Real Estate Investment Company
Same as term real estate investment trust (REIT): Type of investment company that invests money in mortgages and various types of investment in real estate, in order to earn profits for shareholders. Shareholders receive income from the rents received from the properties and receive capital gains as properties are sold at a profit. REITs have been formed by a number of large financial institutions such as banks and insurance companies. The stocks of many of them are traded on security exchanges, thereby providing investors with a marketable interest in real estate investment portfolio. By law, REITs have to distribute 95 percent of their income to shareholders, and in turn they are exempt from corporate taxes on income or gains. In exchange for this special tax treatment, REITs are subject to numerous qualifications and limitations including:
- Qualified asset and income tests. REITs are required to have at least 75% of their value represented by qualified real estate assets and to earn at least 75% of their income from real estate investments.
- Shareholder qualifications. Generally, REITs are not permitted to be closely held and must have a minimum of 100 shareholders.
Popular Real Estate Terms
Written agreement in which the lessee pays rent to the lessor for the use of real property for a stated time period. An example is the tenant's rental of an apartment or office space. ...
A step's edge. ...
List of business property. ...
Land zoned for industrial use including manufacturing, factory office and warehouse space, research and development. ...
Structure built into the water from the land providing a facility for boats to tie up. A dock will often provide utility access ...
Right of an individual to be offered something before it is offered to others. For example, a tenant whose apartment is going to be converted to a cooperative has the first right of ...
Situation in which a business debts exceed the fair market value of its assets. ...
The individual responsible for an escrow account. ...
A roof having two slopes on each side. The second slope is longer than the first part of the roof and extremely steep. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.