My first investment in passive real estate was made in July of 2013 when I bought shares of Vanguard’s Real Estate Index Fund (VGSLX), a collection of publicly traded REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts).
I started small with a few investments in January of 2018. Wanting to diversify across both deal types (debt, equity, eREIT), and across different investment platforms, I made about a half-dozen investments in the first part of 2018.
Our total investment in alternatives (including these real estate deals plus ownership in privately held companies) is somewhere in the range of 15% to 25% of our portfolio.
Why So Many Real Estate Investments?
I’ve asked myself the same question at times.
First, I wanted to dip my toes in the water with small sums of money.
Also, with some of these platforms, I’ve had advertising or referral relationships in place, and I figure if I’m researching them and presenting them as potentially viable options for your investment dollars.