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Tag: REIT

  • The Three Different Property Categories in Real Estate Investing

    One of the more common myths about real estate investing is that for the average investor, it’s largely lopsided in the way potential investors view their options in the real estate market. While real estate is the world’s largest asset class, most novice investors, who make up the majority of the real estate investing class, largely favor investing in the residential real estate segment. In other words, they do not fully appreciate multiple real estate investment categories.

    “One of the questions that generally first arises is: Exactly what sorts of property can be invested in? Is real estate investment just about flipping houses?”

    – Topouzis & Associates, P.C., 2022

    No, it’s not. Real estate investment is about a lot more than merely “flipping houses”. Real estate investment, in today’s day and age, is about portfolio diversification, hedging risk, purchasing REITs, leasing several adjoined units and becoming the Airbnb property manager, etc. There are plenty of ways real estate investors can earn a positive ROI outside of “buying low, selling high”. Historically and still commonly today, real estate investing has been segregated into three primary categories.

    1. Residential Real Estate

    Flipping houses is undoubtedly considered to be under the residential real estate umbrella. However, there is far more to it than that. Other types of property included in this category are condos, townhouses, and free-standing homes (Topouzis & Associates, P.C., 2022). Fundamentally, this is where people want to live, rather than work. Here’s an undoubtably interesting fact for real estate investors. If you have a rental property extend beyond four units in size – which causes it to be considered apartments – at which point the property becomes classified as Commercial Real Estate (CRE).

    2. Commercial Real Estate (CRE)

    In essence, this is the type of property where businesses are located. These locations are generally in large metropolitan areas, or places where potential customers can frequent. Commercial Real Estate (CRE), up until COVID at bare minimum, has seen a rapid acceleration of investment. Furthermore, multifamily residential units that have 4 plus units are considered in the CRE sub-sector of real estate investing. When you factor in alternative, more complex ways investors get into the CRE market (PropTech, REIGs, REITs, etc.), you’ll notice there is a tremendous amount of room to make a profit.

    3. Industrial Real Estate

    This class of real estate can be described as the kind of property where industrial “behind the scenes” elements of business get done. These locations are usually not “open” to customers in the conventional sense. Though generally there’s no prohibition against the occasional customer visitation. This third and final category of real estate investment includes areas such as warehouses, plants, factories, and shipment facilities.

    It’s critical to understand that each category will have a different investing approach. As an example, at times the residential real estate market was doing well, the CRE market plummeted. Novice real estate investors are best starting off here, at the first point of understanding the three different categories. Which category do you want to invest in? Why? Have you thought about the alternatives? Make sure you not only understand what real estate class is for you, but make sure you review the broad array of financial instruments available in each of those categories.

  • Liquidity for India’s REIT Market to Improve Based on Revised SEBI Norms

    As we’ve highlighted before, real estate is by far the biggest asset class in the world. A short time back, there was a relaxation in investment norms and real estate investment trusts by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Real estate investment companies directly impacted praised SEBI’s initiative (Nandy, MINT). Specifically, they were grateful SEBI took a proactive approach to address a growing, local real estate market problem (Nandy, MINT). Typically, when looking at financial markets regulated by a government’s central compliance department, it’s very rare to see them proactively intervene with the intent of improving liquidity conditions for market participants. Aside from major global economic catastrophes, which always require a unique centralized response, regulators are thought of as “watchdogs”. Here, a regulator intervened to create opportunities for investors to get simpler, quicker access to larger sums of cash. 

    Indian REITS are expecting to bring in more retail investors and encourage more public listings in the future. SEBI recently revised the minimum subscription and trading lot for publicly issued REITS and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs). with the minimum application value to be brought down from ₹50,000 now to a range of Rs.10,000-15,000 and the revised trading lot shall be of one unit.

    Support for SEBI Initiative from Major Indian REIT Investment Manager and CEO

    “We welcome SEBI’s regulation to reduce the minimum application value from ₹50,000 to Rs. 10,000-15,000, and trading lot to one unit. The earlier ₹50,000 cap restricted participation to only a certain set of investors. We believe that this amendment makes investment in REITs at par with other equity options in India. Reduction in minimum application amount will further bring in more investors thus improving the liquidity in REITs”.

    – Vinod Rohira, CEO, Mindspace Business Parks REIT

    In late 2020, it was first reported that SEBI was considering opening up REITs and InvITs to small investors by lowering the minimum trading lot size of REIT units from ₹50,000 to the value of just a single unit, much like how stocks are traded.

    Presently, there are just three publicly listed office REITs in the country – Embassy REIT, Mindspace Business Parks REIT, and the most recently listed Brookfield India REIT (Yadav, MINT).

    “We commend this proactive initiative by the regulator to reduce the trading lots of both REITs and InVITs. Embassy REIT’s listing in 2020, coupled with our strong and resilient performance since then, has paved the way for Indian REITs to evolve a mainstream asset class. With approximately $2 billion of primary REIT equity having listed in India in the last two years, leading global and domestic asset managers and growing numbers of retail holders now form the foundation of REIT unit holder registers. The reduction in lot size will increase liquidity for the entire REIT market, enable REITs to be included into benchmark domestic indices and allow greater participation from newer pools of institutional and retail investors.”

    – Michael Holland, CEO, Embassy REIT

    Impact to CRE Investing in India

    With India being on every investor’s radar as a country with potential lucrative returns, this should be welcome news. It’s also clear both Vinod and Michael, CEOs of two-thirds of India’s publicly listed REITs, echo each other’s statements. Revisions and relaxation to SEBI norms will improve liquidity conditions for REITs. This should encourage foreign investment and furthermore, the kind of investment India wants to see an increase in (Yadav, MINT).

    India has steadily been growing in CRE investment, something they telegraphed they would try to do. In India, CRE has grown at a 16 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the last five years. India was one of the few countries who avoided significant CRE investment decline resulting from COVID-19 (Sinha, Financial Express). All-in-all, while India’s real estate investment market (commercial or residential) obviously can’t be compared to the United States, the numbers paint a clear picture. The most influential Indian industry executives double down on what the numbers show. The aforementioned actions recently taken by SEBI will only continue that trajectory. How quickly India’s CRE market specifically will grow is definitely debatable, but for now there’s no doubt, investment is increasing. Again, SEBI altering norms to improve liquidity conditions for Indian REITs will continue to attract increasing investment to India.

  • Liquidity for India’s REIT Market to Improve Based on Revised SEBI Norms

    As we’ve highlighted before, real estate is by far the biggest asset class in the world. A short time back, there was a relaxation in investment norms and real estate investment trusts by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Real estate investment companies directly impacted praised SEBI’s initiative (Nandy, MINT). Specifically, they were grateful SEBI took a proactive approach to address a growing, local real estate market problem (Nandy, MINT). Typically, when looking at financial markets regulated by a government’s central compliance department, it’s very rare to see them proactively intervene with the intent of improving liquidity conditions for market participants. Aside from major global economic catastrophes, which always require a unique centralized response, regulators are thought of as “watchdogs”. Here, a regulator intervened to create opportunities for investors to get simpler, quicker access to larger sums of cash. 

    Indian REITS are expecting to bring in more retail investors and encourage more public listings in the future. SEBI recently revised the minimum subscription and trading lot for publicly issued REITS and infrastructure investment trusts (InvITs). with the minimum application value to be brought down from ₹50,000 now to a range of Rs.10,000-15,000 and the revised trading lot shall be of one unit.

    Support for SEBI Initiative from Major Indian REIT Investment Manager and CEO

    “We welcome SEBI’s regulation to reduce the minimum application value from ₹50,000 to Rs. 10,000-15,000, and trading lot to one unit. The earlier ₹50,000 cap restricted participation to only a certain set of investors. We believe that this amendment makes investment in REITs at par with other equity options in India. Reduction in minimum application amount will further bring in more investors thus improving the liquidity in REITs”.

    – Vinod Rohira, CEO, Mindspace Business Parks REIT

    In late 2020, it was first reported that SEBI was considering opening up REITs and InvITs to small investors by lowering the minimum trading lot size of REIT units from ₹50,000 to the value of just a single unit, much like how stocks are traded.

    Presently, there are just three publicly listed office REITs in the country – Embassy REIT, Mindspace Business Parks REIT, and the most recently listed Brookfield India REIT (Yadav, MINT).

    “We commend this proactive initiative by the regulator to reduce the trading lots of both REITs and InVITs. Embassy REIT’s listing in 2020, coupled with our strong and resilient performance since then, has paved the way for Indian REITs to evolve a mainstream asset class. With approximately $2 billion of primary REIT equity having listed in India in the last two years, leading global and domestic asset managers and growing numbers of retail holders now form the foundation of REIT unit holder registers. The reduction in lot size will increase liquidity for the entire REIT market, enable REITs to be included into benchmark domestic indices and allow greater participation from newer pools of institutional and retail investors.”

    – Michael Holland, CEO, Embassy REIT

    Impact to CRE Investing in India

    With India being on every investor’s radar as a country with potential lucrative returns, this should be welcome news. It’s also clear both Vinod and Michael, CEOs of two-thirds of India’s publicly listed REITs, echo each other’s statements. Revisions and relaxation to SEBI norms will improve liquidity conditions for REITs. This should encourage foreign investment and furthermore, the kind of investment India wants to see an increase in (Yadav, MINT).

    India has steadily been growing in CRE investment, something they telegraphed they would try to do. In India, CRE has grown at a 16 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) over the last five years. India was one of the few countries who avoided significant CRE investment decline resulting from COVID-19 (Sinha, Financial Express). All-in-all, while India’s real estate investment market (commercial or residential) obviously can’t be compared to the United States, the numbers paint a clear picture. The most influential Indian industry executives double down on what the numbers show. The aforementioned actions recently taken by SEBI will only continue that trajectory. How quickly India’s CRE market specifically will grow is definitely debatable, but for now there’s no doubt, investment is increasing. Again, SEBI altering norms to improve liquidity conditions for Indian REITs will continue to attract increasing investment to India.

  • Investing in a REIT: The Pros and Cons

    One of the most notable investment opportunities available to investors looking to enter the real estate market is a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust). A REIT is a publicly traded company that owns, operates, or finances income-producing properties and real estate investors are able to purchase shares in them (Ranchers, Investopedia). This contrasts to direct real estate investment, which is typically considered purchasing a property, then either managing it, renovating it, renting it out, flipping it, etc. The primary difference centers around whether you’d prefer a hands-on approach to real estate investing. REITs give you the opportunity to diversify your portfolio and more specifically, your investment portfolio within the real estate segment.

    A typical REIT has publicly traded shares that can be purchased on a national exchange, however they often fund underlying properties directly. Such companies, known as Equity REITs, are typically involved in the construction of office buildings, or the management of apartments, hotels, etc. Conversely, Mortgage REITs may purchase asset-backed securities or make direct real estate loans. REITs must register with the SEC, and they’re subject to various regulations, most notably the requirement to pay 90% of the company’s taxable income in the form of shareholder dividends each year. Contrary to popular belief, there are also REITs that are not traded on an exchange, but they likely come with hefty fees, and far more limited liquidity options. Concisely, perhaps the most important takeaway from a REIT is that it provides access to a diversified pool of real estate investments that are essentially impossible for the typical investor, even a large-scale investor, to create on their own.

    The Pros of a REIT

    The biggest pro commonly referred to is a REIT gives a typical retail investor – who may not have enough liquid capital – to take a diversified approach to the real estate market. REITs may also be beneficial to investors that don’t have the expertise yet to assess the risks of a real estate investment. These investors may very well prefer a pooled approach to real estate. In case those cases, a REIT would be a great alternative to direct real estate investing, which would require a lot more experience and intricate knowledge of the real estate market. Investors not only get access to an income-producing product, but additionally to one that’s physically managed by a professional real estate market expert.

    Equity REITs, which are traded on national exchanges, have low capital requirements because investors are only buying a share of the trust. Since it’s traded on a public equity market, an investor can buy and sell these assets with relatively few liquidity constraints.

    Additionally, as we all know, investors are always cognizant of their tax rate, especially from capital gains investments. REIT investors are taxed more favorably on income from the investment because income is not typically taxed at a corporate level, due to the income from these pooled real estate assets being “passed through” to the investor. Contrary to a large corporation where all income is taxed before distributing dividends, REIT investors receive profits as ordinary income.

    Lastly, real estate investors may not always have a bullish position on the overall market and even more so on a specific project or space. Taking a short position on a real estate project, without utilizing an Equity REIT, would require considerable savvy, as well as most likely the use of expensive derivative products. In contrast, REITs allow market speculators to go long or short, depending on their market view.

    The Cons of a REIT

    As this section will conclude, there are definitely more pros than cons to investing in a REIT. As is often the case, one of the primary cons is the opposite of one of the main pros. Since REITs are a massive pool of assets, this makes understanding the underlying risk quite difficult to an average investor in the real estate market. Though the properties are thought to be managed by seasoned professionals, they aren’t exempt from making errors on occasion. The average investor may overlook an essential aspect of the REIT because they’re working under the assumption it’s managed by real estate professionals, or they may struggle to gain a comprehensive understand of the portfolio beyond simple summary statistics.

    Additionally, while this ties in partially with the investor’s preference of direct vs. passive real estate investing strategies, REITs can also be more expensive than a direct lending approach. As an example, fees charged for a REIT managers’ salaries can eat into the potential income gained from the investment. Savvy and wealthy investors with enough capital to diversify could definitely put themselves in a position to achieve higher returns by managing assets themselves. The issue becomes what constitutes “enough”. Should a single investor choose the path of diversification within the direct real estate investment market, “enough” would likely mean tens, if not hundreds of millions. Even so, they would have to incur management costs and while they may be lower than a REIT managers’ salary, the risk incurred would be unlikely to offset the potential capital gains benefit. This is why REITs are far more common and much more likely to be a better tool for investors who are seeking to diversify their portfolio, as opposed to diversifying their real estate portfolio with expensive and frequently reoccurring direct property investments.

  • What is a REIG? The Pros and Cons

    A REIG (Real Estate Investment Group) is a group of private investors who invest almost exclusively in real estate by pooling money, knowledge, and/or time to acquire properties that generate income (Brummer, Millionacres). Investment strategies for REIGs will differ based on each group’s specific strengths. A REIG is not a real estate investment trust (REIT) or crowdfunding real estate venture, although superficially, they may appear similar. They both invest the majority of pooled funds in real estate or real estate debt, earn income primarily from real estate, and distribute most of the income back to the parties involved.

    Pros of a REIG

    A REIG is a way for you to have your investment funds backed by physical real estate while allowing you to leverage the collective buying power and experience of the group. Additionally, investing in real estate as a group can give you a less “hands on” approach to real estate investing, or more, depending on your desires and the strengths of your group. Furthermore, a REIG is a form of “diversification” in the sense that your thoughts about the financial incentives of an acquisition may be different than your partners in the group. Of course, this can be a negative if you are unable to persuade others investors in the group and the property turns out to be a successful investment. However if you surround yourself with like-minded investors, which is generally the case for most REIGs, this is unlikely to occur often. Going back to buying power, groups of investors can pool a very substantial amount of money together. This would in turn allow them to invest greater sums of cash and diversify their investments over a greater number of real estate properties. Conversely, an individual investor may only have enough capital to put into one – or a few – properties that may wind up taking an unexpected downturn. Finally, there’s a benefit to having fellow investors with the same stakes you do because you have the opportunity to learn from them. You would be able to potentially use some of those successful strategies in your own personal real estate investments.

    Cons of a REIG

    Many cons to a REIG can also be viewed as strengths, depending on the amount of weight you pull in it. For example, a more “hands-off” approach to investing through a REIG can turn detrimental if the individual(s) responsible for the “hands-on” tasks do a poor job. Additionally, since REIGs pool your investment money with others, you lose out on some profit prospective with it being shared throughout the group. To the contrast, this could be viewed as a way to mitigate your conceivable losses – as mentioned in the strengths – but skilled real estate investors rarely have a pessimistic view of investments they are willing to enter into. While some view this as insignificant, the tax structure and fees associated with REIGs similarly lower your bottom line profit. Along the same lines, due to regulations and commonplace agreements signed between the parties, pulling your money out of the REIG can be burdensome and costly. Finally, many investors are prone to different management styles, have different investment goals, and differ in many other germane ways. Conflicts arising from disagreements between members in a REIG can lead to not only unfavorable financial outcomes, but it can go as far as breaking up the REIG.

    Concisely, REIGs are a good fit for novice or expect real estate investors, as well as everything in between. From our perspective, the concept seems like it would be a better fit for those looking to enter the real estate market, rapidly expand their presence in that market, or if you have unique knowledge, but do not have the cash saved to personally invest in real estate yet. Reviewing the pros and cons alone, unfortunately, does not provide enough guidance as to whether or not this is the right investment vehicle for you. As with most financial investments, REIGs can be beneficial or detrimental for you, completely dependent on your financial situation, knowledge of the real estate market, and more. We do believe that an invaluable positive to REIGs is the knowledge potential from other investors in your group. Some of the most successful investors from different parts of the globe have said that intellectual capital can prove to be exponentially more valuable than simply having excess cash in a savings account, with no unique or constructive ideas on how to put that capital to use in order to maximize a positive return. 

  • Passive Real Estate Investing

    When reading about real estate investing, often times investors think of active real estate investors, who are essentially landlords. There are also both direct and indirect passive real estate investors. Passive real estate investing is investing in real estate without substantial hands-on effort or active participation from the investor. They invest through syndications, online crowdfunding, individual real estate funds, and real estate investment trusts. In fact, many would argue passive real estate investing requires the least experience and hassle while offering more diversification and liquidity.

    Direct Passive Real Estate Investing

    With direct real estate investing, an investor will purchase a property or portion of a property that is subsequently rented out. Often, real estate investors that purchase entire properties will hire what is known as a property manager, or property management company, to take care of the day to day maintenance and tasks such as collecting rent. Post-purchase of the property, hiring a property management company allows an investor to essentially be hands-off in the management of the property. Hence the term passive real estate investing in this context.

    Indirect Passive Real Estate Investing

    To the contrary, indirect real estate investing is a process where individuals invest in a REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) or a real estate related mutual fund. This type of real estate investing is considered passive because there is no day-to-day management needed and it’s also considered indirect because it doesn’t involve a specific piece of real estate. Investors then collect passive income as returns or dividends from funds.

    Regardless of which method you prefer, there is a great potential for positive cash flow and overall wealth generation in real estate investment markets. In upcoming posts, we’ll dive into more specifics about REITs, as well as other types of real estate funds investors are often more drawn to.