Group launches Web site for investors

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts Aug. 1 launched www.investinreits.com, a site aimed at helping individual investors learn more about REITs and publicly traded real estate.

According to an announcement from the association, investinreits.com is a companion site for www.nareit.com, the organization's flagship site.

Steven A. Wechsler, president and chief executive officer of NAREIT, said that the new site was designed with individual investors in mind.

"We've made a special effort to make the site as easy to navigate as possible. It has everything an investor needs to become more familiar with real estate stocks and to explore opportunities to invest in individual companies or real estate-specific mutual funds," Wechsler said.

The new site offers basic explanations of REITs and investing in them. It also allows visitors to search for REITs and publicly traded real estate companies by location, type of property investments and stock exchange.

The site also lists REIT mutual funds and REITs with dividend reinvestment and stock purchase plans.

The National Association of Real Estate Investment Trusts is the national trade association for REITs and publicly traded real estate companies. The organization's membership is comprised of real estate investment trusts, as well as firms and individuals who advise, study and service those businesses.