May/June 2022

While the context around ESG may evolve in the years ahead, REITs have laid a solid foundation in this area and are poised to continue supporting their communities.

After a summer of record-setting heat across the globe, the prospect of cooler days ahead is a welcome one. Yet it’s a safe bet that the extremes we have witnessed this season will be back again next year and will become regular features of life going forward.

With more than 15 years of experience in capital raising, marketing, and product management with real estate firms—including CBRE Investment Management, Barings, Schroders, and Bank of America—David Sullivan has joined Nareit as senior vice president, investment affairs. Sullivan will direct Nareit’s investor outreach to pension plans, endowments, and foundations.

Residential REITs enable people to live in a range of types of dwellings including apartments, single family houses, and manufactured homes. Residential REITs own more than 1.1 million apartment units and 157,000 single family rental houses, as well as manufactured home communities, RV parks, and marinas.

Regency Center Corporation’s (Nasdaq: REG) overhaul of a trio of century-old buildings located in Cambridge, Massachusetts into modern mixed-use space—while carefully preserving the historic flair of their surroundings—reflects the versatility and perseverance of a REIT best known for its grocery-anchored shopping centers.

While a recession is looking increasingly likely, commercial real estate’s (CRE) relatively strong demand drivers are still fundamentally intact, says Abby Corbett, managing director and senior economist at CoStar’s Market Analytics group.

Whitestone REIT  sees strong growth and income potential for its Sun Belt-focused portfolio of open-air shopping centers.

For years, LEED and ENERGY STAR have been prominent in the ESG vernacular of the REIT industry, but another building certification program—Fitwel— has recently joined the club.

RET Ventures, an early-stage venture fund specializing in cutting edge real estate tech companies, officially launched its new ESG innovation-focused Housing Impact Fund in April.

People making news in the REIT and publicly traded real estate industry.