Saturday, February 28, 2009

Invest Wisely, Invest in REITs - Real Estate Trusts Instead of Treasury Bonds

Real Estate - The Wise Investment

In today's touchy economic climate many people want to be doing something to invest their money wisely, but are not sure how to do that. It seems every time you look at the business section all you see is more bad news about markets taking a tumble.

So, what is an investor to do? Well now may be a good time to take on an investment in something that is solid and has assets backing it up like Real Estate.

Sure, you're thinking that the real estate investment market has taken its share of hits. Yes, it has. But if you compare the hits it takes in a down market to the other mutual funds, stocks, bonds and options out there, you will see real estate is still the way to go.

For example, in one chunk of the market drop the regular stocks were down in a painful way. People then looked to see what the more stable commodities were doing. Even they were down. Utilities were down 4-5 percent. But at this same time real estate funds were down less than a percent. That should tell you something. Even when the rest of the investing building is crumbling, real estate is still a pretty strong corner stone.

Sure, some markets are still rather low for where most investors would like them to be, but if you look at this in a different way you may see the light.

While the funds may be low now, real estate is an asset. That means real estate will never completely lose it's valuable. That tangible piece of land or building will always retain some value. Therefore unlike the regular stock market where a bad day could wipe all of your money away, the real estate investing market will usually allow you to at least keep your investment, although you may not see as much profit as you would like.

How to Invest in Real Estate

The next thing you may be wondering is how to start getting invested in real estate. The first thing you need to do is your homework. You need to know what is best to invest in and how to get your money into those markets.

Begin by going to REITBuyer.com. This is a website that is in the business of real estate investments and real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Unlike other brokerage firms that just want your money, they also want to make sure you know what you are getting into. The website is filled with information about REITs and the real estate market in general. This will give you a good base in the options that are out there and which ones you may want to consider purchasing.

Once you know which ones are the best to put into your portfolio, REITBuyer.com can take care of that part of the process as well, making the purchases for you.

After the purchase has been made, they will also help you keep up with your REITs and follow their progress in the weeks, months and years to come.

Instead of Watching the Bond Markets Shift Downward, Shift Your Investments to REITs

Now is the time for Real Estate Investment Trusts

If you have been watching all the shifts in the investing markets, you may be a little worried about putting your money into any of them right now. Things have been falling and falling, how do you know where it will be safe to put your cash?

Perhaps it's time to look at some of the other investing options out there like real estate. I am not talking about running around and buying up any extra lots of property you happen to see around you. That comes with a lot of responsibilities and major outlay up front. Not only do you have to have the money to purchase the whole property, but you also have to be able to take care of it and maintain and manage it after the fact. This is a lot to ask for in an investment.

Instead, you may want to look into another type of real estate investing, real estate investment trusts. Real estate investment trusts or REITs are funds where you purchase shares of the investment and a real estate management group of real estate development group uses that money to purchase, build or maintain property ventures. You essentially fund a portion of a property acquisition and management group.

In return for your investment, you will be paid a portion of any profit that the company makes, much like a stock dividend.

While you may be wondering how wise it is to consider real estate in today's tough market, this is exactly why it may be a good time to look at a little more investing. Here's why. Sure, there has been a tough time for the markets. Lending has dropped, defaults on properties are on the rise. We're in tough credit times.

But now let's look at the positive side of things. Most think the slide has slowed and will soon be stopping. Add this to the fact that those capital markets that REITs use to get their funding for expansion and other purchases are low and that means the chances for REITs to get the capital they want to expand has dropped, for now. While you may think this is a bad sign, the truth is this is a time when the value of REITs is lower, meaning you can get in at a lower price. As things settle and go back to normal, your profits will go up and you will see an even greater return on your investment.

This is the time to log onto a website like REITBuyer.com and find out what REITs are out there, what they are selling for and get yourself in on this low tide so you can enjoy the ride when the financial wave picks up again.

With the other option being putting all of your money away and seeing no growth, what would you prefer?

Money Making Guru Robert G. Allen may have said it best saying, "How many millionaires do you know who have become wealthy by investing in savings accounts? I rest my case."