After doing lots of reading from investing books, I wanted to learn more about the REIT asset class of investments. This book had some good information, but the main information I was looking for was how taxes are reported and why they are fairly complicated. The author only gave a two page appendix on taxes. I felt like he spent way too much time on why you should invest in REIT's and the aspects of when to buy and what to look for individual REIT's and not the big picture of owning REIT's in an mutual fund or REIT index fund. I was more concerned on how taxes affect your investment's location (Taxable vs. Tax Advantaged) and that was totally ignored. Dissapointed.

I came across the first edition of this book in my local library (along with Mullaney's book on REITs). That edition hit all the right notes, and as expected from someone who manages an REIT fund, Block reserves considerable space in the book for his pitch for the REIT as a great investment vehicle. Overall, I found the first edition to be balanced, even-handed and a solid introduction to the REIT, though I did have a few criticisms about REITs in general. These are the following:



1. REITs generally are high yield investments. Block failed to address the common dangers associated with any high yield investment, and he did not mention any specific means for the investor (particularly small investors like myself) to shield these juicy yields from the tax man. In passing, over the long term, I am of the opinion that carefully selected REITs will provide an adequate total return, and the prudent small investor would do well to include a select few of them in a Roth IRA.



2. Block tries to compare REITs with other income producing stocks, and generally fails in this regard. Though REITs have similarities to utilities and preferred stock (the one over-riding similarity being the fat yield), there are too many differences between REITs and other income producing investments to make a fair comparison.



3. I believe that an REIT should be evaluated as a common stock first, and then as a real estate play second, rather than the other way around, as Block preferred to do. Granted, the basic nature of the activity should be taken into account, but one should never forget that the publicly traded REIT is a stock. That said, less attention should be paid to the FFO (funds from operation) or AFFO and more should be paid to net income. FFO can be gamed, as Block correctly pointed out, by the creative interpretation as to what constitutes depreciation (FFO is typically defined as net income, less capital gains on sale of real estate, plus depreciation).



4. Block correctly identified the importance of capital structure for the REIT, and did a good job of explaining the REITs need for capital infusions. Intelligent investors in this activity would do well to keep in mind that institutional players get to participate in REITs as either bond-holders or preferred holders, and thus they get sweeter deals than the little guy, who, unless he participates through a mutual fund, will almost always participate as a common stock holder. Moreover, the little guy gets paid his dividend AFTER the institutional players get their cut. Also, I disagree with Block's notion that market cap is a good indicator of REIT capitalization. Essentially, I feel that REIT capitalization is best measured by the balance sheet ( debt load plus cash position and equity), and while not the best measure of capitalization, it is, in my opinion (which granted ain't worth much)better than the use of a subjective measure which changes as market conditions change.



5. I found it odd that Block did not mention the importance of cash flow for the REIT. At a minimum, the REIT has to be able to service its debts. An REIT with a weak cash position and cash flow constraints can not deliver a fat yield for long. Intelligent investors in this activity would do well to be very wary of an REIT that pays out more in dividends than it actually earns in net income per share. An outfit doing this is generally eroding its cash position, thus weakening its ability to service its debts and making it vulnerable to adverse external conditions.



6. My last point is perhaps the most important. The little guy looking to profit in this space is up against 1) insttitutional players who can get sweeter deals as mentioned before and 2) real estate pros who are closer to the various real estate markets and eat, sleep and breathe real estate 24/7. The little guy would do well to know market cycles, specific property types and demographic trends very well before looking at REIT investments. Also, the pros more typically have access to a greater variety and volume of information than is typical in more traditional common stock investment, so on that score, the small investor is fairly well disadvantaged. Thus, I am of the opinion that REIT investment may require a lot more work for a little extra gain, so it is best to dabble lightly in this space.



In sum, this book, now in its third edition, makes for a good starting point for REIT investment. In passing, a more accessible, albeit dated text on REIT investment is John A. Mullaney's REITs: Building Profits with Real Estate Investment Trusts. Those of you looking to invest with safety and success in this space would do well to pick up the latter book and memorize Chapter 16 of the text word for word.

I came across the first edition of this book in my local library (along with Mullaney's book on REITs). That edition hit all the right notes, and as expected from someone who manages an REIT fund, Block reserves considerable space in the book for his pitch for the REIT as a great investment vehicle. Overall, I found the first edition to be balanced, even-handed and a solid introduction to the REIT, though I did have a few criticisms about REITs in general. These are the following:

1. REITs generally are high yield investments. Block failed to address the common dangers associated with any high yield investment, and he did not mention any specific means for the investor (particularly small investors like myself) to shield these juicy yields from the tax man. In passing, over the long term, I am of the opinion that carefully selected REITs will provide an adequate total return, and the prudent small investor would do well to include a select few of them in a Roth IRA.

2. Block tries to compare REITs with other income producing stocks, and generally fails in this regard. Though REITs have similarities to utilities and preferred stock (the one over-riding similarity being the fat yield), there are too many differences between REITs and other income producing investments to make a fair comparison.

3. I believe that an REIT should be evaluated as a common stock first, and then as a real estate play second, rather than the other way around, as Block preferred to do. Granted, the basic nature of the activity should be taken into account, but one should never forget that the publicly traded REIT is a stock. That said, less attention should be paid to the FFO (funds from operation) or AFFO and more should be paid to net income. FFO can be gamed, as Block correctly pointed out, by the creative interpretation as to what constitutes depreciation (FFO is typically defined as net income, less capital gains on sale of real estate, plus depreciation).

4. Block correctly identified the importance of capital structure for the REIT, and did a good job of explaining the REITs need for capital infusions. Intelligent investors in this activity would do well to keep in mind that institutional players get to participate in REITs as either bond-holders or preferred holders, and thus they get sweeter deals than the little guy, who, unless he participates through a mutual fund, will almost always participate as a common stock holder. Moreover, the little guy gets paid his dividend AFTER the institutional players get their cut. Also, I disagree with Block's notion that market cap is a good indicator of REIT capitalization. Essentially, I feel that REIT capitalization is best measured by the balance sheet ( debt load plus cash position and equity), and while not the best measure of capitalization, it is, in my opinion (which granted ain't worth much)better than the use of a subjective measure which changes as market conditions change.

5. I found it odd that Block did not mention the importance of cash flow for the REIT. At a minimum, the REIT has to be able to service its debts. An REIT with a weak cash position and cash flow constraints can not deliver a fat yield for long. Intelligent investors in this activity would do well to be very wary of an REIT that pays out more in dividends than it actually earns in net income per share. An outfit doing this is generally eroding its cash position, thus weakening its ability to service its debts and making it vulnerable to adverse external conditions.

6. My last point is perhaps the most important. The little guy looking to profit in this space is up against 1) insttitutional players who can get sweeter deals as mentioned before and 2) real estate pros who are closer to the various real estate markets and eat, sleep and breathe real estate 24/7. The little guy would do well to know market cycles, specific property types and demographic trends very well before looking at REIT investments. Also, the pros more typically have access to a greater variety and volume of information than is typical in more traditional common stock investment, so on that score, the small investor is fairly well disadvantaged. Thus, I am of the opinion that REIT investment may require a lot more work for a little extra gain, so it is best to dabble lightly in this space.

In sum, this book, now in its third edition, makes for a good starting point for REIT investment. In passing, a more accessible, albeit dated text on REIT investment is John A. Mullaney's REITs: Building Profits with Real Estate Investment Trusts. Those of you looking to invest with safety and success in this space would do well to pick up the latter book and memorize Chapter 16 of the text word for word.

I came across the first edition of this book in my local library (along with Mullaney's book on REITs). That edition hit all the right notes, and as expected from someone who manages an REIT fund, Block reserves considerable space in the book for his pitch for the REIT as a great investment vehicle. Overall, I found the first edition to be balanced, even-handed and a solid introduction to the REIT, though I did have a few criticisms about REITs in general. These are the following:

1. REITs generally are high yield investments. Block failed to address the common dangers associated with any high yield investment, and he did not mention any specific means for the investor (particularly small investors like myself) to shield these juicy yields from the tax man. In passing, over the long term, I am of the opinion that carefully selected REITs will provide an adequate total return, and the prudent small investor would do well to include a select few of them in a Roth IRA.

2. Block tries to compare REITs with other income producing stocks, and generally fails in this regard. Though REITs have similarities to utilities and preferred stock (the one over-riding similarity being the fat yield), there are too many differences between REITs and other income producing investments to make a fair comparison.

3. I believe that an REIT should be evaluated as a common stock first, and then as a real estate play second, rather than the other way around, as Block preferred to do. Granted, the basic nature of the activity should be taken into account, but one should never forget that the publicly traded REIT is a stock. That said, less attention should be paid to the FFO (funds from operation) or AFFO and more should be paid to net income. FFO can be gamed, as Block correctly pointed out, by the creative interpretation as to what constitutes depreciation (FFO is typically defined as net income, less capital gains on sale of real estate, plus depreciation).

4. Block correctly identified the importance of capital structure for the REIT, and did a good job of explaining the REITs need for capital infusions. Intelligent investors in this activity would do well to keep in mind that institutional players get to participate in REITs as either bond-holders or preferred holders, and thus they get sweeter deals than the little guy, who, unless he participates through a mutual fund, will almost always participate as a common stock holder. Moreover, the little guy gets paid his dividend AFTER the institutional players get their cut. Also, I disagree with Block's notion that market cap is a good indicator of REIT capitalization. Essentially, I feel that REIT capitalization is best measured by the balance sheet ( debt load plus cash position and equity), and while not the best measure of capitalization, it is, in my opinion (which granted ain't worth much)better than the use of a subjective measure which changes as market conditions change.

5. I found it odd that Block did not mention the importance of cash flow for the REIT. At a minimum, the REIT has to be able to service its debts. An REIT with a weak cash position and cash flow constraints can not deliver a fat yield for long. Intelligent investors in this activity would do well to be very wary of an REIT that pays out more in dividends than it actually earns in net income per share. An outfit doing this is generally eroding its cash position, thus weakening its ability to service its debts and making it vulnerable to adverse external conditions.

6. My last point is perhaps the most important. The little guy looking to profit in this space is up against 1) insttitutional players who can get sweeter deals as mentioned before and 2) real estate pros who are closer to the various real estate markets and eat, sleep and breathe real estate 24/7. The little guy would do well to know market cycles, specific property types and demographic trends very well before looking at REIT investments. Also, the pros more typically have access to a greater variety and volume of information than is typical in more traditional common stock investment, so on that score, the small investor is fairly well disadvantaged. Thus, I am of the opinion that REIT investment may require a lot more work for a little extra gain, so it is best to dabble lightly in this space.

In sum, this book, now in its third edition, makes for a good starting point for REIT investment. In passing, a more accessible, albeit dated text on REIT investment is John A. Mullaney's REITs: Building Profits with Real Estate Investment Trusts. Those of you looking to invest with safety and success in this space would do well to pick up the latter book and memorize Chapter 16 of the text word for word.

Great book for someone trying to get a basic understanding of REITs written from an investor's perspective.

More and more financial advisers suggest investing in REITs. But are they another real-estate investment fad, like the "real estate limited partnerships" of the 1980s? Not at all, says Ralph L. Block, an experienced REIT portfolio manager and former securities attorney. In this clear, sensible book, Block provides an engaging overview of REITs and the underlying real-estate market in which they invest. Block's self-deprecating, casual style is refreshing, and the book assumes little background knowledge of finance, economics or real estate (though it does bog down occasionally in accounting minutiae). In addition to learning about REITs, you'll also get a painless refresher on investment basics at no extra cost. We recommend this book to prudent, buy-and-hold investors who want to know if REITs are right for them.

Most investors can point to an elite handful of teachers that they would credit for their investment success and overall knowledge of markets. Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, and perhaps John Bogle are the best-known great friends of the individual investor in our generation. I don't say this lightly, but for any investor trying to get a handle on the REIT asset class, Ralph Block is in their esteemed company.

You won't find a more clearly written book about REITs anywhere, and beginning investors to hedge fund managers would be well-advised to digest everything that Ralph puts forth in his continually updated books on REITs. The metrics used to evaluate REITs, the forces which make them rise and fall, and their tax implications are different enough from other asset classes that any conscientious investor should keep this book handy. Ralph does a masterful job of making this fine asset class easier to understand, and he helps investors know where to spot risk, growth, management excellence and ultimately, opportunity.

REITs have gone from being an undiscovered backwater in the investment world (perhaps because so many real estate limited partnerships in the 1980's were indeed toxic waste) but today they are clearly mainstream. Investors need to understand what they own, and Ralph's book helps readers understand exactly that. He writes in a clear, succinct fashion that is manna from heaven for both the new investor and private equity guy alike. People focusing on P/E ratios, MACD divergences and EBITDA would be well-served to invest a little time and a teensy amount of money in this book to get a handle on AFFOs, NAVs, and most importantly, great REIT management teams.

Ralph is a looong-time REIT investor, has been a top-rated REIT fund manager and he has a unique perspective on this important asset class. His contributions to REIT understanding have been recognized by NAREIT (the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts) and by many individual investors through his books and his well-received contributions on The Motley Fool message boards. Feel confident that purchasing his book is a good decision on your part.

In over 400 pages, the author makes the case that real estate,
as marketed through REIT vehicles, makes enormous sense, from
an investment point of view.

This emphasizes the point, that real estate can be seen in
2 aspects, the first being that of a home owner who resides
in his own home, in which case he's not an investor as such
(although an annual tax exempt status from a home's
increasing value is the case until it's sold, at which point a
capital gains tax is paid), versus someone who doesn't live
in a dwelling, but owns it, operates it, rents it out,
for purposes of profit. Only 1 of the 2 is an investment as such.

And investments much be compared with one another, including mutual funds,
bonds, GIC's, or savings accounts at new banks (ING, Dynamic, or ICICI
Canada or India subsidiary) that are popular vs. money market funds.

The weakness of this book, is the thin columns and fat, double spacing
that the publisher chose, perhaps to make the book seem wider, more
credible than otherwise. The double spacing also suggests that the
author is trying to fill pages, vs. communicate a message effectively,
efficiently, clearly.

Next, the content is attractively though out, in terms of pacing
the concepts, taking the reader one step at a time over a multitude
of aspects of real estate analysis, and summarizing the subject
after each chapter, so the read doesn't miss the lessons shown.

The actual REIT vehicles discussed, are those of the USA, unfortunately,
for those readers in Canada, as Canada some one of the most attractive
real estate properties in the world. I would suggest readers examine
the composition of iSHARES (Barclay's) REIT trading on the TSX.

Finally, the book has an easy reading style, saving the reader from
complicated analytics formulae, charts, or theories, that perhaps
other readers would expect, especially those having been exposed
to College Finance 101 research papers, and what not.

I found the 2006 copy in Borders. I sat down to "peruse" it -- 2 hours later, I got up.

I agree with the poster who said the book is biased towards the pros of REIT- investing; the book isn't very objective.

BUT, I still give it 5 stars because it's an awesome introduction to REITs. It was exactly what I was looking for -- easy to understand without coming across as overly simple.

I think readers new to stock investing, in general, will learn a ton from this book.

First, I have no connection with Ralph Block or any of the enterprises he was previously or is currently associated with.
When the current edition of his book ("cobalt cover") was newly out, I took an online course from Block using the book as text. I was engaged in a total immersion crash course in investing (long overdue), being newly retired and confronted with managing for income a rollover IRA (having disengaged a 401K from my former employer) which was my primary asset outside of my house. The market had just crashed, and would go down further. Better late than never, but a painful six months educational process, as I learned how to reconfigure and manage the IRA myself.

The book and course convinced me that REITs belonged in my portfolio and I allocated a portion of it (initially 7%) to a combination of individual REITs and a highly rated REIT mutual fund. Prices were down along with the rest of the market, so in that respect it was beginners luck.

However, I used Block as a mentor and watched which REITs he favored in a fund he managed (which had too high an entry investment threshold for me to get into myself). I acquired a few more individual REITs in the following year when the market dipped. It has turned out to be a valuable investment and helped noticeably to reduce risk by diversifying the portfolio, and has also yielded a steady portion of income. The book was essential for review and reference in the practical business of managing my REIT segment of a "long haul" and income portfolio, vetting possible acquisitions and navigating the jargon of REIT annual reports.

I would note that Block puts out a monthly newletter discussing the REIT world, online at Essentialreit.com site: recommended for keeping uptodate. Block's discussions are not for casual reading, but like the book, if you're willing to put in the time and effort, it can be very rewarding. (And amusing too, as he has a great sense of humor and pulls no punchs) Thanx Ralph!

The book is an easy to understand introduction.

Yes, Quality REITs can be a very good addition to one's portfolio as the book states.
But the book is a little biased, because one of the fundamentals
of modern portfolio theory is Risk vs Reward.
Yet this book has only 1 chapter (out of 12) discussing
the risks of REITs - and even in that chapter the risks
are down played somewhat.

Yes, REITS can be a great investment true, but the book doesn't give the complete picture.

Ralph has done a great job of leading the new REIT investor through the tangle of understanding REITs from their humble inception in 1960 through 2001. He does a good job of explaining why things have happened as they have, and to build our confidence in this from of investment...particular those who wish to invest for the long term dividend.

What would be nice is to carry this concept through its logical conclusion, and demonstrate how to get the data on the internet to measure a REIT's ability to maintain and continue to grow its dividend going forward, with practical examples of how to pull numbers off of a REIT's 10Q and 10K annual earnings reports, calculate FFO and AFFO and Fixed Cost Coverage Ratios.

I hope he follows up with a book that will take us to this next step.

This book thoroughly reviews the many aspects of REITs in a clear, interesting and informative manner. Good information. Good writing. Very helpful.

I liked the previous version of this book but the new 2002 edition is much better. I feel that I learned a lot more about REITs from reading it. REITs are a good way for individual investors to get broad diversification in their real estate investments. RE offers high returns that are somewhat uncorrelated with stocks. Keep in mind that some of the reviews on this site refer to the earlier edition of the book.

Real Estate Investment Trusts, or REITs, that, in my opinion, are more of an asset class, like fixed income bonds, than a sector of the general stock market. Every investor should be familar with this asset class just as every investor should be familar with fixed the income class. One can choose not to invest in REITs, just as one can decide to be 100 per cent in equities, but the choice should be an informed one. "Investing in REITs" by Ralph Block is an informative and clear introduction to REITs suitable for new investors. Investors who have followed REITs for a couple of years will also benefit from the book.

Part 1 of this book give an overview of REITs. In particular Chapter 2 shows why REITs are different (not better) than than electric utilities, bonds, and preferred stocks.

Part 2 of this book discusses the history of REITs and then some of the myths regarding REITs. REITs have been around since 1962 when a law was passed that excluded REITs from corporation tax if they paid out 95% of their taxable income as dividends. Before 1962 small investors could invest in real estate in limited partnerships. The myths probably arose because investors confused REITs with these limited partnerships.

Part 3 discusses how professionals evaluate REITs. For most equities earnings are the important number to look at. But real estate can throw off alot of depreciation for tax purposes, but the real estate is not really depreciating (very much hopefully). The numbers used to evaluate REITs FFO, AFFO, NAV (and much more) are explained in this part. By the way the balance sheet and income statements of REITs are much easier to understand, in my opinion, than other corporations. That's because most of the assets are hard assets and the revenues are stable. You don't have to worry about foreign competition and technological obsolesence.

Part 4 looks to the future. The total market capitalization of REITs was about $1 billion in 1982, now it is about $133 billion. Of course this growth primarily came about by starting new REITs, and REITs issuing stock to purchase more real estate. This part looks at the economic forces that caused this growth and whether it can continue. It also looks at the risks of REITs

A clear, well written book about REITs which can benefit the new as well as experienced investor.

klee12

After watching the current accounting scandals, I was interested in finding a safe investment with a good return. I read about REITs in Smart Money and that is how I was referred to this book. It is well written and comprehensive introduction to REITs and I plan to reread it several times so I can gain the expertise necessary to start investing in these relatively new investment vehicles. For those who do not want to wait, Vanguard offers a REIT index that has a nice return and looks pretty solid as we ride out the Bush Jr's recession.

Since the original "Investing in REITs" was published in 1998, much has changed in REITville. REITs endured a minor bear market in 1998 and 1999, the Congress passed the REIT Modernization Act of 1999, and the investing public found REITs a profitable place to invest as the rest of market fell away from them in 2000 and 2001. This book is an interesting and enjoyable text as the reader is guided through the history of REITS, property sectors, and a plain math approach to REIT analysis. The author revises the original book to include discussion of recent legislation which changes the amount of income that must distributed to shareholders and the rules which allows REITs to own taxable subsidiaries, and on a recent study that demonstrates the merit of including REITs in every diversified portfolio to provide currrent income, less volitility, and better returns. He also updates his "reading of the tea leaves", where he predicts the future for REITs. "Investing in REITs" is a must read for everyone who wants to know how to build a REIT portfolio.

I am the author of "Investing in REITs," and would like to contribute a few comments regarding the new 3rd edition released in January 2006, and how it differs from prior editions. The new edition improves upon and updates the prior editions in two principal ways:

First, it provides current information concerning the major events that have occurred and continue to evolve in the REIT industry. These include the REITs' bear market of 1998-1999, their subsequent amazing 6-year bull market, widespread acceptance of REITs as proxies for commercial real estate, and merger and acquisition activity. Further, all graphs and charts have been updated, and a new appendix on managing an all-REIT investment portfolio has been included.

Second, the new 3rd edition provides commentary on recent REIT industry trends that will affect all REIT investors, including the apparent "disconnect" between the 2001-2005 softness in the commercial real estate "space" markets and booming commercial real estate capital markets, the much-discussed "bubble" in residential real estate, changes in REITs' business strategies as they seek to create value in a very competitive marketplace, and the increasing pace of asset sales and joint venture activity.

If you liked the prior editions, you will love this new 3rd edition; if you didn't, well, don't buy this one. If you haven't bought "Investing in REITs" yet, well, decide whether you should own some REIT investments and act accordingly. The case for REIT investing has been proven convincingly, and it is my firm belief that every investor should own REIT stocks (or a REIT mutual fund) as part of a diversified investment portfolio. And, as each of us is responsible for our own investment strategies and success, there is no substitute for understanding both risk and reward.

Footnote and disclosure: Abe Lincoln refused to vote for himself in the 1860 presidential election, but I cannot figure out how to avoid assigning stars to this review of my own book. Accordingly, I hope you will forgive me if I immodestly give it 5 stars.

Ralph Block