Most investors interested in dividend-focused strategies will pay close attention to the real estate sector, where high yields are relatively common as a result of the unique tax structures allowed. While the yields can be attractive, real estate investment can carry a significant amount of risk. Below is a collection of 12 resources and expert voices that can be useful in evaluating real estate stocks. The list is presented in alphabetical order.
Building Permits Database
The Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University maintains an impressive database of housing starts information for all 50 states and a number of individual areas of the country. Users can find data on housing starts for various types of property as far back as 1980, including month-by-month data for more recent periods.
This incredibly flexible tool can be used to cull information for a wide range of research projects, and may be particularly useful for evaluating historical trends that may be playing out once again.
CBRE Research Gateway
CBRE, the world’s largest commercial real estate services firm, has access to an incredible amount of data related to global real estate markets. Much of this data is published and made accessible through a public gateway that can be a gold mine of data for investors.
This interface an be used to search through various research reports covering hundreds of real estate markets in the U.S. and around the globe, and a free registration can deliver access to PDF downloads of these reports. The reports included in this database vary from high-level analysis to reviews of specific markets.
Scott Crowe’s REIT Insight Newsletter
This newsletter is published by Scott Crowe, global portfolio manager for Philadelphia-based Resource Real Estate. Scott had previously worked at Cohen & Steers, where he oversaw more than 20 portfolio managers representing $10 billion in assets.
Each issue of the REIT Insight newsletter takes a deep dive into a number of factors and trends impacting the real estate markets, such as economic growth, supply, and capital raises. The newsletter is published several times each year, and is available free of charge.
DTZ Research Reports
DTZ Research maintains a number of useful reports covering the U.S. real estate market, including forecasts, white papers, and a number of different data points. This site includes free access to a number of lengthy, data-filled reports covering a wide range of topics — such as trends in the U.S. office market.
In addition to these regular reports, the site maintains several tools that can be used to acquire customized data reports on individual trends or specific markets. This site also tracks important economic indicators on a weekly basis.
Richard Green
Richard Green is a professor at the University of Southern California, teaching in both the school of public policy and school of business. He’s also the director of the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate. In addition to regular discussions on policy, his blog covers the state of the residential and commercial housing markets in the U.S.
Richard brings a unique perspective to his analysis of real estate markets, focusing primarily on the demographic trends in American cities and the potential impacts they can have on various aspects of society.
You can also follow Richard on Twitter.
REIT Industry Data
REIT.com maintains a detailed database of current and historical real estate data that can be useful when evaluating REITs. Specifically, this site includes historical data (from 1972) on the REIT industry market capitalization and a monthly REIT industry fact sheet that provides a thorough snapshot of the space.
In addition to the data offered, this site is also a useful resource for updates on the real estate industry. The staff covers earnings reports, property acquisitions and sales, and various other developments.
REIT Outlook Newsletter
Chilton Capital Management publishes a monthly REIT Outlook newsletter to communicate the views of its four portfolio managers on the market. In addition to a general assessment of the real estate market, this newsletter often takes a “deep dive” into a particular corner of the market to provide a detailed analysis. (A recent edition focused on real estate in Houston.) The newsletter is published by managing director Bruce Garrison, portfolio manager Matthew Werner, and analyst Blane Cheatham.
Chilton also publishes a number of other updates, including a REIT commentary newsletter and a performance summary that reviews price movements for major REITs.
REITView Newsletter
This free quarterly newsletter published by Adelante Capital Management covers real estate markets around the globe, breaking down performance by country and discussing any noteworthy developments around the world.
The Adelante blog also provides more regular updates on the REIT market, with a Friday recap that includes returns for broad real estate indexes and highlights of any major news and earnings releases from the past few days. The team also regularly publishes capital markets overviews that provide analysis of the broader economic environment.
Reis Reports
Reis Reports publishes several key statistics related to the U.S. real estate markets that can be useful in identifying trends among various types of REITs. Their quarterly reports include cap rates for office, retail, and apartment properties; vacancy rates and rent growth rates by market; and supply and inventory figures.
This site also maintains a number of useful tools, including a vacancy rate widget and a national trends widget that can be customized to show data about dozens of different markets.
Storage Beat and Storage Facilitator
Most real estate investors know that self storage is a big business, with several publicly-traded REITs focusing on this particular segment of the domestic real estate market. These sites focus specifically on the self storage business, making them excellent resources for investors weighing positions in companies such as Public Storage (PSA) or Extra Space Storage (EXR).
The Storage Facilitator blog is aimed at storage owners and operators, whereas the Storage Beat blog is aimed at industry analysts, brokers, and developers. Both sites are overseen by editor John Egan.
Trepp REIT Cafe
The Trepp REIT Cafe is an online community that aggregates news, analysis, and insights from throughout the real estate industry. Members can get access to downloads of complete conference calls for public REITs, as well as recaps of earnings reports. This site also maintains a collection of news and commentary, including pieces from third parties and exclusive analysis and commentary. A directory of REITs includes more than 400 companies listed in the U.S. and around the world.
A free registration is required to access the features. Users can also elect to receive a free weekly newsletter with updates on the REIT market.
Value Forum High Yielding REITs
Value Forum has a number of resources for value investors, including a list of the REITs with the highest dividend yields. In addition to yield, this table also shows the frequency of the distributions and the upcoming ex-dividend date. Additional information, including the extended dividend history for each REIT, is also available.
Researching a REIT investment obviously requires quite a bit more than simply sorting by yield, but this information can be very helpful in looking for stocks that have the potential to deliver significant returns.
Have another REIT-related tool or expert we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
This article, 12 Real Estate Resources Every Dividend Investor Should Bookmark, first appeared on Dividend Reference.