REIT Investing for Beginners

Understanding REITs, REIT ETFs, Property Sectors, Distributions, and Risk Factors

REIT investing for beginners - a practical, plain-English study of REITs and REIT ETFs, property sectors, distributions, and risk factors. This book explains how real estate investment trusts work, what a REIT ETF actually holds, and why different REIT sectors can behave differently across market environments.

Inside, readers may learn about:

• What REITs are and what they are not, including equity REITs vs mortgage REITs

• How REIT ETFs are built, including index rules, concentration, and sector exposure

• Common REIT cash flow language, including FFO, AFFO, and distribution coverage as interpretive tools

• Valuation concepts often used in REIT discussions, including price-to-FFO, NAV, and cap rates

• How interest rates, credit conditions, and real estate cycles can influence REIT pricing

• Practical risk categories, including leverage, refinancing timing, tenant concentration, and obsolescence

• How distributions can be reported in different categories and why year-end labels may vary

• A plain-English tour of major REIT sectors such as residential, industrial, retail, office, health care, lodging, self-storage, and data centers

• A repeatable framework for comparing REIT ETFs and reviewing exposure over time

Written in a calm mentor voice, REIT Investing for Beginners focuses on clarity and context rather than predictions. All examples are illustrative and included to help readers interpret common terms, documents, and narratives they may encounter when studying REITs and REIT ETFs.