I Bought Two REITS Today - AAT and CPT

Today, I bought two REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts).

REITs trade like stocks, and can be thought of as real estate mutual funds. In other words, instead of owning companies, they own real estate. They get special tax breaks, providing that they pass most of their earnings to shareholders. Because of this, REITs provide a lot of income.

I have always wanted to buy some REITs to diversify my portfolio, and I decided now might be a good time after reading an article in the recent edition of Forbes entitled "REIT Merger Boom is Brewing".

I bought two REITS: American Assets Trust (AAT) at $21.88 and Camden Property Trust (CPT) at $62.51.

AAT went public in January at $20.50 per share. It is a 45 year old company based in San Diego that owns a high-quality portfolio of office, residential, and retail properties on the West Coast - including California, Hawaii, and Portland OR. While the national vacancy rate is in double digits, AAT's properties in California and Hawaii are just 5% vacant.

Camden Property Trust specializes in apartment communities, is considered a buy because its stock price hasn't gained as much as bigger apartment REITs, such as Equity Residential. In fact, CPT makes an attractive takeover target for bigger REITS (like Equity) because of its large holdings in the Southwest and Southeast.

As all my positions, I plan to manage them with my Stock Trading Riches system.