Land Ho!

The Saturday Evening Post -- “Land is the only thing in the world that amounts to anything, for ’tis the only thing in this world that lasts. … ’Tis the only thing worth working for, worth fighting for, worth dying for,” says Gerald O’Hara to daughter Scarlett in Gone with the Wind.

Wise words. Real estate was on an upward surge for decades. It seemed unstoppable. Then, along came the disastrous collapse of the housing bubble in 2007. Six years later, we’re seeing a good rebound in real estate prices, and that has many, perhaps you, wondering if land is once again, if not worth fighting and dying for, at least worth investing in.

... Norman Miller, Ph.D., professor at the Burnham-Moores Center for Real Estate at the University of San Diego, says that now might be a good time to invest in either REITs or stocks in the housing-construction industry. Of these two investment choices, “REITs are more a buy-and-hold investment, for those who want long-term exposure to real estate without the headaches of being a landlord,” says Miller. “Housing stocks, subject to even more risk, as well as potential, are appropriate for only the most aggressive investors.” (Full Story)