of their value represented by qualified real estate assets and to earn at least 75% of their income from real estate investments.
- Shareholder qualifications. Generally, REITs are not permitted to be closely held and must have a minimum of 100 shareholders.
Popular Real Estate Terms
Financial intermediaries who invest in deeds of trust and mortgages, and hold them in their own portfolio. Large financial firm that uses depositors' money to lend to borrowers. ...
Bond whose interest is free of federal, state, or local tax in the state of the issuer. It is typically a municipal bond of estate or county agency. For example, a New York City resident ...
Legal order for a person to present at a deposition or trial documents in his possession, such as related to a real estate transaction. ...
Note having more than one maker, if one or more of the makers default on the note, all makers are sued jointly, rather than just one or all, to make restitution ...
All of the conditions of the purchase and sale agreement have been fulfilled. The escrow agent prepares a written summary of the funds received in escrow, and the moneys paid out. The agent ...
A column designed to support a concentrated load. A pier column is made out of steel, steel reinforced concrete or wood. A structure extending out into the water supported by numerous ...
Extent to which soil has cavities or pores, thereby allowing water to pass through. soil productivity;Ability of the soil to accomplish the desired objective such as its capacity for ...
Compared to; relative to; against. ...
While trying to determine your net income, you might come across the term revenue, sales, or gross income. So what does revenue mean? Through revenue, we understand the income generated ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.