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
Person chosen by a testator/testatrix to handle and conduct the terms of a will to an estate. Duties include collecting and selling of properties and paying debts of the state. ...
Commonly, a covenant refers to a legal treaty or agreement between various parties. Explicitly, a stipulation comes into existence and is signed to confine particular financial transactions ...
What Is a Real Estate Bubble? One definition for a real estate bubble is the fast increase in prices, usually driven by investors and speculators in major urban areas. Properties are ...
Document issued by a public or private institution to perform some activity according to legal requirements. There is usually a license fee. An example is a real estate license. ...
Loan mandating equal periodic payments to pay off the loan subsequent to the last payment. ...
A type of equity participation loan where, in exchange for charging a below-market interest rate, the lender receives a predetermined percentage of a any increase in value of the property ...
Early American architecture modeled after the English Georgian architecture having two or three stories with a rectangular design and ample ornamentation often including a widow's walk. ...
Market analysis method where sales of similar properties in proximity neighborhoods are compared. The comparable sales methodology is extremely useful if the properties being compared are ...
Also called interim financing. A mortgage that provides the funds necessary for the building or construction of a real estate project. The project can be a residential subdivision, a ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.