Tag Archives: homebuilding

Reiss on Investing In Real Estate Versus REITs

Posted on by

Investopedia quoted me in Investing In Real Estate Versus REITs. It reads in part,

The U.S. real estate market is finally starting to fire on most, if not all, cylinders, with investors’ enthusiasm gathering steam seemingly each passing month.

According to a study from the Urban Land Institute and PwC,expectations on profitability from the U.S. real estate sector are on the upside going forward. “In 2010, only 18% of respondents felt the prospects for profitability were at a good or better level,” the ULI reports. “This has improved steadily each year, with 68% of respondents now feeling that profitability will be at least good in 2014.”

The study reports that myriad investment demographics are pouring into the market, including foreign investors, institutional investors and private equity funds, as well as leveraged debt from insurance companies, mezzanine lenders, and issuers of commercial mortgage-backed securities.

“The anticipated interest in secondary markets is indicative of how the U.S. real estate recovery is expanding beyond the traditional investment hubs,” says Patrick L. Phillips, chief executive officer at the ULI. “Access to greater amounts of both debt and equity financing, combined with a sustained improvement in the underlying economic fundamentals, means that the opportunities and returns offered in smaller markets are potentially very appealing.”

A burgeoning profit avenue for investors is the real estate investment trust market, a market that is truly growing by leaps and bounds. Ernst & Young reports the REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust) market has grown from $300 billion in 2003 to $1 trillion by 2013, with growth expected to accelerate going forward.

By definition, an REIT is a corporation, trust or association that owns and, in most cases, operates income-producing real estate and/or real estate-related assets. Modeled after mutual funds, REITs pool the capital of numerous investors. This allows individual investors to earn a share of the income produced through commercial real estate ownership, without having to go out and buy or finance property or assets.

REITs differ from traditional real estate investing, primarily due to the fund-heavy strategic asset flow from REITs, versus the traditional free, more direct access flow from real estate investing (like becoming a landlord or buying stocks from homebuilding companies.) But both investments offer distinct advantages

*    *     *

some industry experts say the advantages of both investment classes cut much deeper than the descriptions above.

One big difference is that the market for REIT shares is much closer to the efficient market described by Nobel Prize winner Eugene Fama than the market for individual real estate parcels is, says David Reiss, a professor of law at Brooklyn Law School, and an expert on REITs.

“That means that the price of a REIT’s shares is more likely to contain all available information about the REIT,” he says.

“Because individual real estate parcels are sold in much smaller markets and because the cost of due diligence on a single property is not as cost-effective as it is on REIT shares, an investor has a better opportunity, at least in theory, to get a better return on his or her investment if he or she does the diligence him or herself.”

Reiss on Housing Shortgage

Posted on by

MainStreet.com quoted me in Housing Shortage Presents Challenges for Buyers. It reads in part,

While the housing demand continues to outpace supply in various urban pockets around the U.S., potential homeowners are faced with competing bids from other buyers.

The pent-up demand has created bidding wars from New York to San Francisco, putting additional pressure on homebuyers, many who are buying their first home in an unprecedented climate.

Despite weaker job growth, there remains a shortage in housing supply to satisfy current demand, said Jeff Meyers, president of Meyers Research, a Beverly Hills, Calif. data provider for real estate. Job growth is expected to pick up throughout this year, which will only increase demand. Unemployment will finish at 6.4% in 2014, which will be its fourth consecutive year of improvement, according to a forecast from Zonda, a mobile application for the residential homebuilding industry.

While all local markets experience their own dynamics and quirks, areas such as San Mateo county in California have more demand for housing because of a strong job market and limited development activity compared to weak demand in Wayne County in Michigan due to poor labor market conditions and an embattled housing market, he said.

Consumers with extra cash have the upper hand in trying to win a bid, especially in markets such as Manhattan where demand for a two-to-three bedroom apartment has pushed prices up to the $1.5 million to $3 million range, said Kinnaird Fox, director of development at Fenwick Keats Real Estate in New York which specializes in residential properties.

“This fierce competition created bidding wars with nearly every new listing since the beginning of 2014,” she said. “Cash rules for obvious reasons in a market like this.”

The bidding war frenzy has turned off many qualified buyers who are wary of the increase in prices, Fox said.

“Despite what seems like a booming sellers’ market, many qualified buyers may be looking, but choose not to jump in,” she said. “With buyers losing out on their bids, buyer fatigue sets in and some withdraw from the market. One could say the lack of inventory masks the actual demand.”

While some cities have a weak demand for housing, many have an even weaker supply, which yields in a housing shortage, said David Reiss, professor of law at Brooklyn Law School in New York.

“Some communities place severe restrictions on new housing construction so even modest upticks in demand can push rents and prices higher,” he said.

Buyers should not forget the fundamental rule of real estate. Location can have far reaching effects, especially if you are moving a significant distance, said Reiss.

“Perhaps first and foremost, ask whether the house you are considering is the right one for your family,” he said. “If the answer is yes, then you are probably on the right track because a house is first and foremost a home and secondly an investment.”